Comparison of my first draft and a real magazine cover

I initially tried to use the magazine cover of "Oklahoma today" as my inspiration, as it is one of the most recognisable magazines specific to my target audience and hold all the exact contents I need for my music magazine, the images, concert dates and even linking to different singers fashion choices. Making it obvious that with advertising more than one topic such as music, they will gain more readership because, a lot more women or men would love to know what fashion trends are being set as well as what music they are making.
My magazine cover was based around this cover, but with my own individuality; they are both similar with the sell lines, the masthead, the bar code and call line. They both have very basic background images behind the artists, drawing attention away from whats behind them and cluttering the picture and drawing attention to the actual artist. This what I tried to institute to my magazine cover; because readers would usually affiliate a cluttered magazine cover with a punk or emo music magazine.
There is a varied difference between the camera shot used in these magazines, the Oklahoma today magazine was set in a mid shot with Carrie Underwood looking and smiling directly at the camera, posing with her hand on her hip, letting the readers in and making them feel comfortable to read the contents of the magazine that is most likely about her. Where as my magazine; "Detached Strings", has Taylor Swift sitting down on a step, directly in front of the camera but not necessarily smiling, looking quite seriously at the camera, it is a far camera mid shot. With her body hunched over and her arm over her knee, looking quite relaxed looking at the camera, it is generating the idea to the audience that she is also letting them in, and it comfortable for the contents of the magazine to be read, but also giving the reader a chance to see the kind of fashion trends that will also be included in the magazine.
Although what I will change about my magazine; is even though it is a good image and has all the positive aspects I need for my magazine, it is far to blurry and for my magazine to look professional, I need an edited non-blurry image to set the right tone to the audience that this is an actual music magazine. In addition to finding a new image, I will also edit the mast head of the magazine to it being behind the artist, following the trend of the Oklahoma today magazine, however my new image will consist of the model holding a guitar. Mobilising the idea of the stereotype most people have of Country Western music, my model will be inside, not looking at the camera and to be taken in a far mid shot giving a full of view of her and her guitar in hand.
In conclusion I will keep my cover the same with limited text, and an uncluttered background image, but not only will I change my model and front cover picture, but I will also change the masthead font type. In my opinion it seems too controversial for a music magazine, and I want to catch the attention of a passive audience and people who do not usually take an interest in this particular genre.

Double Page Spread Examples

When I researched double page spreads on google a range of magazines showed up from both professional magazine houses and past school magazines and each one vary from the themes they use and the presentation of texts and pictures.

These two double page spreads (above) are quite cluttered with all the images they use and how much text they want to include, the similarity between these two spreads is how it is presented, both are based upon an interview that has taken place over a specific topic. These pages are what is constructed as quite stereotypical for bad and rule breaker teen, mostly because the man on the page on the right has tattoos all over his arms, and has piercings and spiky hair. Portraying that the producers of this magazine wants to show what a regular bad boy would look like and how the would socialise with this particular clique.



 EMO. Both texts have a running theme throughout the page; the page on the left has a constant stream of blue black and white, it has the same size and type of font, with the exception of what they believe to be the most important information. "Kitty Pillman exclusive!" and "I don't do drugs but I can be an animal in the bedroom", of course this is affiliated with sex and drugs, construed with what they believe most teens are like in this generation. The page on the right has a running on black, silver and white theme with a hint of pink in a particular quote off the model. Yet this page has a large boarder unlike the "Kitty Pillman" page, showing it's own style that doesn't follow tradition, they believe that they should stand out from the crowd compared to all other magazines for this genre. Furthermore the last similarity between these two spreads is the boldness of the quote at the top of the page, both in different font sizes, types and colours. Awarding themselves an individuality effect where they do not follow trends but sets them, gaining the attention of the reader with such as huge masthead to show the key information of the page. This is something I could use in my own magazine, I could try a develop my ideas and create my very own trend, furthering myself away from the regular country western magazines.

These two double page spreads however are completely different than the other two, its all presented in its own particular format; each image, text and letter has its own space in the page, each one has it's own formula. Each peice of infomation has a specific reason for being there. There is not much to comment or object upon with these two texts, because in one there is two different colours and thats a red letter and the white/black picture with infomration, whereas the other page is white and blue, obviously displaying how these two magazines will in their own way stray from traditon and make a clean, non-cluttered and vintage magazine. Showing it has its own specific target audience; not only someone who likes music from lady gaga and the other girl, but who enjoy/ have an interest in reading texts that is in a particular format with limited colours, decorations and columns of text.

All these pages are applied to all kinds of social groups with a wide range of musical taste and fashion, it is based upon every person has a unique social identity, and music helps to achieve a persons specific distinctiveness. Creating each person to be a individual, and with each person interested in a different genre such as; screamo, punk, western and hip hop, it builds up an individuals self-esteem.

With a wide range of people in different social groups, they will be defined as an individual with respective social identities and that's what makes music so important. It gives a sense of security and familiarity an that is why each of these double page spreads are unique with particular style. They are generating ideas to the reader using the "hypodermic needle effect", that it is good to be unique and special in your own particular way.