Research front cover 2: Vintage Rock

The front cover that I will be deconstructing is Vintage Rock. This magazine concentrates on the old/vintage rock, as it was made at the time when it was popular. I chose it because I am considering creating a vintage magazine.
I also chose this because I really like the way it's been designed and because of the unusual colour schemes and puffs.



The Masthead



The masthead has a very small amount of kerning, which I really like. The colour of it is silver and has shadow on some parts of letters which makes it look 3D, which makes it look very unconventional. I really like how it looks because it makes you look, even though it isn't bright like the rest of the front cover.
In between the Vintage and Rock, there is a little silver star which can be barely seen, however it is very effective and looks very beautiful. This magazine has been issued with the masthead like this all of the time which has become a convention for the masthead to always be silver and in the serif font.


The Image


The central image is a medium close up, however, the first thing that I've noticed was that the model, Ricky Nelson adheres to the convention of a photo because he is not looking at the camera, and the audience, this is used as an anchorage to make the reader look at the feature.  However, the reason he isn't looking at the camera is because he is looking at his own feature story. This is very interesting and is also agreeing with two theorists, one of them being Richard Dyer, and this theory which claims that 'A star is an image,not a real person..'  this is relevant because Ricky Nelson looks like he is part of the whole picture, like her was created for this front cover alone. Another theory that is supported through this picture is Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory, however it's not the men that are to be impressed, but it's the female audience. The star is pampered to have the 'perfect' face of of the times at which this was released, and his facial expression grabs attention. The colour scheme used on the model is very bright orange, which a pattern on his shirt, which clashes with the background very well and makes the whole front cover look like a pop art piece. What the image does with the use of bright colour is it drags the eye away from the white space which is around the top part of the model.



The Headlines


The Headline acts as a kicker, and the first two words reveal that the main story will be about Nelson, and also act as puffs to grab the audience's attention. The following two lines act as a lead which intrigue the audience and want to purchase the magazine. The font is sans serif, which is conventional, however, the black shade on some parts of the letters make it look 3D and that is very unusual and it challenges conventions of most music magazines.




Jack Rabbit Slim is the second headline which also includes a secondary lead, as the image intrigues the reader about the article more than it would without.
The feature itself is within a box-out which is a bright yellow behind some black, and this choice of colour makes the little lead stand out and catches attention.



Extras


The image is put together probably using photoshop, and it stands out because it looks like a vinyl disc, which makes it appropriate to the genre of the magazine and as it represents retro today, it is very conventional. 'Dance' has a drop capital which makes it appear as a usual word, where as 'Crazy' is in all capitals, and has an exclamation mark in the end which makes it act as a tag. The white silhouettes of the man and the woman dancing stands out very well, and shows what 'crazy' dancing is. Underneath the puff, the barcode is placed, with the dateline underneath.

The banner includes some cover stories which have photos of the artist included in them which acts as a lead for the reader. The names of the artists are in white, which match with their black and white shots, however, the text underneath is in bright yellow sans serif font, which is very eye catching and interests the purchaser. The Hollywood cover story acts as a kicker compared to the rest on the banner because of the distinct orange which is also the colour of the model,this portrays that this particular story is almost as important as the main story.

How this research has influenced my planning

• I now know how a quality colourful vintage photo looks like, which I could possibly use as an influence for my own shots in the future.
• I now know how important the colour scheme is depending on the genre of the music magazine that you want to create.
• I also know how important leads and puffs are, and where the should be placed for a good effect.
• I also learned how to break conventions but for great reasons, such as this main photo not being direct address.

Front cover research 1: Metal Hammer

This is the front cover that I will be analysing is by Metal Hammer.    

The magazine itself concentrates on the genre of Rock/Metal, and you can clearly see this because of the design and the bands featured that classify as metal/hardcore. 

The Masthead

The masthead has edge and is very sharp on most letters which interprets the genre being edgy, also is capitalised and in sans serif. 'Metal' is placed on the side of the H in hammer, and it is a very clever design, it also being their housestyle, it looks exactly the same on all of the covers. I think that it is in gold because it represents the quality of the music - 'Gold'.

This little quote is interesting because it is used to interest the reader as to what type of cult? Who is we? and is a very good puff.

The Image

The lead singer of the band is standing at the front, which makes him appear taller and more menacing than the rest. What is interesting is that he is the only one grinning out of the whole band, whereas the rest keep their faces serious which feels intimidating, and makes it look appropriate for a metalcore band. The tattoos are visible on almost all of the members which is a symbol of rock and edge, rebellion. The two of the models/members that are standing on each side of the lead singer have dog tags on their necks which makes them look even more intimidating and punk. What is unusual is that every member is wearing mostly black but the lead singer, who is wearing denim, this is interesting because it isn't a convention of rock/metal, but leather is. This is going against it, but not in an extreme way which is interesting.

The overall picture looks like the lead singer is being backed up by the other members, which makes them appear like a gang, and gangs are usually represented as menacing or hardcore.

The Fonts

The font of the band's name is very sharp and appropriate for it's genre. The colour is also gold, which can imply that the quality of their music is amazing .

'Declare war on the mainstream' is in white and is serif, but it is thinner and catches attention. The writing itself implies that the band wants to rebel and fight the usual and basic everyday which they call 'mainstream' which can also be linked into the way they pose, as if they are prepared for a fight.

Feature/Cover stories

There are none which is very unusual and it breaks the convention of a front cover of a music magazine, because the whole point in having them is for the customer to pick up the magazine and be intrigued as to what is inside. However this front cover doesn't do that, it rebels against the 'mainstream' of a front cover and it makes it look very interesting as it looks more like a poster than a front cover for a music magazine.

Extras

 The skull with the bat wings looks very rock, but is also the signature sign of the band, which  suits the genre of both, the band and the magazine very well.

It is in black and white which makes it look rather menacing, and it makes it quite conventional due to the nature of the band.

The bar code is a convention that no magazine dares to break, as it is essential in order to sell the product. Team Rock is next to the bar code, which is the name of the company that owns Metal Hammer. It is in serif font and is in very sharp colours which fit their purpose.

'The heavy metal bible' is a little slogan which is written in tiny font underneath the masthead,which is a very clever slogan as the reader will remember it after reading it because it refers to the bible, and how it is the core of Christianity, and this implies that Metal Hammer is the core of Metal.

Relevance to Theorists

This front cover is very relevant to Richard Dyer's theory which claims that 'A star is an image,not a real person..' which I believe is exactly what this front cover is telling me as a reader, that these band members have been made to stand in that pose, and have those facial expressions and were made to wear sunglasses at a dim place plainly because it makes them look intimidating and like a hardcore band. 

how this research influenced my planning and creativity:

• I would like to have cover stories, leads and puffs etc... to make my front cover more interesting
• I would like my front cover to be more colourful

Drafts of front page and contents page

This is the draft for my cover , I have used the colours red and black.  I have used these because it stands out more I have also used the font I have make my magazine more  sophisticated.

this is the draft for my contents page, which has some pictures in it, which will be more pleasing to the eye rather than having a lot of text.

Magazine front cover + contents page

This is my College magazine front cover design that I created using Adobe Photoshop Elements 11.

The design is very basic,but I tried my best at making it look bearable with the little knowledge I have of this tool.

I have tried to recreate the masthead similarly to the way I have sketched it out, but because I drew it free hand and not by the font it is slightly different. 

I have also created a very brief contents page, which looks like this:

It is a very brief design of the contents page and what the layout would look like. I believe the photos are not necessary but I thought it would be more appealing to the eye if some images were placed nearby. There is one main text box and two minor ones, the bigger one would include more important information.

Selection and Rejection

This photo is good because it is a medium close-up. However, it is very blurry, and one of the models has their eyes almost closed, therefore I will not use it.













This photo is good because the focus is good and it is sharp, and the models look relaxed. But I will not use it because the models are not facing the camera, and one of them is further away than the other.








I do not like this photo because the models do not look relaxed.
Also the photo is not as close as I wish it would be, therefore I am rejecting it.

I like this photo because the models are smiling, however they also look quite tense. I would like them to have posed by tilting their shoulders a little more, and possibly not be so far away, therefore I will also reject this photo.











This is the chosen photo!
I love this photo because the models look happy, they have their shoulders slightly tilted and look relaxed. Also the quality is exceptional, therefore I have chosen to use this photo for my college magazine cover.

Today's Achievements

Today I have joined Slideshare which will be beneficial for my blog and will help improve the quality of my blog!





I have also joined Flickr, so I can share my photos with my group and get opinions along with research.

Research conventions

Codes and conventions from GretaAsMedia

Some music magazine covers that I find interesting

I have thought a lot about what an effective, eye-catching front cover for a music magazine should look like, and I have some perfect, beautiful examples that I found on the internet.

This Nirvana front cover is a perfect example, as it has the eye catching lemon colour for the masthead and the band name. The artists themselves take up a large section of the cover which is pleasing to the eye, as you know what it will be about. 

This is a rather different magazine cover that I discovered, however I find it peculiar and interesting because of it's retro vibe. The colours all clash brilliantly and the way Guns n Roses are posing it fun and entertaining in a way. The cover as a whole is very graphic and pleasing to the eye.

The thing that I loved about this Mojo cover is that the first thing that you could see is Bowie, with the bold and bright iconic lightning on his face. There isn't much writing, and it does not reveal much about it's content which I find intriguing.

The Complex front cover is one of my favourites, as it appears so original and artistic. It is very well designed and the colouring calms the eye. The puzzle pieces are the ones that have caught my attention. The masthead itself is very simple, but placed very nicely: as some parts of letters is hidden behind the puzzle of Kid Cudi.

I have many more examples stored, but these are one of my favourites for now.

Research on Bauer

Bauer Media research

The official website is designed very beautifully and has very vibrant colours which looks very appealing. All of the photos that are taken look very professional, and natural which I really like, and aspire to take photographs similar to that. I believe it is in order to attract many audiences of many ages, because the photos that are used are very vibrant and extremely sharp, with every detail in high definition and quality, however, in some photos the performers or things might attract a slightly older audience as those might be of performers/genres that they like.

As you scroll down, the conversations involving Bauer on other media such as Twitter, is displayed in a very bright and a modern way, which looks appealing because of it's brilliant vibrance. This attracts younger audience of my age, as links for social media are key to attract such audiences, because it allows them to see what the companies do easier, as they are heavily media dependent.

I really like how the description is in a boxout below the photos which is partially transparent, but still has colour.

Bauer is a large multinational company which specialises in multimedia.

It owns many known brands such as these, which are displayed. What I really like is that even though every name has different mastheads and colour schemes Bauer changed it to purple with transparent in order to have their own colour scheme, and the photos at the background are of what the magazine/radio etc... are about.

After doing a little more research, I have discovered that many magazines that I have researched are owned by Bauer! These are a few.. Some have inspired me to take a look at specific genres for my own music magazine that could also be possibly owned by this company.