Results

Results from questionnaire 

The most popular options from the questionnaire via a vote were:

IMAGE
Mid-shot/full body shot- An equal amount of people voted for a mid-shot or full body shot.
an Individual talent- Most people wanted an individual on the front cover
Do not care about the gender- There was only one vote for male and one vote for female; most people did not mind what gender the talent was

DESIGN
Non-cluttered- Slightly more people wanted a non-cluttered cover 
Black, white and blue, dark and dull colours- These were the most popular colour options, closely followed by red and purple. More people wanted the colours to be dark and dull than light and bright
Sans serif font- The majority of people chose sans serif over serif and handwriting

MASTHEAD
At the top and to the left- This I was expecting, as this layout is the normal, conventional way to position the masthead

NAME SUGGESTIONS

• Broken Strings
• Innocent youth
• Sound Prism 
• Colour Riff
• Siren

After looking at the suggestions I received, I have decided that 'Siren' is the most fitting and suitable name for my magazine. However I may make alterations.

I like this name suggestion because it fits the type of magazine I wanted to create and links to music (A siren being a mythical being that would lead sailors to their deaths by song). It has a dark tone to it, and will go nicely with my magazine.

Questionnaire

Questionnaire 

In order to gain more information on how I should layout my magazine I have constructed a questionnaire which I shall take around and interview my target audience with.

Image
1. Camera shot

• Close-shot
• Mid-shot
• Full-body shot

2. 

• Group
• Individual

3. What gender should the talent be?

• Male
• Female
• A mix of both
• Don't mind
• Other

Design

• Cluttered- lots of text and patterns
• Non-cluttered-neat and minimal
• Own ideas:

Colour Scheme
1. Choose three-four from the list.

• Red 
• blue
• green
• yellow
• purple
• orange
• white 
• black

2. Tones

• Dark
• Light

3. Saturation

• Bright
• Dull

Font

• Serif: A
• Sans Serif: A
• Handwriting: 

Masthead location
1.

• Top 
• Middle
• Bottom

2.

• Left
• Right
• Centre

Name Suggestions



Tag-line suggestions 

David Carson

David Carson

David Carson, an American graphic designer, art director and surfer. He is best known for his innovative magazine design. He was the art director for the magazine 'Ray Gun' where he used non-conformative designs that went against what normal magazines looked like. However for my magazine I will stick to the conventions, as a magazine in Carson's style might be confusing and if not done properly will not result in a successful outcome. Although I do like the style, I think it best that I follow conventional magazines.

Fifty Quid Bloke

Fifty-Quid Bloke

A term made known by Nick Hepworth, editor of 'The Word' magazine used to describe a customer type who typically spends his Friday afternoons buying albums in HMV. For the first time, people over 35 are buying more albums than young people. 

This is because of the way the world is changing, as magazines are being replaced by the internet and digital versions. Young people no longer find interest in buying records and albums as they can obtain music easily through technology. Magazines are now more popular among older people who find familiarity in purchasing physical items and those who are deeply interested in their music prefer to have something they can own.  The Fifty-Quid Bloke could be dying out, as 'The Word' magazine was cancelled, and many entertainment shops on the high street have also been shut down. HMV itself almost joined them but was rescued at the last minute and it fortunately still around.

The patterns of music consumption have changed. Spotify, iTunes and other ways of consuming music have had an effect on the industry. 

The internet is mostly used by young people, and they can find any information about music they'd need. And it's usual free, whereas magazines cost money.

Personally, I think that the Fifty-Quid Bloke may one day become extinct, however similar groups of people are being formed in our society, especially amongst the young people. A small percentage of teens still enjoy connecting with their music on a higher level, buying albums, listening to old bands from the last century and owning vintage items including records and old retro posters. So while the one breed may be dying out, I think there will always be a group of people who can still fit the description of the Fifty-Quid Bloke, with a few differences of course.

Practice

Testing my cover

In order to have a better idea for the cover of my magazine I have put together a test cover to help me decide where to position text, images, masthead, etc...

I drew an image of an ideal cover model in Photoshop using a graphics tablet and then took it to Pixlr where I added the text and extra images (which were found on Google)

I'll probably use a very similar design for my final outcome, sticking with the dark colour palette and general text arrangement. I'll also need to get a photograph of a real model looking similar to the one in the picture.

Alternative Music

The reason I have been looking at grunge is because it is listed among other alternative music types, including rock, punk and Indie rock.

I intend for my magazine to contain elements of a few different alternative genres, mostly Indie rock however.

LIST OF TYPE OF MUSIC | MUSIC GENRES

• Alternative
  • Art Punk
  • Alternative Rock
  • College Rock
  • Experimental Rock
  • Goth / Gothic Rock
  • Grunge
  • Hardcore Punk
  • Hard Rock
  • Indie Rock
  • Lo-fi
  • New Wave
  • Progressive Rock
  • Punk

A lot of elements of the grunge era have also been carried into todays youth, and are widely popular among my 'struggler' audience. Some music today also contains features of the genre and incorporate them into modern music.

 

History of Grunge

The History of Grunge

Grunge is associated with the alternative music genre, particularly alternative rock with first emerged in the mid 1980's in America, especially in Seattle, where its other name (Seattle Sound) originates from. It revolved around the independent record label and in the 90's it had become widely popular. Bands most famous for contributing to this movement are Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam. Grunge rock became the most popular form of hard rock at the time. 

Grunge is often identified for its guitar sounds that use high levels of distortion, and also 'fuzz'. However, it also involves much slower tempos, dissonant harmonies, and more complex instrumentation—which is reminiscent of heavy metal. Lyrics are typically angst-filled,often addressing themes such as social alienation, apathy, confinement, and a desire for freedom. This fits in with my target audience, the 'Strugglers' and 'Explorers' as they seek escape. 

A man named Paul Rambali first used the term 'grunge' in 1978 in an issue of NME to describe mainstream guitar rock however Mark Arm, the vocalist for the Seattle band Green River—and later Mudhoney—is generally credited as being the first to use the term grunge to describe this genre of music.