Magazine article essay

This task involved me designing a double page spread article.  The article included a title, a strapline, a kicker, drop caps, pull quotes, images, sub headings and a byline.  I found the task quite easy, however from my lecturers comments on my work, I have found that I made some mistakes.  I used two letters for the drop caps when I should have only used one.  Also, I designed the article on one landscape page instead of two portrait pages.  I have learnt from these errors for when I come to design my magazine.

Lecturer Comments: 'B.  I love the fact that you have used puns and that you understand the conventions of d.p.s design- such as pull quotes, drop caps (although only the first letter should be a capital) bold font and banners.  You also have a good article style- you write well but should work on writing more to ensure that your product looks professional.  You have also included appropriate images to your article.  Make sure that your columns do not cross the lines as this would not happen in a professional magazine'.

Potential problems with my coursework

This sheet lists what problems I might face regarding my coursework and how I will deal with them.  It will help me to be cautious when working on my product so that these problems do not affect it. 



Musician magazines

As my magazine focuses highly on singers who create their own music and those who use instruments, I have conducted research on those types of magazines.

'BBC Music' magazine uses a font for the masthead that gives it its own identity.  The main image is in the middle of the page which connotes that the musician has authority.  The yellow banner is interesting as it shows that the magazine is not just for people with an interest in writing music, but those that like listening to music.  This is achieved by the inclusion of the colours red and yellow which make the cover less formal.  My magazine will be informal through use of the font and its image.

Front cover, contents and d.p.s influences

I have discussed the influences for my magazine on a Prezi.  The link for this is below.

Cover, Contents and Double Page Spread influences

Time management 1

As of the 15th of September, I am up to deconstructing double page spreads.  The workload has been difficult to keep up with at times, which is because I have gone into detail with my deconstructions.  In class, I have done as much work as I can.  Work that is not completed, I have carried on doing at home.  The deconstructions of the front covers and contents pages has been the most difficult part of the research so far, as there are many aspects that must be taken into consideration.  

I am planning my time by looking at when I need to do work for other courses.  Also, I am keeping track of any unfinished blogs that I still need to add to and get published.  I want to spread out the work instead of doing it all together, which could effect the quality of my work.  By the end of this week, I plan to have finished deconstructing the DPSs.

Half Term 1 Time Plan (15th September-24th October)
Week beginning 15th September: Double page spread deconstructions.
Week beginning 22nd September: Influences, proposal form, Introductory survey post.
Week beginning 29th September: Prelimnary task (planning and construction).
Week beginning 6th October: Institution research, Photography research.
Week beginning 13th October: Survey analysis, Reader profile.
Week beginning 20th October: Colour and font samples, Flat plan and rationale, Photoshoot planning.

NME Double page spread deconstruction

This article is taken from an issue of 'NME'.

Layout- As both the headline and image hint at the story, they come together on the page.  The text consists of the conventional three columns.  The names of the people who provided the words and pictures are placed underneath the headline.  I wish to do this, but I will put it somewhere else on the page- perhaps near the bottom.  There is a box with 'Florence' inside it at the top which stands out for people who are just flicking through the magazine.  That is another thing from this double page spread that I am going to use in my own work.

Image- The dominant image represents the story of the article as Florence Welch is sitting on an American flag, showing she has found her place in the USA.  The way she is sitting and the clothing she is wearing connotes that she has been so well received in America because of her style.  This resembles my own idea as I am focusing on a singer who is popular in America and has done a lot of work globally in the last year.

Headline- Welch released a song called 'You've got the love'.  The letter 'U' in USA represents the first word of the song title.  This pun is effective because of its ability to sum up the article.  Welch covers the part of the headline between the letters U and S to increase the effectiveness of the pun.  The fact that the name of the country is in the biggest font tells you it will be about her work there.  It is more attention grabbing to have a difference in text size in a headline as it makes more important words stand out.  I am going to consider where to use this in my headline.

Kicker- 'With America at her feet' connotes she has taken the country by storm.  The rhetorical question creates an enigma code, which I love the use of, encouraging the reader to carry on.  Her name is in a different colour make the rhetorical question more engaging.  If it just used the word 'she' again then it would not fit in with her popularity and fame. 

Composition- The items on the page are spread out conventionally.  The reader can easily navigate as the lighting compliments everything on the page.  In fact, the text could easily be the thing you are drawn to first as the font used for the drop cap is rather glamorous.  The drop cap(s) that I use will be thicker and less formal looking.

Colour- Personally, I find the colour scheme very interesting as it uses a dark colour for Welch's dress to contrast the colours of the American flag.  Although only the red and white are visible on the flag, her name is in blue in the kicker.  It is evident that the headline, the image and the colour palette all help tell the story of the article.

Narrative voice- I have found that using second person for articles is very common in magazines.  Once again, the author is writing the article in the second person and when Welch is talking, it is in the first person.  This shows the writer connecting to the audience and it is something that I feel will help my article look more professional, despite it seeming like a challenge.

Pace- The pace of the article really shows off her fame.  There are lots of complex sentences that take up space.  These are broken up by much shorter sentences which briefly sum up what has been written.  This would not work too well in my article as it doesn't necessarily suit the target audience.

Language- The repetition in 'cosy-cosy' establishes that she is a down to Earth person.  This is reinforced by the simile, 'I always thought Letterman was like Santa' and the extended sentence 'I was sooo hungover'.  When the celebrity is speaking in my article, I will use language like this to further interest the reader.

Kerrang Double page spread deconstruction 2

This deconstruction is of an article from 'Kerrang'.

Layout- This article has one column.  Its position on the far right is due to the large image.  Although this is not something I will use in my own project, it still works effectively here.  Basic conventions are not followed here, e.g. the headline is at the bottom and the kicker is way above it at the top.  I do not find this inspirational as I do not like the layout much, but it is still effective.

Image- The dominant image is of Simon Neil, the lead singer of the band 'Biffy Clyro'.  He is looking at a menacing version of himself in the mirror.  This connotes that he can be a wild person.  His tattoos suggest he is experienced.  The reflection appears to be mocking which connotes he is shutting out his demons- this is reinforced by the headline.  The bands new album is called 'Opposites', so the image is even more suitable.  As I am not doing the rock genre, my image(s) will be toned down and much less excitable.  There is a caption underneath the kicker which names the photographer.  I will need to use this convention.

Headline- Red is a colour associated with Hell so it has been effectively used for this headline.  The font is creepy, yet exclamatory because of the exclamation mark.  I do not want to use punctuation in my headline, but it will still be appealing.  The two letter 'O's are on top of each other, making it look like a pair of eyes looking at the reader.  It is like you are staring into another set of eyes, just like the man in the image is doing.  The headline is worded like a ritual- like the singer is trying to start a fresh.

Kicker- Its position is unusual at the top of the page.  The name of the band is in red, but the rest of the text is in black.  This connotes that it is an important factor in drawing readers in.  The words 'Hard road out of Hell' create imagery of them shutting out their demons which is reinforced in the image.  It is informative as it is telling you about their new album.  My kicker will be similar to this as I will be partly talking about an album in my article.

Composition- It is not as easy navigating around this double page spread as it is on others.  People may not think there is a kicker as they are instantly drawn to the headline, which is right at the bottom.  The text on the right hand side is easy to find as it is introduced by a drop cap.  In fact there are two drop caps in the text, both in a different colour to spread out the colour palette.  The white background makes everything else have more presence as it increases the effect of the lighting.  My composition will be more conventional and easy to follow.  I will achieve this by making my main image smaller and having my headline nearer to the top.

Colour- The colour code is red, white and black.  The red is very dominant because words like 'Hell' and 'demons' refer back to it.  I will use white and black as part of my colour scheme, but red would not work in my article, therefore I am using green or blue.  I may use green and blue, but green would most likely be the more dominant over the two.

Narrative voice- The article is in the third person, however when Simon Neil is talking, it changes to first person.  This is conventional in articles as it is not always just an interview.  There is often some background information and then input from a celebrity or celebrities.  This is the format I am going to follow, but I do not want it to be too detailed as that would not be suitable for the target audience.

Pace- Not much of the text is Simon Neil's words, but there is still background information done by the writer.  There are a range of sentence types.  There are short sentences like 'They live in a caravan'.  These are informative, but are supposed to provide light humor and create imagery.  Complex sentences are more descriptive and in here, they are used to describe the work done by the band and what they have experienced in the music industry.

Language- The word 'They' is used frequently near the bottom of the text which is like a list of the different things Biffy Clyro have done whilst on their road to success.  There is swearing too which determines it as an adults magazine and at the same time is letting the reader know that the image is not all humorous- it does have a tone that is perhaps personal to the band and especially the lead singer in the image.  I will not include any language that may be deemed unsuitable as it is not what my target audience would expect to find when they read a magazine.  I will need to avoid repeating words too as it can bore the audience.