Improved Magazine Front Cover Mock Up



This is my improved version of my mock up magazine. i believe it looks a lot more professional then the first version i did. I changed many of the aspects that are on the average magazine front cover and that i did incorrect or badly on my first version of it. For example, there wasn't a background on the front cover and nothing stood out and you didn't know where to look first cause there was just a Masthead, a key image and lots of puffs and plugs that didn't stand out and all looked a bit un-coordinated. I added a background to portray some style on the magazine to the target market and i think that it makes the front cover look alot better. Another main thing i changed was the masthead. After researching existing sport magazines i found out that they all had very basic fonts for it. i realised this and changed mine to fit accordingly with other already existing magazines. It gave my front cover alot of depth and made it look alot more professional as the audience could relate to other magazines and how it looks just as good as one on the shelf in terms of using the basic elements that make a magazine front cover. I also moved the bar code as it used to be covered by writing which made it not able to be scanned and recognised if it was used and placed on the shelf of a supermarket etc. In addition to that i changed the fonts and font colour to all white and perfectly horizontal which some people may say is a bit plain and boring but i believe it has worked very well with the dark purple background and stands out well whilst also looking professional. The Key Image stands out alot more now because of the colour of the background and how it gets lighter towards the middle which makes the key image of Lionell Messi look like it's beaming away from him which makes him look so much better. I left one of the Plugs at the bottom of the front cover in red to let it stand out from the rest which could influence my target market to take more interest at looking at my magazine. Overall i think this improved version looks much more co-ordinated and professional compared to my first version of it and if abit more work was put into it to fix the little problems up it could be sitting on a shelf next to all the other magazines.



Magazine Front Cover Mock Up

This is my first mock up of a magazine, I noticed a lot of basic elements about a magazine which i had not used or had used incorrectly. For example the point style i used for the masthead was not really relevant to the genre and audience of my target market of my 'Sport' Magazine. i found this out after researching other Sport magazines and i found that they point styles they used were really close together, basic, but still stood out. So in my improved magazine cover i will change it. Other main things on my magazine that don't really work are that there is no background and nothing really stands out at all on the front cover which is going to sway my audience away from taking interest in it and looking at it. Also there are way too many different font colours which just don't work very well together and it makes the audience unsure where to look first. The layout is also very unprofessional and the bar code has writing over it which means it would not be able to be scanned properly. There puffs are very uncoordinated in how they have been placed and the whole cover just generally looks very unprofessional. In my improved version of this front cover i will change all of these things and make it more professional.

Questionnaires

Today we were looking into what makes a good questionnaire and made a list of advantages and disadvantages. The Different forms we looked at were Factual or opinion based, tick boxes to free text responses. To get useful responses it is important to be clear about the aim of the questionnaire, and how the responses will help you. Also It can be sobering to consider the amount of data you will generate and the time it will take to analyse.

Advantages:

1. Standardised results can be easy to analyse and create graphs/charts from.
2. Large numbers of participants can be reached quickly and simply.
3. Relatively cheap and easy to set up.
4. Should be quick and simple to fill out.
5. They can be anonymous - so are useful for tackling sensitive issues.
6. Less intrusive - participants have time to think about their answers.
7. Should help reduce bias - there are no verbal or visual clues from the researcher to influence answers.
8. The format is familiar to most people so shouldn't make participants feel apprehensive.

Disadvantages:

1. Due to standardised questions it is not possible to explain any question a participant might not understand.
2. Open questions can generate large amount of data that can take a long time to analyse.
3. Participants may answer superficially just to get it out of the way.
4. Only those interested may reply, distorting your results.
5. Participants may not be willing to answer the questions - may not wish to reveal certain information about you.
6. Not really suitable for long, complex issues.
7. Forgotten questions cannot be added.
8. Occurring after the event, participants may forget important issues.

JICNARS

JICNARS - Joint Industry Committee for National Readership Survey.

A widely used concept in describing a target group market is that of social class. The most commonly used system to describe these differences within media and sales is the JICNARS social grading scale. It was originally devised as a way of measuring newspaper audiences. Despite its wide use in the media, there are a number of difficulties with this scale, not least its concept of 'head of the household' which is assumed to be male.


However, even with difficulties,
researchers still use the scale
today so they can compare                           Small upper class       --
 their results with one and
other.                                           Medium-sized middle class      -----
                     
                                                  Large manual working class   -----------

Social Grade	Social Status	Occupation
A	Upper middle-class	High managerial, administrative or professional
B	Middle-class	Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional
C1	Lower middle-class	Supervisory or clerical, managerial, administrative or professional
C2	Skilled working class	Skilled manual workers
D	Working class	Semi and unskilled manual workers
E	Those at lowest	State pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or lowest-grade workers

Magazine Terminology

Some new key terms that im using in media:
Adverts - Full Page on the inside of the front cover and on the back cover. These are the most expensive positions for advertisers to buy and the products are closely identified with the magazine's brand image and target audience.
Bar Code - this is the digital stock and security marker
Camera Shot - This is whether the camera shot is CU, MS, MLS etc. The angle is usually straight for maximum reader sense of contract with the subject.
Colour Design - This is carefully chosen for seasons and gender appeal.
Cover Image - or Key Image. The main picture, it usually portrays the readers aspirations/idealised itself, or the main topic of the magazine.
Cover Price - The retail price of the magazine; it reflects the target market and the frequency of the publication.
Date - The week or month of the issue; when the issue is distributed compared to the issue's date.
Eye line - The direction the subject in the key image is looking - usually directly at the camera / reader
Feature Article Photographs - Small pictures which are related to the main article, sometimes along side sell lines or plugs.
Font Design - The style of lettering chosen the the title and other copy.
Framing - This is another word for type of shot. but it also refers to the elements that surround the magazine etc.
Frequency of publication - This is how often issues are published; it also corresponds with the purpose and price of the magazine.
Issue Number - Each magazine is called an issue which is identified by its publication and date and usually in a numerical sequence.
Masthead - or the title of a magazine or newspaper, usually placed horizontally at the top of the cover.
Plug - Information about the contents.
Point Size - Size of the font.
Puff - Words or phrases about the magazine to boost its sales.
Sell Lines - or Cover Lines. Information about major articles inside the magazine, they have a bigger point size then plugs.
Spine - The side of the magazine. It often has the key information to identify it and the particular issue; it sometimes has its strap line here, or a plug, or additional hooks like a quiz question.
Strap lines - Slogans summing up the magazines image, usually placed close to that title, though not all magazines have them.
Studio Shot - Most cover images are shot in studios to gain the maximum sense of glamour for their subject e.g. Glamour shot.
Teasers - Short phrases from an article to tempt a reader to buy and read more...

Making Meaning

Semiotics - Semiotics are a way of explaining how we make meaning by the study of sign systems and their function in society.

Sign - A sign is the smallest single unit of meaning e.g. a Nike tick.

Anything can be a sign if we agree that it has a meaning. The particular meaning of a sign or set of signs is something that is agreed and learned through experience. Signs have no particular meaning of themselves. So gestures or elements of pictures become signs because we agree that they have a meaning.

Denotation - Denotation is a literal meaning. e.g. the thing in itself/ what you see. it is simply identifying and making notes on the graphic signs that have been used.

Connotation - Connotation is something that suggests an extra meaning by using notes from the denotation to say what the various graphic signs mean to you and what they might intend to mean to the target audience.

Iconic Signs - These are signs that appear exactly like the thing itself. It is a symbolic element within a genre which is highly charged with meanings relevant to that genre. An icon is in effect a symbol for the genre - e.g. the trench coat and trilby hat for a detectives genre.

Indexical Signs - They act by indirectly pointing/suggesting what they mean. They get their function through a connection with what they simplify. e.g smoke as a sign for fire.

Symbolic Codes - These are signifiers of meaning that totally disconnect from what they denote.

Convention -  this refers to a certain way of doing something.