Layout Research

Layouts Research

I have researched into the top three magazines my target audience chose; NME, Kerrang and Classic Rock. The layouts used by these magazines work well with appealing to audiences judging by their popularity with my own.

COVERS

I have looked at the covers of Kerrang but I find the layout is too complicated for my rock genre as they have too many colours, fonts and images, I would rather have a simpler cover.

I like the layout of this magazine as the image and title are the main factors rather than the cover lines. The title stands out and is easy to read and the pose of the models is fun, this is the style I want to create with my own magazine.

 
I find there to be too much negative space on these covers as the image takes up most of it but is not carried with text either, personally I would like more text.

CONTENTS

Again I do not like the layout as it is too complicated though I do like the large image at the top. The colours are too bright and over packed with the text harder to read. 

I like the use of image but the colour is too dull and there is too little text for what my audience wants. They  want to be properly informed on the content of the product they have bought, so I will not be using this layout.

I like the contents page for NME as the layout is easy to navigate and the main article is easy to find. The use of a large header saying "Inside this Week" works well as the audience learns it is a weekly magazine. I like the use of the few main colours and the amount of informative text versus amount of image.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

I like the double page spread of Kerrang for the large amount of image and text. As it is an article it is expected to be packed with image and information. I like the large headers as they link to the colours of the rest of the page and the text is easy to find and read. The images are gritty and realistic and showcase all of the band members and at least one colour of their costume is seen in the title. Therefore I shall use this layout.

The layout is too simple and will not catch the eye of my audience as the colours are not bright and the headers are not punchy enough. The text is too small and long to keep the attention of my target audience and the amount of negative space is overwhelming.

Though I like the cinematography and mise-en-scene used I feel the rest of the colours is lacking. The main article should be bright and worth the money spent but the colours used in NME are lacklustre. There is not a lot of text in comparison to the images as the images take over more than half the page, I do not want this for my own.

Therefore for my inspiration I have chosen the following...

Inspiration

I got my inspiration for my product from these magazines as my questionnaire results proved these to be my target audiences favourites. This will help me decide on layout and style as well as appeal to my audience directly. My product will sell more and be a success as my target audience has identified the mode of address and house image they like. 

The cover of Classic Rock. The layout and colour is ideal.

The use of text of NME's contents page is the preferred layout of Rocket Ship.

The layout of the text and pictures is perfect for my product as it showcases the information and visuals.

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Eleanor Wemyss

Photo Plan Research

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Eleanor Wemyss

Photography Information Research

Photography Research Information

Screen grab of research completed on an Apple Mac into the rule of thirds with examples. This style of photography has helped me as I can focus on the main part of the image and line up where I want the main focal points to be.

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Eleanor Wemyss

Images from google. 

Annotated Example of a Music Magazine Research

Annotated Example of a Music Magazine Research

I have annotated a cover, contents and double page spread of NME magazine to see the conventions of a music magazine to use in my own work.

COVER

CONTENTS

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

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Eleanor Wemyss

Representation of Fans and Musicians of Rock

Representation of Fans and Musicians of Rock

Research

The fans of rock music

Articles:

1. http://psychology.about.com/od/personalitydevelopment/a/music-and-personality.htm

2. http://psychcentral.com/lib/preferred-music-style-is-tied-to-personality/0001438

3. http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2008/02/20/do-our-stereotypes-about-music/

4. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2680987/Heavy-metal-and-classical-music-fans-share-personality-traits.html

5. http://blog.exponential.com/en-gb/2013/11/21/what-does-your-music-taste-say-about-you-breaking-stereotypes-on-music-lovers/

Images:

Typical fans of rock

Graph regarding information about different music genre fans. From fan article 5.

The musicians of rock music

Articles:

6. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1397313/bio

7. http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-be-a-rock-star/

8. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mr-personality/201107/why-do-all-rock-stars-die-27-0

9. http://www.academia.edu/448604/The_Psychological_Profile_of_a_Rock_Band_Using_Intellectual_and_Personality_Measures_With_Musicians

Images:

Singer, drummer and guitarist - their fashion, age, gender relating to their representation

Information from musician article 2

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How are fans and musicians of the rock genre represented in modern life?

Fans of the rock genre are usually perceived as “rogue” and “dangerous” by the media through the use of news reports where gigs have gone riot or there has been gang violence. The attitude towards rockers links back to the rise of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s. In the 1950s rock was so revolutionary that people didn’t understand it so saw it as a way for the youth to rebel. In the 80s rock music was everywhere and still is today. The fans and musicians may have evolved but the music stays the same.

   Researchers have been showing for years that fans of rock are rebellious, boisterous and more likely to lead to violence and mayhem, but from a psychological viewpoint in recent years they are actually shown to be “quite gentle” (article 1) and tend to be “creative, but are often introverted and may suffer from low self-esteem”, the negative image they are presented as has derived from the fashions they wear and the content of the music as the bass can be quite harsh and elect a feeling of elation and sometimes anger.

Sub-genres of rock such as indie rock show a similar view as they typically “have low self-esteem, are creative, not hard working, and not gentle” though this contrasts against the different style of music compared to hard rock. (article 2) 

   Further research into rock fans from the opinions of 200 college students show that fans of the genre are less emotionally stable and agreeable that that of other genres but score high in their openness. (article 3) This is interesting to the representation of fans of the rock genre as they are still perceived as being out of control of their emotions but are open to new people and ideas, representing the freedom afforded to them through the music. 

   

   Of all the musicians of rock ‘The Beatles’ are probably one of the most celebrated as their music has touched the entire world and ‘the collective consciousness of several generations’ (article 6). They were seen as image makers and represented throughout the media as a class of music to be celebrated, the ‘four cheeky lads from Liverpool’ as they were effectively dubbed. They were so powerful they had “broken through second and third world censorship and regulations and set many millions free” just through the messages in their music. This is a positive representation of rock musicians in the media, though it has changed since the time of The Beatles.

   As seen in article 3 “Why do all rock stars die at age 27?” the article talks about how “sex, drugs – death – and rock” have all become factors in the negative representation of musicians of the genre. However the article then says “rock and roll is dead anyway”, which many fans would disagree with and the music sales show the real facts.

   Finally, the way a musician is presented links to their choice of instrument with drummers seen as “illiterate”, guitarists “posers”, bassists “ignorant and moody” and vocalists as “narcissistic and egocentric” (article 9) which is society's portrayal when in reality it is just a stereotype with little value in real information, though that is how it is perceived. This can be seen in covers of magazines such as this one;

Where the mise-en-scene reflects much about the model. Dave Grohl, lead vocalist of rock band ‘Foo Fighters’ is depicted here as angry with rumours and lies surrounding him. This is seen in his facial expression and also in the use of a red background. His costume is simple and links to the purple of the Marvel character ‘Hulk’ who is famous for his temper and shows to the audience the suffering he has had at the hands of the media. This shows that the stereotype of rock musicians being angry has some truth to it and is portrayed through their musical lyrics and sound. Though the stereotype is not true for a lot of them.

Overall fans and musicians of the rock genre have evolved in modern times seen in the media of articles and magazines representation. They are seen as unruly through the presentation of the media industry but from other points of view are actually calm and quiet people, thought heir music is their outlet for their worries and stress. The representation has changed from the beginning of the rock genre to now and will continue to change as the genre evolves into something new.

“Rock and roll keeps you in a constant state of juvenile delinquency.” (Eddie Spaghetti, 2000)

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Eleanor Wemyss

Interview Vox Pop of Target Audience Research

Target Audience Interview Vox Pop

I identified members of my target audience and interviewed them into their opinion of music magazines and other parts of the music industry. This will help me create my product.

INTERVIEW 1: ELLIE ALDWORTH

INTERVIEW 2: RACHAEL SELWOOD

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Eleanor Wemyss

Vox Pop Audio with Target Audience

Vox Pop Audio with Target Audience 

I interviewed members of my target audience to find out their favourite song and genre of music, this was to further my research into the music styles my audience likes so that I can input the information into my music magazine. I can do this by adding information into their favourite songs and having a song index on the double page spread. This will appeal to my audience as it is information taken directly from them.

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Eleanor Wemyss

Target Audience for Rocket Ship Identified Research

Target Audience

The product I will create is aimed at young adults aged between 14 and 22 who have an interest in rock music and other sub genres such as indie rock or acoustic and like to be kept up to date with all the latest news and events. This will be reflected in my product as the content I include will link specifically to that of my audience and a generic music magazine as I do not want to go too far from what my audience expects.

   A typical member of my target audience can be categorised through age, gender, class, lifestyle choices and other identifiers. Their hobbies and personal image are also reflected through the type of media they consume. For example, a typical member of my audience would always have a pair of earphones of good quality and a good quality music player on their person as they are constantly listening to music in their day-to-day lives and know the latest updates in music tech through online blogs or magazines subscriptions. Their possible hobbies include; skateboarding, music practice, going to gigs, gaming and hanging with their friends. Their dislikes include; going shopping, pop music, make-up, team sports, going to the cinema and dating lots of people. This is due to their love for music and their talents rather than the superficial. My product appeals to them as it unites people of the same calibre.

   My product is aimed more towards the male part of my audience as the colours are darker and there are more male dominated ideals such as mainly male bands and male rock icons. The price is model for the class of my audience as it is affordable and packed with information so they are getting a good deal for their money. The class I identified is the working class as they are likely to have part time jobs and live with their parents, also linking to their age range.

   My target audience is more likely to take out a subscription on my product rather than buying it separately so that they do not miss out on any covers or up to date news. Through my questionnaire I asked my target audience what they would like to see in Rocket Ship and they said they would like to see album reviews, interviews, tour dates, pictures and new instrument technology, this was a key research technique as I can identify with my audience of the content that appeals directly to them.

Typical male and typical female to read and enjoy Rocket Ship

My target audience are most likely to be found frequenting coffee shops and the town centre or at the skate park than anywhere else as it gives them the freedom music affords to them. They can be who they want to be without conforming to society and showcase their talents and interests. They are typically happy and well rounded individuals and would buy my product as it has the things that appeals to them. After I make my product I shall ask my target audience for feedback and make sure I adhere to the content they prefer.

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Eleanor Wemyss

Photos from Google.co.uk

Questionnaire Research

Questionnaire:

For my second form of research into my music magazine, I will conduct a questionnaire to 30 people aged 15-20 as it is my target audience. I will split it into 15 girls and 15 boys to get appropriate research answers. From this, I will choose my desired music genre and what my magazine will look like, as well as which groups/bands to base my own on. Each of the questions will be tailored to my design and work process.

From the answers I can find out:

1 & 2- The age range and gender of the questionnaire participants as they are my target audience.

3- I will find out the most favoured genres, so I can choose mine accordingly to appeal to the majority of readers.

4- I can find out the favourited magazines and identify how and why it is successful.

5 & 10- The band/group/solo artist that are highlighted can be based around my own groups musician image. The way they conduct themselves, their music and their fashion will be useful to my own work.

6- I can include relevant content to my magazine that my readers will be expected to find.

7- I can use the favourited instruments and why they are preferred and see the links between the answers of questions 8 & 9.

The favourite genres that appeared most in question 3 were rock and pop. Though out of the 30 questionnaires with two possible choices, 80% chose rock and 66% pop, with the other answers being sub-genres of rock or pop, such as wonky pop and classic rock or other genres that only appeared a few times and therefore are void of recognition. Therefore I shall be choosing rock as the genre of my magazine to adhere to what the readers would like to see. This helps to develop my ideas as I know what type of person I will use for a model and which magazines to look at from my previous research into genre.

The favourited magazines appearing were Kerrang (70%), NME (63%) and Classic Rock (53%), linking to the previous question on genre as they are rock magazines or variants thereof. Linking to the question on gender, more males read more music magazines then girls. Girls only read between 1-2 magazines on average whereas males read from 2-4. I have research conducted already into the favourited magazines, so I can already tailor my ideas to it. The identified magazines show me also which covers have been successful and which formats of text and visual are occupying to the eye. 







The content found to be expected by the readers was tour dates, interviews, album reviews, new instrument technology and pictures of the musicians. This is helpful for my double page spread and contents page as I can include the relevant expected information. The interview will come from my made band, the album reviews can come from current rock albums on the rock charts. I will have to research into the layout of rock magazines as well as the way in which they conduct interviews.


The artists and bands featured were such an array of music styles and people, with no doubles in answers, though not all of the possible 30 answers were readable or actually answered. The answers I did get I have grouped into genre:

Rock:                            Pop:
Jeff Buckley                   John Mayer
Foo Fighters                  McFly
ACDC                           The Band Perry
Sex Pistols                    Avril Lavigne
Guns 'n' Roses               Olly Murs

World:                         Heavy Metal:
Michael Buble               Incubus
Coldplay                      Black Sabbath
Gaelic Storm                Asking Alexandria
Paolo Nutini                 Metallica
Paul Potts                    Iron Maiden

The preferred instruments of participants did not link to specific genre, but rather to the instruments they had learned to play whilst growing up. I believe this correlation is too large and unusable for the magazine as the instruments ranged from clarinet to piano, uncommon to the genre of rock. Therefore, I will not be using the question or the answers for any further research or information.

So from my questionnaire research I have decided the genre of music, the style inspiration of the layout, the basis for my music group and what to include within the contents.

Further Information in the form of Graphs and Charts

Question Three:What are your top two favourite music genres?

Question Four:What music magazine(s) do you read?

Question Six: What do you look for in a music magazine?

Question Five and Ten: What is your favourite band/group? Who is your favourite solo artist? 

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Eleanor Wemyss