Music Magazine
For this task we were asked to produce our own unique music magazine for our AS level Media Studies coursework. We had to make a blog in order to present evidence of all the research and planning we had carried out and use Adobe Photoshop to create a front cover, contents page and double page spread. I chose to create my three pieces for a pop magazine. I chose pop because it is my favourite genre that I listen to so therefore I was happy to research into it and I knew I would be very capable of completing this task to the best of my ability.
My magazine will be a pop magazine called ‘RHYTHMIX’ and the target audience will be females aged between 14 and 18. The magazine will cost £2.90 and it will be on sale weekly at local news agents, supermarkets, music stores and fashion outlets, like ‘TopShop’. It will be cool and trendy, presented in a colourful, eye catching and funky package. Fully aware of the needs of its audience, the magazine’s sole aim will be to provide them with essential information and advice, whilst keeping them happy and entertained. ‘RHYTHMIX’ will make it their mission to teach its target audience about all things pop, as well as providing the readership with beauty and fashion tips that will enable them to be the best they can be and to be confident young women. The magazine will, of course, keep its readers up-to-date with the latest and freshest information on their favourite music artist or boy/girl band. Some artists that will feature will be One Direction, Little Mix, Leona Lewis, Katy Perry, JLS, Justin Beiber, Beyonce and Taylor Swift.
The magazine will have cover lines and content largely related chart music and pop and will feature many exclusive stories on concerts, bands and solo artists. It will include interviews, posters, competitions, games, quizzes and information on albums and singles coming out soon. However, there will also be articles about fashion and boys, as these are key interests of the target audience and cannot be ignored, therefore.
As the magazine will be distributed weekly, the readership will be provided with a regular fix of pop news and gossip. The day of issue, meanwhile, will be the same each week, so readers will know when they can obtain the latest edition. Alongside, this, the magazine will have its own website, www.rhythmixpop.co.uk that will offer its target audience daily updates and extras, such as exclusive access to interviews, new music videos and free downloads. Readers will even be able to chat to each other on the website’s forum and share their own pop views and news. Eventually, the magazine and its website will be joined by a RYTHMIX radio station and RYTHMIX music channel that will further cater for the female pop fan and compliment the existing members of the RYTHMIX family.
The readership of ‘RYTHMIX’ will be able to enjoy and benefit from a range of features within the magazine each month. First and foremost, there will be material exclusively about music artists. Alongside this, the magazine will cater for the target audience’s other interests, ensuring that she remains consistently informed and entertained. The readership will be able to find out about concerts, the latest celebrity gossip, fashion and beauty tips and they will be able to do quizzes and enter competitions offering them the chance to either meet her favourite pop artists or win concert tickets. Exclusive interviews and stories will also feature, along with games, posters, reviews and advice. The pop music industry and well being of its readers is incredibly important to ‘RYTHMIX’ and this will means that, within the pages of the magazine, readers will be able to find all the information, guidance and content they require. The readership will feel a bond with the magazine, united because of their shared love of and appreciation for music, boys, beauty and fashion. My magazine will also, of course, unite all fun, pop-loving girls and allow them to share their passion of pop music and read about what they love.
Target Audience Profile
Pop is associated more with mainstream music and the charts, which suggests different types of artists and a combination of different popular styles of music, therefore creating a wider range of target audiences. However, pop music in its purest form is fun, catchy, melodic and wholesome and it lends itself more to a younger, female market. My magazine is aimed at a target audience of predominately fresh, fun and feminine females aged between 14 and 18. Current pop magazines, such as Top of the Pops, are aimed at young pre-teen and early teenage girls (11-15), who aspire to be older, mature teenagers. Then there are fashion and beauty magazines that are aimed at young women. However there are fewer magazines for girls who are in-between these age groups. I want to fill this gap in the market and cater for the pop fan in her late teens, creating a pop music magazine, which still satisfies her other interests, such as fashion and beauty, but that focuses on music and charts.
The readers of my magazine will be young, feminine girls, who enjoy going out with friends, social networking, and doing their hair and makeup. They enjoy reading about the latest gossip in the celebrity world and love finding out tips on how to be like their favourite solo artist or girl band member, who they admire and aspire to be like. They will have a good group of friends who are similar to them and when they are not together socialising or shopping, they will constantly be communicating with each other via Facebook or Twitter. Music is important to the target audience. They are constantly listening to music and they would do anything to meet their favourite boy band, who they only ever see in their dreams. They are always listening to music, whether it is on their iPod, iPhone or radio. They love to listen to radio stations such as Kiss 100 and Capital FM to find out if their fave band or solo artist has hit the top of the charts! The girls who read the magazine will also enjoy going to the cinema to watch romantic comedy films, such as ‘Love Actually’, ‘Crazy, Stupid Love’, ‘The Vow’ and ’50 First Dates.’ They are obviously heavily interested in music and dance so they also like films such as ‘Step Up’ and ‘Honey.’ Many of the target audience watch soap and reality programmes such as, ‘EastEnders’, ‘Coronation Street’, ‘Made in Chelsea’ and ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ and particularly enjoy having a good gossip over last night TV with their friends. My target audience are young women who are currently in school studying humanities and performance-based GCSE or A level subjects, such as Media Studies, Performing Arts, Drama, Sociology and Psychology. They want to fulfil their dream of working in the music or media industry. They are hard working girls that, by the end of the day, are often worn out and just want to chill out and listen to music or read their favourite music magazine. Their favourite artists and bands include One Direction, Katy Perry, Beyonce and Girls Aloud. They have other interests, including fashion and make up; their makeup bag is up to date with the latest foundations, bronzers and mascaras from Max Factor and Rimmel and they love experimenting with the latest fashion and make-up trends. They take pride in their appearance and love to look good. The target audience’s life doesn’t include a boyfriend as they feel they are too young to commit and would rather spend time with their friends and family and on fulfilling their potential at school, college and university.
All readers of the magazine will be excited, fresh, young girls who are obsessed with boys and make up. They love their friends, family and enjoy cuddling up to their pet Chihuahua at night time with a hot chocolate. An ultimate indulgence, however, would be seeing their favourite artists/band in concert and they would go to any lengths to get tickets.
Choice of Genre
Codes and Conventions of my Genre
There are many different codes and conventions in the genre of pop music. One is the different song themes. A theme heavily involved in pop music is Love. Some pop songs are about falling in love for example in the song by Britney Spears - You Drive Me Crazy, she talks about falling for the one who makes her 'heart jump'. Other songs are about heartbreak and cheating in 'Teardrops on my Guitar' by Taylor Swift, she says that some else has everything she deosnt since she's been left, she also says that he's the reason she has teardrops on her gutiar. There are also songs about losing the one you love; in Bruno Mars' song 'When I was Your Man' he says that he should have held her hand and given her flowers when he had the chance. Many pop songs are also about being with the wrong guy in 'Black Heart' by Stooshe they say that there is no 'figuring out' the guy and that she has 'fallen for a monster. 'Trouble' by Taylor Swift also talks about being with a guy who is not right, she says that she knew 'he was trouble when he walked in' and that he's the reason 'she's drowing' without his love.
However, love is not the main theme in Pop songs. Living life while you're young is one. One Direction's song, 'Live while we're Young' is a really, happy bright up lifting song which talks about celebrating, being cool and going crazy! There are also pop songs about living for your dreams, S Club 7's song, 'Reach for the Stars' is an uplifting song aswell that was written to lift people's spirits. They say that you can always count on your best friends and they will always be there for you.
The songs within pop music are all upbeat, have catchy choruses and involve a lot of rhythm and rhyme. The sound of pop music is more produced rather than a live sound and there are less instruments used. The songs usually have a 'hook' which makes the song likeable and easy to remember. Ballads also feature within pop music which are usually songs which focus on falling in love/being in love.
There are many different types of artists in pop music. Boy bands such as One Direction are young, good-looking and fresh-faced. They have a look that ‘catches on’ ; boys copy their look and girls will find their 'look' attractive (boys want to be them, girls want to date them). Boy bands are always smiley, playful and a 'boy-next-door' kind of boy who will be easy to take home to mum.
Girl bands on the other hand are also pretty, young, feminine, fun and feisty, Scary Spice for example is well known for being feisty. Girl bands often have their own personality, but seem
to fit well together as a unit and have a great, very sisterly relationship, you often see them holding hands together during a ballad at concerts. The song 'Mama' by the Spice Girls is a very emotional song which touched hearts accross the world and when the girls preformed it at their reunion concert they brought their children on stage and they looked very united.
Girl bands always seem to have a variety of different hair colours. There's normally a blonde one, brunette one, and red head and there is always a
group member that every boy will have some kind of attraction too and that
every girl can relate to and see herself reflected in. They seem like the type
of girl who you could have as both a role model and as someone you could have as a best
friend and have a laugh with.
Solo Artists have the biggest role in pop music, these can be either male (Justin Beiber, Bruno Mars,
Conor Maynard, Justin Timberlake, Olly Murs) or female (Katy Perry, Tyalor Swift, Britney Spears and Jessie J). These artists are all individuals and have their
own star image. They are very commercial and sellable, with a style that will appeal
and can be copied by pop fans. They are always, young, attractive, stylish and confident. Fans can
relate to the lyrics of their songs and sing along to them easily too. Many of
these artists start their pop career at a young age (e.g Britney Spears – Micky Mouse club). This means that
they ‘grow up’ in the limelight and we see them making mistakes (often
exaggerated in the press) or evolving in terms of their star image to become an
artist that is more sexually overt and appealing or more rebellious.
Pop music videos are located all over the globe. They range from schools, to beaches, deserts, pools and holiday locations. In Britney Spears' Song - Baby One more Time she is located in a school and in Live while we're Young by One Direction, Say You'll be There by the Spice Girls and 5, 6, 7, 8 by Steps you see them all on sunny beaches having the time of their lives. Other locations include: cities, churches and luxurious hotels/clubs. In Hot and Cold by Katy Perry she is located in a church. This was a good choice of location as the song is about relationships and getting married. Spice Girls - 2 become 1's video is located in a busy city such as New York. All of these locations are places that make you feel happy and places that are full of
life and activity. They are places that relate to themes of the songs,
bright sunny places and places that the audience can relate to, such as schools. The target audience of pop music are all likely to still be at school and whilst they are at school they will be day dreaming about being on a bright, hot sunny beach and getting married to their crush etc. Below I have examples of typical pop music videos with all the codes and conventions. In Britney's song 'Baby One More Time', it shows a variety of typical codes and conventions. It is set in a school which the target audience can relate to. Britney is also showing some flesh to enhance her femininity. The same applies to the other video 'Hot and Cold' by Katy Perry.
With regards to costume in pop music; girls costumes are usually revealing and enhance their figures. Boy bands costumes are usually casual, fashionable costumes which are coordinated (as you can see in the picture of One Direction). It is also common for torsos to be on display in boy band videos. Girl bands usually have
matching costumes with an individual twist. Overall they are more often than not, they are bright coloured fashionable costumes.
I chose Pop music as my genre of music for my magazine. I chose pop music as it is a genre that has
conventions that I am familiar with and that I know I can recreate successfully
within my own magazine.
The lyrics in pop music are always relatable and memorable. The sound of the music is always upbeat, full of rhythm and rhyme; hence the name of my magazine 'Rhythmix'.
The lyrics in pop music are always relatable and memorable. The sound of the music is always upbeat, full of rhythm and rhyme; hence the name of my magazine 'Rhythmix'.
Codes and Conventions of my Genre
There are many different codes and conventions in the genre of pop music. One is the different song themes. A theme heavily involved in pop music is Love. Some pop songs are about falling in love for example in the song by Britney Spears - You Drive Me Crazy, she talks about falling for the one who makes her 'heart jump'. Other songs are about heartbreak and cheating in 'Teardrops on my Guitar' by Taylor Swift, she says that some else has everything she deosnt since she's been left, she also says that he's the reason she has teardrops on her gutiar. There are also songs about losing the one you love; in Bruno Mars' song 'When I was Your Man' he says that he should have held her hand and given her flowers when he had the chance. Many pop songs are also about being with the wrong guy in 'Black Heart' by Stooshe they say that there is no 'figuring out' the guy and that she has 'fallen for a monster. 'Trouble' by Taylor Swift also talks about being with a guy who is not right, she says that she knew 'he was trouble when he walked in' and that he's the reason 'she's drowing' without his love. 
However, love is not the main theme in Pop songs. Living life while you're young is one. One Direction's song, 'Live while we're Young' is a really, happy bright up lifting song which talks about celebrating, being cool and going crazy! There are also pop songs about living for your dreams, S Club 7's song, 'Reach for the Stars' is an uplifting song aswell that was written to lift people's spirits. They say that you can always count on your best friends and they will always be there for you.The songs within pop music are all upbeat, have catchy choruses and involve a lot of rhythm and rhyme. The sound of pop music is more produced rather than a live sound and there are less instruments used. The songs usually have a 'hook' which makes the song likeable and easy to remember. Ballads also feature within pop music which are usually songs which focus on falling in love/being in love.
There are many different types of artists in pop music. Boy bands such as One Direction are young, good-looking and fresh-faced. They have a look that ‘catches on’ ; boys copy their look and girls will find their 'look' attractive (boys want to be them, girls want to date them). Boy bands are always smiley, playful and a 'boy-next-door' kind of boy who will be easy to take home to mum.
Girl bands on the other hand are also pretty, young, feminine, fun and feisty, Scary Spice for example is well known for being feisty. Girl bands often have their own personality, but seem
to fit well together as a unit and have a great, very sisterly relationship, you often see them holding hands together during a ballad at concerts. The song 'Mama' by the Spice Girls is a very emotional song which touched hearts accross the world and when the girls preformed it at their reunion concert they brought their children on stage and they looked very united.
Girl bands always seem to have a variety of different hair colours. There's normally a blonde one, brunette one, and red head and there is always a
group member that every boy will have some kind of attraction too and that
every girl can relate to and see herself reflected in. They seem like the type
of girl who you could have as both a role model and as someone you could have as a best
friend and have a laugh with. 
Pop music videos are located all over the globe. They range from schools, to beaches, deserts, pools and holiday locations. In Britney Spears' Song - Baby One more Time she is located in a school and in Live while we're Young by One Direction, Say You'll be There by the Spice Girls and 5, 6, 7, 8 by Steps you see them all on sunny beaches having the time of their lives. Other locations include: cities, churches and luxurious hotels/clubs. In Hot and Cold by Katy Perry she is located in a church. This was a good choice of location as the song is about relationships and getting married. Spice Girls - 2 become 1's video is located in a busy city such as New York. All of these locations are places that make you feel happy and places that are full of
life and activity. They are places that relate to themes of the songs,
bright sunny places and places that the audience can relate to, such as schools. The target audience of pop music are all likely to still be at school and whilst they are at school they will be day dreaming about being on a bright, hot sunny beach and getting married to their crush etc. Below I have examples of typical pop music videos with all the codes and conventions. In Britney's song 'Baby One More Time', it shows a variety of typical codes and conventions. It is set in a school which the target audience can relate to. Britney is also showing some flesh to enhance her femininity. The same applies to the other video 'Hot and Cold' by Katy Perry.
Britney Spears - Baby One More Time
Katy Perry - Hot and Cold
With regards to costume in pop music; girls costumes are usually revealing and enhance their figures. Boy bands costumes are usually casual, fashionable costumes which are coordinated (as you can see in the picture of One Direction). It is also common for torsos to be on display in boy band videos. Girl bands usually have
matching costumes with an individual twist. Overall they are more often than not, they are bright coloured fashionable costumes.
Questionnaire
Below is an image of my questionnaire. I handed it out to 25 people around the common room because they are all in the target audience age group. I wanted to find out my target audience's preferences and find out what they like and want to see in a pop music magazine. I wanted to be able to get inside the mind of my target audience so I could fully accomplish satisfying their needs.
Below is an image of my questionnaire. I handed it out to 25 people around the common room because they are all in the target audience age group. I wanted to find out my target audience's preferences and find out what they like and want to see in a pop music magazine. I wanted to be able to get inside the mind of my target audience so I could fully accomplish satisfying their needs.
Questionnaire Analysis
1. Why do you listen to music?
From my questionnaire I discovered that people listen to music for various reasons. The main one being relaxation. Music can be very therapeutic. Other people said they use it to lighten their mood, for their own personal entertainment and to sing or dance. Some people also said they use it to pass time and to escape from the real world, ‘head phones in, world out.’ This applies to the Bulmer and Katz Uses and Gratifications Theory. They believe there are five uses of media:
1. to be informed or educated
2. identify with characters of the situation in the media enviornment
3. to be entertained
4. to enhance social interaction
5. to escape from the hassles of every day life.
The people who answered my questionnaire said they use music for escapism and entertainment threrefore it applies to the Bulmer and Katz theory.
From this questionnaire I have found out why people listen to music and I will use this information by adding in relaxing, entertaining and fun music into my mag so that it appeals even more to the reader.
1. to be informed or educated
2. identify with characters of the situation in the media enviornment
3. to be entertained
4. to enhance social interaction
5. to escape from the hassles of every day life.
The people who answered my questionnaire said they use music for escapism and entertainment threrefore it applies to the Bulmer and Katz theory.
From this questionnaire I have found out why people listen to music and I will use this information by adding in relaxing, entertaining and fun music into my mag so that it appeals even more to the reader.
2. Who are your favourite band/artists?
Many participants liked different artists who sing different genres of music ranging from ‘pop/chart’ music to indie rock. The most popular artist was Taylor Swift, followed by Rihanna. The girls who completed my questionnaire all had different reasons why they liked the certain artists. The answers varied from relatable/inspirational lyrics to the sound of their chosen artist’s voice. I will use a range of different artists in my magazine so that it will appeal to my target audience. Girl bands seemed to be very popular with the people who answered my questionnaire so I have decided to use a girl band for the main attraction for my magazine. Even though the likes of Rihanna and Taylor Swift were favoured who are solo artists I will stick with the idea of using a girl band because I can make each girl in the band relatable to the target audience.
3. What is your favourite type of music?
My third question was a closed question. The options the participants had to choose from were: ‘Pop/Chart’, ‘R’n’B’, ‘Rock/Indie’ and ‘House/Dance.’ The most popular genre was ‘Pop/Chart’ music, followed by ‘House/Dance’ music, followed by ‘R’n’B’ and then finally ‘Indie/Rock.’ I am glad the most popular was ‘Pop/Chart’ music because that is the genre I am doing in my music magazine about. I now know that my magazine will definitely appeal to my readership. The fact that there were different genres preferred doesn't worry me because most pop songs do incorporate a hint of R'n'B and house so I shall do the same so I can cater for all.
4. What radio station to do listen to?
This was also a closed question and the options to pick from were: ‘Kiss 100 FM’, ‘Capital FM’, ‘Radio 1 FM’, ‘Classic FM’ AND ‘XFM.’ ‘Capital FM’ was the most popular radio station, followed by Radio 1 FM and then Kiss FM. XFM received no one vote and classic FM had zero. I also had an ‘Other’ option box and the radio stations mentioned were Choice FM and LBC FM.
5. What Festivals have you been to?
This was another closed question. The options were Reading, Isle of White, Glastonbury, V and Bestival. Out of the 24 participants only 7 of them had been to a festival. These festivals included V, Reading and Bestival. Reading was the most popular festival. The fact that not many of the people had not been to festivals does not worry me because festivals are for a different type of person to my TA. Festivals are predominatly known for older, indie rock fans. (Reading, Glastonbury) Therefore, in my magazine I will promote concerts rather than festivals
6. Do you play an instrument?
Many of the participants did not play any musical instruments. However, those that did played instruments such as, the guitar, violin, keyboard and piano. The reason that most of them didn’t play an instrument may be because that the average pop music fan doesn’t tend to aspire to play an instrument because their favourite artist doesn’t either. Pop artists rarely play instruments, pop music is more about singing than instrumentals.
7. Would you like a career in music?
Out of 24 participants only 2 of them would like a career in the music industry; their reasons being that they are familiar with the music industry and they enjoy performing. I think the main reason they didn’t was probably because it is one of the hardest industries to get into. Despite the fact only 2 participants liked the idea of a career in music this doesn't effect the other's passion for music. Even though they don't want a career in music this won't stop them from singing along to Girls Aloud in their mirror with a hair brush.
8. On a magazine front cover, what feature is most likely to grab your attention?
This was my final question and it was a closed question. The options included, the ‘title’, ‘smaller images’, ‘tasters of content’ and ‘main image.’ Nearly all of the girls said the front cover or tasters of content are what is most likely to grab their attention. Therefore I will make sure all mise-en-scene elements appeal to my TA. I will use bright colours and images accross my magazine so that it will jump out and grab the readership's attention.
Below, you can see pie charts on the different information I found from the closed questions in my questionnaires :
Front Cover Overview
Below, you can see pie charts on the different information I found from the closed questions in my questionnaires :
Case Study
Front Cover Overview
The front covers all feature typical magazine front cover conventions. We see expected general and layout conventions, such as the inclusion of a main image that dominates the front cover. They also feature article photographs that relate to content inside, sell-lines that surround the main image, and a masthead designed in an appropriate font.
Most of the artists featured in the magazines are females. This is because women mainly dominate the pop/chart music world. Females are the target audience for these magazines so having a woman as the main image will appeal to them. These girls desire to look/be like them and pick up the magazine so that they can read about their favourite celebrity/artist.The sell-lines that are related with the main image are all about what is personnal to the featured celebrity. All of the main sell-lines are rather emotional, for example articles include stories about: struggles with confidence, heatbreak, bullying. This indicates a female target audience that is interested in the private lives of the celebs and suggests that TOTP covers a lot more than just music. Its approach to music is certainly not serious.
All of the front covers have the same masthead. They all read ‘Top of the Pops’ and are in the same font. The masthead features a twirl on the letter ‘s’ which adds a subtle feminine feel to the magazine. The masthead is also in pink which also adds a feminine feel to the magazine and also lure in the readership.
Choices of costume, make up and hairstyle are very intereting. Their femininity unites them, e.g. bright lipstick, eye make up that draws attention to the eyes for all the females, as you can see one of the magazines features Jessie J who has very dark eye makeup and very bright red lipstick. The same accounts for Tulisa and Lady Gaga. However the second TOTP that features Cher shows a very subtle looking Cher; her hair is short, curled and 'extension-less' and her makeup is very natural. This that compliments the sell-line ‘I’ll never get used to fame”. The make up makes her seem like a girl next door not a fame hungry and fame happy diva.
Choices of costume, make up and hairstyle are very intereting. Their femininity unites them, e.g. bright lipstick, eye make up that draws attention to the eyes for all the females, as you can see one of the magazines features Jessie J who has very dark eye makeup and very bright red lipstick. The same accounts for Tulisa and Lady Gaga. However the second TOTP that features Cher shows a very subtle looking Cher; her hair is short, curled and 'extension-less' and her makeup is very natural. This that compliments the sell-line ‘I’ll never get used to fame”. The make up makes her seem like a girl next door not a fame hungry and fame happy diva.
There are many other similarities across the front covers of Top of the Pops. A symbiotic link is created between all of the front covers through colour schemes used and layout. All front covers feature a vibrant colour scheme, which grabs attention and that reflects the audience’s musical tastes and femininity. This helps maintain brand identity; the masthead will always stand out no matter what the background is, helping reinforce Top of the Pops’s name (it catches the eye and sticks in the reader’s mind). If a member of Top of the Pop’s target audience were to go into a newsagent, they would instantly be able to locate the magazine on the shelves, as they would know to look for the bright, eye-catching masthead. The sell-lines also tend to be written in quirky, display fonts, with colours that stand out, and the main sell-line is normally placed in
The cover that presents One Direction is a key example of this; The boys smile at the audience easily, which creates a representation of them as friendly, approachable and innocent, which will make the audience fall in love with them even more and prevents them from feeling intimidated by the band or thinking that they are not worthy enough to be in their presence. Equality between the five members of the band is also suggested by the way in which they stand closely together, also showing the bond and relaxed relationship that exists between them because they look so at ease and comfortable in each other’s company. In the image One Direction have their hands in their trouser pockets in a casually, relaxed manner. This is a pose commonly used by males and in particular male artists in the music industry to draw attention to their obvious masculinity and to remind the audience that they are virile, alpha males.
From carrying out this overview, I have learnt much more about Top of the Pop’s brand identity and how it is effectively presented through things such as a continuous use of layout, similar mise-en-scene elements and use of genre specific iconography. It has also inspired me with ideas for when I make my own magazine front cover and I will bear in mind Top of the Pop’s own conventions when creating mine.
Front Cover Analyses
Contents Page Overview
All contents pages shown are from the front cover of Top of the Pops magazine and so they have all been designed with the intention of attracting fans of pop/chart music. Through carrying out an investigation of them and by comparing them to each other, it is possible to identify shared features within them and to establish repeated patterns.
The six contents pages all feature typical magazine contents page conventions. We see expected general and layout conventions, such as showing what story is on what page. They also feature article photographs , and the contents page is designed using an appropriate font. It carries on the smbiotic link by continuously using the Top Of The Pops signiture font. This helps the target audience to love the mag even more because it doesn’t change.
All of the contents pages are very similar, this enhances and carries on a symbiotic link. All of the contents pages have the same colour scheme: pink, white and yellow.These are very feminine colours and they will appeal to the target audience. The four contents pages all have an image of the front cover in the top left hand corner. This is to show where which story is featured in the following pages. The placement of it is also done specifically; It is placed in the top left hand corner and this is where the Western eye will look first. This has been done on purpose so that it is the first thing the readership will see.
The contents pages all have the title ‘inside the mag’ with pink as the back ground colour. Pink is a feminine colour which will majorly appeal to the target audience and the colour also reflects their taste and love of pop music. Females tend to gravitate towards pop music more than males because of the emotional themes of the songs and because it is bright, bubbly, sparkly and fun. The pop music industry is dominated my females and this is why the magazines readership will mainly be female.
All of the contents pages also feature 5 text columns which are titled: ‘We (heart) boys’, ‘Celebs and gossip’, ‘All about you’, ‘Wins and offers’ and ‘We (heart) shopping.’ All of these are specifically worded to attract the target audience. The magazine is ‘all about them’ and all for them! The use of replacing the word 'love' with a heart also highlights their fun, quirky, youthful mode of address.
The contents pages also includes images of celebrites, pop artists and feminine clothes and assessorises this is done just to add more appeal. All of the target audience will love to read about their favourite pop star and celebrity and they will love to find out the latest fashion and boy crazes!
Contents Page Analyses
Double Page Spread Overview
All of the double page spreads are from the well known Top of the Pops magazine and so they have all been designed with the intention of attracting fans of pop/chart music. Through carrying out an investigation of them and by comparing them to each other, it is possible to identify shared features within them and to establish repeated patterns.
Each of the double page spreadsall feature images that mainly dominate one or both pages. This is to make the interview/story appeal more to the target audience because if it was just writing it would look and come across as boring therefore the readership would just flick to the next page and ignore it because the the pure fact it didnt have pictures. All of the double page spreads have images so that they can look more fun and quirky.
The image of Cher is definitely fun and quirky. Her pose is actually quite obscure and she twists her body at an unusual angle, which helps to establish the uniqueness of her personality. Various mise-en-scene elements combine to create a rebellious, wayward representation of Cher. One of the elements used to achieve this is her facial expression. Cher is staring at the camera with a wide eyed expression and with her fingertips up to her mouth, as if to say ‘oops!’ The readership is given the impression that she has misbehaved, much like they might want to themselves. Through this the main image in the double page spread will apeal to the audience and make them want to read the article.
The double page spread featuring Leona Lewis as the main image is also very fun and quirky. She is smiling, her hair is long, wavey, perfectly styled and her makeup is subtle but noticeable. Leona is the ideal role model for the young girls of today who are reading this mag. The colour scheme (various shades of pink and grey) of the double page spread is also similar to the other double page spreads. These colours are all feminine colour which will appeal to the readership.
The double page spread featuring The Wanted will also majorly appeal to the target audience because the lads are all in gym wear, with gym eqipment showing off their muscular physiques. This is similar to the one featuring Justin Beiber because this one also has a topless picture of him. The readership will love to read about The Wanted and Justin Beiber because they are all attractive, well know pop music artists who they probably fancy.
Three out of the four double page speards feature pull quotes. Pull quotes are always tyically featured in double page spreads because they are another thing that lure in the target audience. The editior of the magazine obviously thought they were the most important and interesting parts of the interview so they wanted to emphasize them.
All of the double page spreads have the same attributes such as: main images and other images, a feminine colour scheme, shapes and pull quotes and I have spoken I about each of the similarities. From carrying out this overview, I have learnt much more about Top of the Pop’s brand identity and how it is effectively presented through things such as a continuous use of layout, similar mise-en-scene elements and use of genre specific iconography. It has also inspired me with ideas for when I make my own magazine double page spread and I will bear in mind Top of the Pop’s own conventions when creating mine.
Double Page Spread Analyses
Mise-en-Scene Analysis
Cheryl Cole is a well known pop artists who was formally in the fun, fiesty, feminine girl band, Girls Aloud. In the picture you see her sitting on a carpet with her legs crossed. Her hair is styled in a naturally wavy way and her facial expression looks subtly sexy. The fact she is looking straight into the camera showing direct address will make the audience feel as if she is looking at them inviting them into her world. Her pink lipsticked lips are parted and her eye makeup is perfectly bringing out her sparkling chocolate brown eyes. She is dressed casually in a pale pink jumper, jeans shorts and high heeled ankle boots. An outfit that would be perfect to wear in the spring. Her costume is casual so her fans are able to relate to her and not feel intimidated by her. However, the high heels bring a hint of sophisticated sexiness to the image of her and they reflect her fiesty, femininity. Her short shorts also give you a glimpse of her tattoo on her upper right thigh, the tatoo emphasises her rebellious side and shows she is not affraid to show a bit of flesh or break the rules. Cheryl's left hand is at the side of her head puffing up her hair. This makes her look even more sexy and girls can relate to this beacuse it is often girls make their hair look big and subtly messy with their hands. A girls hair is very important to them because it's style, colour and length can be a reflection of their femininty. The carpet also reflects femininity as the colour of it is pink; pink is the most loved colours by young girls who will typically be fans and aspire to be like cheryl. The background of the image is plain this is so that all attention is on Cheryl and the audience cannot be distracted by objects in the background. Even though cheryl looks sexy she also looks feminine and fun, just like other images we see of pop artists.
This image features Tulisa. She is also a pop solo artists who originated from the urban band N-Dubz. In this image you see Tulisa jumping in the air. She looks as though she doesnt have a care in the world. Alothough Tulisa looks as if she is having fun her makeup (red lip stick) and choice of costume she is wearing adds a hint of sexiness that may appeal to a male audience. She wears a purple and white pocka dotted bikini top and jean shorts. The fact she has no shoes on suggests the fact she is free. She also has on a purple baseball jacket. This makes the outfit look more casual. Girls who listen to pop music will be a fan of Tulisa as she sings about fun and love, something all girls have in their lives. The fact that her body is shown may make the girls like her more as they desire to have a body much like hers. Artifical lighting is used in the picture to create a shodaow behind her.Tulisa's facial expression is the one of the best parts of the image. Although she is not showing direct address she is still enticing the audience with her bright smile. Tulisa looks very feminine and is a typical example of a solo pop artist and this image of her reflects her fun, fiesty feminine persona perfectly. 
Costume Analysis and Ideas
Artists from the genre of pop music tend to wear bright colours. Females dominate the pop industry so it is very likely to see clothing such as dresses and skirts when flicking through a pop magazine.
The girls in my band will wear similar costumes to what pop artists usually and generally wear. The costume will reflect and highlight their fun and feminine persona. Bright colours will definitely be used to bring out their sparkling eyes and blushing cheeks. The girls will want to make an impact; they are a new band that are fresh and here to stay to leave a long-lasting imprint on the pop music map!
There will be an element of coordination in the girl’s costume. It is tradition of girl bands in the pop industry to mix and match their costumes. Girls Aloud and The Saturday’s are prime examples of this. However, the girls in my band will not be completely matching as they all have their own style and personality. So each costume will be slightly different to reflect and emphasize her individuality and to encourage fans of the band to embrace their own individuality too. 
My girl band is going to be very similar to the band Little Mix. They will have a very urban and edgy feel to them yet still be very fun and feminine. I will dress them in trainers like high top converse or Nike Blazers. On their legs they will have bright, patterned leggings and to complement their bottom half they will wear baggy tops which are also brightly coloured. To finish off the look I will have them wearing snap back hats or beanie hats. The girls will look very young, fun, feminine and feisty! This will create an ultra-modern look that adds quirkiness to the overall personality of the band and it will also emphasize their exclusive and unique star image!
However, I could take the route of dressing the girls in platform heels to make their legs look like they go on forever because such foot wear will make the girls appear statuesque, confident and powerful. I could team the heels with costumes such as skirts/dresses that are sexy and sophisticated. This outfit may incorporate blacks and whites and only subtle rather than bright colours to make a statement. The colour black with the heels may make the outfit look as if it is night wear. The other outfit is a lot more casual and mainly day time wear. The girls in my band are young, fun and feminine so I think the first outfit is probably best for their unique star image and I think it
Through looking at different pop artists I have managed to design and get an idea of what costume I would prefer my band to wear. There are many different styles in the pop industry which range between someone like Example who wears smart/casual costumes and some one like Lady Gaga who wears extravagant costumes. Pop music is in the middle of these and sometimes can be loud and extravagant but can also sometimes be casual and laid back. 
Location Analysis
From all the research and planning I have completed so far I have discovered that various locations are used for the front cover and inside pop magaiznes. These locations vary from outside to inside. Some photoshoots are done outside in a forrest or by a pool , for example and some are done inside a plain studio using props such as tables and sofas. I have come to the conclusion that eventhough outside locations are sometimes used, inside locations such as a studio are mainly used and a studio is my favourited location.
My girl band are new to the pop industry and so will want to go all out in the first article that my magazine 'Rythmix' will feature them in. I will have them against a plain back ground. As I mentioned in the costume ideas section of my magazine I will have the girls in brightly coloured costumes so having a plain white background is a brilliant idea because it will emphasize their costumes. I think this would be the best location because a forrest will not represent their fun star image. Locations such as parks and forrests are mostly seen in indie rock magazines such as NME. Locations such as pools and beaches are mainly seen in electronic dance magazines and locations such as halls and theatres are mainly seen in classical music magazines. I think my location of a studio is a perfect location. It is carrying on the normal and orginal conventions of pop magazines and the plain back ground will emphasize their costumes and poses as i have mentioned before. I will use props in the photo shoot such a stairs, sofas and tables.
Font Analysis
I will most probably use a script font for my sub headings because it will reflect femininity of the audience. I will use a display font for my masthead so that it stands out and is the first thing that lures in the readership. For the 'i' in the word 'rythmix' I will find a font that uses a heart as a replacement for the dot. This will create a youthful and fun feel that would really appeal to the young female audience.
I looked at a range of different fonts throughout
completed my three pieces. The following three were the ones I decided to use.
Cool vetica
I used this font because it is easy to read and fun, it has
a cool and quirky theme to it.
Passing notes
I used this font because it is very feminine and is also
easy to read. It is different and adds a fun feel to my 3 pieces.
Serif Black
I used this font because it is feminine and fits in with
the criteria of my magazine. It is the type of font you would see on a magazine
such as ‘Cosmopolitan’ because it has an feminine yet edgy feel to it.
Introduction to My Girl Band
My girl band is called Clueless and it is make up of four girls. Their names are; Emily, Shannon, Niamh and Grace. They are aged between 17 and 19. This is a perfect age group because that is around the age my target audience is. The girls grew up in a small town in
Ireland and have
known each other for years. They all met in school and have always been good friends. Their inspiration are artists such as: Little Mix, The Spice Girls and Girls Aloud. All these artists are exactly what Clueless hope and dream to be like.The girls have always loved girl bands and music and
they are so glad they are finally fullfilling their dreams. The girls like many diffferent kinds of music because music has always been a big part of each of their lives. They're favourite artists include: One Direction, Taylor Swift,
Rihanna and Beyonce. The girls enjoy doing all things normal teenage girls do. Even though they spend a lot of time recording in the studio and rehearsing dance moves they still manage to find the time to hang out. Theyr'e favourite pastime is shopping like many teenage girls! The girls say this is how they manage to "keep it real." The girls are new to the scene and cant wait to "take over".
Mock Ups and Final Three Pieces
Evaluation
This is really cool! Can I ask what grade you got? I'm also doing this for As media studies :)
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