Questionnaire results

Preliminary task front cover draft

This is the first draft of my preliminary task, my end result will be posted once completed.

Case study of Kaiser Chiefs

For my music magazine I have chosen to do Indie music, i have chosen this particular genre because it is popular and there are a lot of magazines I can use for ideas.

Kaiser Chiefs are an Indie rock band from Leeds, they formed in 1997. They sprung to fame and international success in 2005 after the success of their debut album "Employment".

They released their second album "Yours Truly, Angry Mob" in February 2007, this very did well in the UK album charts and got to number one.

NME contents page analysis

This is a contents page from NME magazine, I've noticed that the page looks quite cluttered and chaotic.

The main focus of this contents page is Oasis and the moment they "kicked off their world tour", this gives the readers the impression that they will be getting told exclusively what happened at the start and finish of their tour.

On the right hand side of the page there are different headings so the readers can find what page they want to go to easily.

At the bottom of the page there is a banner telling people to "Subscribe today, save 33%", this makes the audience feel they are getting a limited offer and a bargain.

On the left hand side of the page there is a "band index" this will tell us what other bands are
featured in the magazine and will appeal to a wider variety of readers.

Q contents page analysis

This is a contents page from Q magazine, in comparison to the NME contents page it looks a lot more spaced out and organized, i think it has a more professional look to it.

On the left hand side of the page there are headings that separate articles into sections with the page number beside them, this helps readers find what page they want to read easily.

The main feature of the page is a picture of James Blunt, the demographic this will appeal to mainly is James Blunt fans as they will want to read about him and find out new information.

Near the bottom of the page is a subscription section, however unlike the NME contents page it is written in the same way as the other text, therefore it doesn't stand out and grab the readers attention.

School newsletter analysis

This is the first page of a school newsletter, it is welcoming new parents to the school, we know this because at the top of the page in bold capital letters it says "Welcome newsletter" this sets off a friendly tone for the rest of the newsletter.

This newsletter focuses mainly on exam grades and the improvements of the school, this tells us that the demographic for this newsletter is parents. Parents will be pleased to know that exam grades are high because it will show that there is a good standard of teaching and they will want to know that the school they put their child in has good facilities to offer.

In the newsletter it states "we are full to bursting across the school with a sixth form of approaching 300 in number", this supports the idea that Deyes is a pleasant school to be in because so many students in the sixth form have chose to stay on.

The purpose of this school newsletter is the complete opposite of what I want the purpose of my newsletter to be. I want the demographic for my newsletter to be the students so they can be up to date with upcoming school events and will hopefully take a bigger interest in school life.

Double page spread analysis

This is a double page spread from Q magazine, the headline states "Danger! Shakira at work" this gives us the impression that she is hard at work and she shouldn't be disturbed.

There are four photos of Shakira on the page, two of them show her working, one of them is the single sleeve for her new song "She Wolf", and the final one is a picture of her topless with her hand clutching her back like a claw-this supports the whole "She Wolf" image. The pictures help separate the text so readers don't get bored when they're reading this article.

In bold font with the rest of the text there is an overview of what Shakira has already said previously and it has been sectioned off from the rest of the text by a think red line, this is to make it stand out, it says "I now go after my desires in a predatory way-with teeth and claws". This gives us the feeling that she will do anything to get what she wants, she will work hard to achieve her goals.

NME front cover analysis

The NME masthead is recognisable by everyone, this is because it is the same on every edition, this gives the audience a sense of familiarity and brand loyalty. Under the masthead NME it shows us what it stands for "New Musical Express", this will appeal to more readers because it will put them under the impression that this magazine has all the unheard of and up to date news on your favourite artists.

I think the intended demographic for this magazine is teenage girls because the colours are bright and some teenage girls will look up to Lily Allen as a role model.

In the picture Lily Allen is dressed casually and is stood in a casual manner, this gives us the impression that she isn't worried about having to take on the world and she is comfortable with her image and she doesn't feel the need to dress up.

The strap line "I can't keep on living like this, it's doing my head in" will appeal to its demographic because they will want to know what the article is about and why Lily Allen can't keep her life the same.

The caption "Lily Allen takes on the world" will appeal to more readers because it gives us the impression that it's just her against the world, and the audience will want to know why she has to "take on the world". This statement represents her as a strong independent woman, again making girls look up to her.

On the bottom left hand side of the page there is a little arrow saying "Plus" on it, this shows the readers that if they buy the magazine then there will be lots more to read about. The "Plus" arrow is in black but it's on a red background, this makes it stand out.

There is a list of other celebrities on a banner that are included in the magazine, this will interest a wider variety of readers because it shows them that there are other artists to read about.

On the right hand side of the page there is a black circle on a white background-making it stand out from the rest of the text, it has a list of other artists and an "In-the-studio-special", this will make the readers feel like they are reading an exclusive special.

On the top right hand side of the page there is a picture of Bowie and the statement "How Bowie started the credit crunch", this statement although it may sound bizarre does its intended job because it will make the demographic want to find out how he apparently started the credit crunch.

Q front cover analysis

This is the front cover of Q magazine and it is easily identifiable as this because the Q logo is the same each time, however this particular edition shows the Q masthead being smashed to pieces by Matt Bellamy, this gives him the image of not playing by the rules. This image of him supports the text saying "Matt Bellamy is out of control". Also the lighting of this front page looks quite sinister which doesn't fit in with the Muse's usual image.

On the right hand side of the page there is a list of other celebrities that appear in the magazine, this will appeal to a wider variety of audience because people who don't normally buy Q magazine might see that someone they like is featured in it and will therefore buy it.

The sell line of the magazine "The UK's biggest music magazine" separates it from other competitors because readers will want to read 'the biggest music magazine'.

At the bottom right hand side of the page in bold lettering it attracts the audience by saying "200 things you didn't know about The Beatles", people will always want to know new things about celebrities.

If you look at the bottom left hand side of the page there is a section saying "On tour with Coldplay" this will entice the reader because it will make them feel like they are getting to see them out of the public eye and see what they are really like.

Introduction

What is your brief?

To create the front cover and a contents page of a school magazine that interests the pupils along with the teachers. I have chosen to include what I think to be the main interests of students, these are, dance and drama, music, sports and achievements.

What are your intentions?

To make the front cover and a contents page of a school magazine that will make the target audience want to read it.

What are you intending to do first?

To analyse front covers and contents pages of a school magazine.

What are you going to do for research?

For research I am going to make a questionnaire to see what would make people want to read a school magazine so I will know what else to include in my contents page.