Enrolment Tasks

       
My first enrolment task was to choose 3 magazine front covers and say who the target audience was and how I knew that, based on colour, font type, language, celebrities etc.  I chose 'Kerrang', 'Q' and 'Uncut'.

Next, I was asked to do an essay on my idea for a magazine design. 

Natmags Magazine- ‘Blast’

My magazine for Natmags is aimed at 16-19 year olds.  The front cover would have a colour palette of yellow, white and blue.  The masthead’s position would be at the top of the page but tilted to the side to reinforce the fact the magazine is informal.  It would also speak to its young audience.  The main feature would be on the Arctic Monkeys.  The four members would be on the front cover.  The headline would be white as it is a colour associated with the group.  The headline would read, ‘Do you wanna know?’ which refers to their song- ‘Do I wanna know?  This reference would only be understood by fans of the Arctic Monkeys or most probably by music fans.  They would have to be wearing blue and white as it would go well with the yellow masthead.  The clothing would also have to be something fans of the Arctic Monkeys are used to seeing them wear so they are more attracted to the cover. 

As it is a music magazine, I think it would be a better idea to include a banner above the plugs instead of just text.  I have an idea of having a sign that says- Access all areas.  This again speaks to the audience well.  It does not grab the attention of people well out of the age group of 16-19.  The colours are not bright enough to justify it as a children’s magazine- plus, the Arctic Monkeys are most popular with the younger generation.  They are listened to mostly by teenagers.  The headline would have unique font which would apply to the audience.  It would be wide and very animatic.  The contents page would need to inform the reader on the featured articles.  It is also relevant to include the Facebook or Twitter icon to let the reader know that the information about the magazine can be accessed on social networking sites.  The articles and features I would include are:

- A double page spread on the Arctic Monkeys as they are on the front cover and are therefore the main feature of the magazine. 

- I would need to include singers or bands who are similar to the Arctic Monkeys or who share the same type of fans.  Examples that I could include are Paramore or Disclosure.

- Most magazines have prizes on offer that the reader has to win.  I have chosen to have Ed Sheeran’s new album ‘X’ available to win. 

Below the images of featured articles or competitions, I will have topic dividers which are above columns which also include featured articles and interviews.  The first column will be titled ‘Exclusive’, focusing on new, exclusive interviews and images that have been taken especially for that edition of the magazine.  I have chosen to include Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.  The second column will be called ‘Interviews’.  It will also feature articles exclusive to the magazine as the people being interviewed are doing it purposefully for that magazine.  This column will focus on The Script, George Ezra and One Republic. 

The people involved in the ‘Exclusive’ section and the ‘Interview’ section are all current.  This means that if people have only bought the issue because the Arctic Monkeys are on the front cover, they may still want to take a look at the other singers and bands in the issue.  The third and final column I have decided to title ‘Charts’.  These pages in the magazine will have the UK Top 20 or 40.  They will also look at No.1 songs and the biggest hits of the months.  This works well as it is a monthly magazine.

The reason I have chosen this format is because it appeals to the age group.  The Arctic Monkeys, Paramore and Disclosure are not too different and will share many of the same fans.

The main article I have chosen is on the Arctic Monkeys.  It is about their future as a band and also about how they want to change their name.  This provides some humour.  The Arctic Monkeys have a massive teenage fan base.  On the left page there are four separate images of the four members of the band.  On the right page, this is repeated but the images are darker.  This contrast emphasises the tone of the band- telling you they have different sides to them.  The target audience of 16-19 may not want to read massive amounts of text, so the interviews will be quite small.  I have decided to do a separate interview for each member.
 
The headline and titles will be in a unique, stand-out font.  This draws the reader in and makes reading the feature more worthwhile.  If it looked boring, then even fans of the Arctic Monkeys may be put off by it.  However, looking unique will make fans of the band and music fans feel their time has been well spent.  The target audience will obviously like to listen to music in their spare time and reading this feature has to be entertaining to them.  It needs to be taken into account that some of the people reading it may not like reading, so it does need to speak to its target audience.  Also, the Arctic Monkeys have been very popular and successful lately, so a double page spread on their future is something that fans will naturally want to read.

Lecturer comments: 'A.  Well done Ben- you seem to have some excellent ideas here.  You demonstrate a solid understanding of how magazines work and a solid understanding of some of the conventions- overall this is a solid piece of work.  Well done!  You have a good knowledge of genre also.'