My magazine covers

Research

To help me design my magazine cover to suit a target audience I did some research using survey monkey. Survey monkey is a questionnaire site where I can create my own survey to find out what people prefer on a magazine cover. One of the questions I had asked people was how often they read magazines, 50% answered saying they only read magazines monthly; this influenced me to make my magazine brand a monthly issue this means it would just update its audience on seasonal trends. 90% of the people who answered my survey where females because it was mainly females that read magazines and preferred fashion magazines, this helped me base my cover on the right target audience. The target audience is between 18-25 years old because the clothing is not too expensive however they will need to have a good amount of money to be able to buy the clothes. 55% of the people that answered my survey said they would only pay £1.00-£2.99 for a magazine so I priced my magazine at £2.99 so people would be able to afford it. I had also looked at other magazine covers from Vogue and other fashion companies; I noticed they use a 3 colour scheme so the magazine cover doesn't look to over powering. They use expensive colours like gold to make the magazine seem sophisticated and expensive, the main image is usually looking directly into the camera to make the audience feel like they are dragging them into the magazine. This is why my main image is looking directly into the camera to make the audience feel a personal connection with the audience. The clothing the model is wearing is normally glamorous and fashionable outfit to make the audience feel like if they buy the clothing from the magazine they'll look like the model. For my main images the model is wearing clothing that matches the season, for the Christmas magazine she is wearing a Christmas hat and colours that relate to Christmas. I also noticed on big brands like Vogue their cover lines rarely talk about gossip, they have the odd article with an interview with a celebrity however most of the cover lines are about fashion and beauty tips. This influenced me to use cover lines based on fashion and beauty tips so my target audience would buy the magazine to find out how to "get better skin in 8 hours".  The mastheads are usually recognizable and the first thing the viewer will read, I have used a serif font to make the magazine appear sophisticated and expensive. On the Christmas magazine cover the masthead is red to connote Christmas, on the autumn magazine cover the masthead is a golden colour. Even though the colour is different I have used the same font so it stays recognizable. The colours used for my cover lines also relate to the theme, I have only used 3 so my cover doesn't become to over the top and childish. 

The link to my survey monkey page is https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N9ZQP5X

2 page spreads

This 2 page spread is from a fashion magazine, for the background they have used the two colours that are most in style at the moment. On the top left corner there is a strip of professional photographs from a fashion show, all the clothes are black and white so they fit in with the theme. On the right there is a drawing of a model in black and white clothing kicking the middle of the page to make her look powerful. This two page spread looks sophisticated and the clothing look expensive which can connotote that the magazine is aimed at a higher class because you would need a lot of money to buy the magazine and the clothing within the magazine. If the magazine is aimed at a higher class then the target audience would be about 21-40, this is because this age range would be more interested in expensive fashionable clothing and would have the money to buy them.

 This 2 page spread has used celebrity endorsement, on the left it is a black and white portrait of Lady Gaga; an extremley popular singer. The right page is all writing however it has been made more interesting and eye-catching by hightlighting the letter 'L' in red through the text. The colour red could connotote love and passion, which can represent Lady Gaga's story being about her love life. In the top right corner it has her name however 'lady' is in a different font and hasnt used any capital letters. Whereas 'gaga' is all in block capitals, this could connotote how unique and different Gaga is as both words are completley different to eachother.

Fashion Magazines Analysis

This magazine has influenced me on creating my own magazine cover. The main image is a medium shot of Keira Knightley looking seductively into the camera making eye contact with the audience. She is wearing a sophisticated and glamorous outfit which shows the audience the type of magazine it is. They have used the colour gold which is an expensive looking colour and gives the cover a high price, they have also used two shades of blue for the cover lines one of the shades matching Keira Knightley's dress. The cover lines aren't just about gossip, they are fashion tips and stories that will intrigue the upper class. They are distributed around the main image however they don't take the attention away from Keira Knightley. The colours used stand out on the cream/gold background, but they don't make the magazine look to busy and over crowded. The masthead has used serif font and the golden colour to shows its expense and glamour, this masthead has become a unique logo as the target audience will recognise the magazine just from seeing the masthead. The main cover line used is 'The British Are Coming' this is the second most important thing on the magazine cover, it has to be catchy and an interesting story. The cover line under it goes into more detail about the story and informs the audience its a fashion story and influences the audience to buy the magazine and they'll get tips just like the celebrities. Blue is used a lot on the cover of the magazine, the colour blue connotes calmness as it can remind the audience of water, sky and night-time. This gives the audience a relaxed feeling with the magazine.

This magazine cover uses the 3 colour rule; the only colours used are pink, black and white. This makes the magazine look classy and less over crowded. The masthead is using black serif font which makes it look glamorous and gives a girly feel. This magazine also uses the serif font on the cover lines this makes the whole magazine look expensive and luxurious. The magazine is also very expensive which informs the reader it is mainly aimed at upper class women between the ages of 25-45, we know this because the magazine costs between £11-£30 depending on how often you order the magazine; at the age of 25 you are more likely going to have a job and be able to afford the magazine whereas at a younger age you are less likely to have a well paid job. The magazine is also about fashion, there are a lot of fashion tips and photographs from fashion shows which also informs us the magazine is aimed at a younger generation. The main image is of Kate Hudson, a well known actress to the younger generation; she is looking directly into the camera laughing this pulls the audience in because she is making directed eye contact. She is wearing a glamorous pink dress which shows off her figure, this may influence the target audience to buy the magazine because they will expect to look like her if they follow the fashion tips. The connotations of the colour pink is love and natural; this pulls the audience in because it makes Kate Hudson (main image) look sweet and down to earth.

This magazine cover has used 3 main colours for the font these are red, black and white. The background for the cover is Lana Del Rey on a beach, the whole scene looks like it's set in the 50's because of the outfit she is wearing. Lana Del Rey (main image) is sat down on the beach looking glamorous looking directly into the camera with a smirk. She is slightly sexualised and has a Marilyn Monroe look to her, the use of the colour red can connote love as well. The masthead has used a serif font to make the magazine look expensive and glamorous, also the use of a curly font gives a sophisticated look to the magazine which can indicate it is aimed at a higher social class. Lana Del Rey is wearing a white summery outfit, white can connote purity and innocence which makes her come across like a role model and someone to look up too. The cover lines used tell the audience this magazine is aimed at summer time because the main cover line says 'Summer style guide. What to buy, wear, see and do.' This tells the audience if they buy the magazine they won't only just get fashion tips however they will get updates on the latest days out for the summer. They have also used Lana Del Rey for celebrity endorsement, this means anyone who is a fan of her are more likely to buy the magazine to see the 10 page special and to see what she has to say. The magazine is quite expensive which can influence the audience to think it is aimed more at a working class audience, this is because they are going to need the money spare to buy the magazine so they would need a good job.

This magazine is aimed at mainly men between the age of 25-45, this is because the cover lines are aimed at people with a lot of money or older married men. The magazine is aimed at men in the social class C1 AND B, this is because they have a lot of money and have settled down. The main cover line is 'UPGRADE YOUR STYLE' this shows the target audience will need a lot of money to buy the new clothes as it is an expensive magazine. One cover line is talking about married men which is also a sign it is aimed at an older generation. They have used 3 main colors which are black, white and pink these colors mix really well and make the magazine cover eye catching, it doesn't look to over crowded or to busy. They haven't used to much pink so the cover doesn't look to girly however the black and white makes the cover look more sophisticated and manly. The main image is of Eric Bana; he is wearing a suit which shows his wealth and sophistication. It inspires other men who buy the magazine to 'upgrade their style' the cover line next to the image says 'Eric Bana killer good looks' which influences the target audience to think if they buy the clothes in the magazine then they will look just as good as Eric Bana. He's looking directly into the camera which means he's inviting the audience in to buy and read the magazine. The masthead is in black and pink which makes the magazine even and balanced. The pink makes the letter Q stand out behind the main image, if they used all black then it would be as effective because it wouldn't stand out.

 The magazine is so well known because of its masthead, it is so recognizable no matter what color it is. They have used 2 main colors for the text, black and a pink/purple which matches Lady Gaga's hair. She is looking directly into the camera to pull the audience in, she is in a unusual outfit however anyone who knows her will know it matches her personality. This magazine is aimed at women in the social class C2, C1 and B who are aged between 25-45 years old. I know this because vogue is quite an expensive magazine so the audience would need to have a bit of money, at 25 people are normally finishing uni and looking for their career so they will have a decent amount of money. The cover lines are about fashion tips and love which makes the magazine more girly. The font of he writing is sophisticated and shows its importance by using mainly black. They have only used one photo and mainly writing which shows it's aimed at mainly upper class women, the cover isn't over crowded and there isn't to much going on. The green background makes the main focus Lady Gaga's hair, the pink reminds me of candy floss which is sweet.

Blame it on me- George Ezra

The song opens with a long shot which tilts down towards the street to establish the setting, there is natural high key lighting used to highlight the street and birds flying past in the sky to represent peace. Diegetic sounds is used as the camera tilts down, it is the sound of a car driving past to make the scene more realistic. Once the camera has tilted down and is still it focuses on the road while the car drives towards the camera; the camera starts to pan with the car while it drives past. This shows how calm the setting is and gives the audience a little bit more of an idea of what the scene looks like.  The camera stops panning and focuses on two people talking, after a few seconds they walk away from each other, this could represent the distance between them both and how they are not just physically walking away from each other but mentally leaving each other as well. All the lighting is natural however very high key, to make the scene seem natural and realistic.

The shot then sharply cuts to a close-up of a man looking directly into the camera asking the audience a question. There are subtitles under the close up in yellow asking 'Are you sure you want to follow the yellow brick road?' the yellow writing stands out on the background and makes it clear for the viewer to read it. They have kept the man in focus however all the background is all blurred out, this is to show the man is important in the scene and to hide any un-important information in the background. The lighting used is all natural however the man is highlighted to stand out more. The scene goes back to a long shot of two people talking on the street again, they both walk away slowly and don't look back. This could show the relationship between the two characters. 

Non-diegetic music is used through-out the rest of the video as it is a music video. The title page to the song appears, they have used a medium shot of the singer walking away from the camera with the title of the song in white in the middle of the shot. The white writing stands out because the background is slightly low key, the camera slowly tilts up to get a full view of the singer. The camera follows him down the street then pans around him so the audience can see his face. As the camera pans around him it goes into a close-up from the side of his face, the camera doesn't stay stable as it pans around; it slightly tilts up and down. There was a medium shot of two girls walking down the street enjoying themselves, the medium shot makes the scene feel more relaxed and comfortable which makes the girls come across more friendly. They have edited the shot so the girls look like they are walking in slow motion, to create more of an effect. They have then cut back to a medium/close-up of the singer walking down the street, he doesn't make eye-contact with the camera which may come across like he's singing to someone in the street or walking towards the one he's singing to. The scene then jumps back to a medium/close-up of the girls however this time they are looking up towards something which makes the audience want to find out what they are looking at. They have used another medium/close-up of the singer again, however this time he's looking straight into the camera which makes direct contact with the audience. This time they have used a close-up of the two girls looking directly into the camera, each time they are shown the shot becomes closer and closer. There is a birds eye view, this camera shot is normally seen quite powerful however this time the camera is zooming in extremely fast towards his head which can show the singer has the power in the video. They have used a close-up of something landing on his shoulder to block out everything else happening within the shot. There is a medium shot used however the singer is framed by the car window, us as an audience is looking out at him. 

We see his point of view with an over the shoulder shot, he is looking into the car window and the audience see his reflection in the car window trying to wipe off whatever landed on his shoulder. This gives the audience a sense of power as they are following him. 

 This article is about people in the forces, that have been seriously injured however they still go out and do something with their lives. Their social classes depend on what regiment they are in, the man in the photo is called Josh Boggi he was a Corporal this would have made him middle class. Although he has left the army due to his injuries he has started cycling and is pushing towards becoming a Paralympic cyclist.

This article represents age, it is about a young adult who refuses to move out of his seat on a bus for an elderly man. The elderly are represented negatively in the video because they start attacking the young adult in anger, however the lad doesn't retaliate. To watch the video you can go to; www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/watch-oaps-attack-young-man-4198447