Potential Cover Layout

After carrying out research into what would make a good music magazine cover, we put all of our concluded findings together to create a potential layout for Fuse magazine's cover, to give us a rough indicator of how our magazine is to turn out, and whether our house-style is conventional but also has a unique aspect to it, to establish Fuse Magazine as a brand name. 

As shown by the layout that we have constructed, our music magazine will be conforming to the conventions typical of that genre, in terms of the use of contrasting colours, and the way that the logo is to be presented to the audience. 

This cover layout was also pitched to a group of young people, to recognise how our target audience would react to such a layout. We we received positive feedback,with young people saying that they liked the contrast of blue and red, and how the logo really ties all aspects of the magazine together. Although this is so, we need to think about the image on the cover quite specifically, and how we will present this on the page, so the image does not clash with the colours. 

Despite this, this mock-up will be used as a generic outline for our magazine cover.

Choosing A Font

When choosing the main font styles that would define our magazine, it was important to keep our target audience in mind, as we did with our magazine name. The fonts used can also be said to contribute towards giving our magazine a brand image. Therefore, audience research was needed when deciding what font would represent Fuse Magazine. 

When researching music magazines, the use of sans serif fonts appeared to be conventional. As a result, the group decided that in order to conform to the conventions of popular music magazines, it was important for the fonts to be sans serif, so that our target audience can recognise the magazine's genre, and appeal to them because of this. 

When surveying for the magazine's theme font, we decided to survey 20 students, who were all unaware of what the research was going towards. A majority of these students thought that Futura Condensed Extra Bold would be the kind of font that they would expect to see on a music magazine for young people. Because of this, we decided that this font would be the best to use for the Fuse logo, and as the theme font for our magazine, but the other popular fonts from our survey will also be taken into consideration for the use of headlines, as variation in font styles is conventional of music magazines as well. 

FUSE Magazine Logo

As a group, we have decided to use this as the main logo that defines our magazine, which effectively establishes it as being a brand name. This logo appears to conform to the conventional presentation of music magazine names, as we have concluded from our research. 

The name "FUSE." is to be in sans serif font, as it conforms to conventional music magazine fonts, such as NME and Billboard. Audience research was conducted into deciding upon a font, by asking a selection of young people to choose their preferred sans serif fonts, out of a choice of 5. People seemed to like this font (Futura) the most, because it looks very conventional, so it can easily be recognised as a music magazine worth buying.

To be specific, the font chosen was Futura Condensed Extra Bold, and we made the choice of making the font this bold, to make it stand out to the audience, and engage them into purchasing the magazine. 

The use of colour symbolises the magazine's house-style, with our theme colours being red and black, and purple will also be used for the headlines to create an effective contrast that would be preferred by our target audience. 

A problem which may arise with the use of this logo, is the fact that it may not stand out enough from the image and the text. Therefore, I will have to add more text effects later on in the process of production. 

Cover Layout Brainstorm

After conducting research into music magazine covers relating to our genre, and those outside of it, our group decided to begin to brainstorm ideas on the potential layout of our magazine cover. We briefly brainstormed choices for images, fonts and house-styles, keeping our researched conventions in mind, as well as our target audience.

Despite the suggestions shown above, our decisions are not definite, and in order to finalise these decisions, audience research may possibly be carried out to help us decide what our target audience feels is most appropriate for our magazine cover, and how we will create a house-style that matches their interests.

Conclusion On Magazine Covers

Overall, after research both within and outside of my chosen magazine genre, I have gathered various generic and specific conventions of magazines.

In general, magazines conventionally have very defined house-styles to present the concept of their magazines as a brand image. Along with this, the images used are often mid-shots of recognised people within the media, which attracts the target audience, because it will most often be somebody that a person of that audience admires. The camera usually focuses on the eyes to make the cover seem more personal, because of the eye contact being created, and the audience therefore feels engaged with the cover, for it attracts their attention. 

The celebrity usually draws attention by somehow contrasting with the text surrounding the image, be it through costume or through general presentation.

In terms of the content on the cover, there are usually unique features that the target audience would be interested in. In the case of music magazines, the headlines feature stories on artists, music reviews and news, along with competitions and free gifts. All of these combined together intend to win over most people within the magazine's target audience, which is why they proceed with buying it. 

With a magazine aimed at teenage girls, the cover ought to have pops of colour alongside the established colour scheme, to bring an aspect of fun, so the target audience is attracted to the different colours, and can easily highlight that the magazine is aimed for them, because the varying in font sizes and colours is unique to magazines of that age group. 

For my magazine, it is important for me to understand that conventions relating to the Pop/Rock genre of music magazines have to be present, along with the fact that the expectations of my target audience must be fulfilled. 

Sheryl Crow Healthy Living Cover

Healthy Living is a lifestyle magazine, which appears to target a mass audience of adults, because the health stories that are presented on the headlines would appeal to a range of adults, in their different health circumstances. 

The use of fonts also connotes who the magazine is aimed for - the fact that it is mostly serif fonts shows us that it is for a mass audience, because the font is trying to come across as sophisticated and professional, bringing an aspect of seriousness to the subject of health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

As well as this, the use of font colours are very basic, in comparison to magazines of other genres that I have analysed. Again, this relates to the target audience, and how magazines that I have previously analysed were appealed to niche audiences, and this magazine targets a mass audience. The odd splash of colour is used, though, to match the greenery in the image used, as well as the whole idea of green connoting health and life. 

Healthy Living also maintains a house-style, with its use of fonts and the atmosphere that it creates within the magazine. 

Alexa Chung Vogue Cover

Besides music magazines, other magazine genres are important to analyse and take into consideration, in order to pick out specific aspects which differentiate the genres, as well as understanding how the use of design attracts the target audience, and how I can adapt this into my own work. 

The use of colour on this Vogue magazine cover is effective, because the theme colour is pink, which brings the intended sense of femininity to a women's fashion magazine. Despite the colour scheme changing with each issue of the magazine, Vogue still manages to maintain a house-style, giving the magazine a defined brand image, which women recognise all over the world as one of the top fashion magazines. Amongst my group, I would like to incorporate a defined house-style as well, possibly with a similar colour-scheme, to have our magazine defined by the use of colour as well as the use of the main, headline fonts. 

Image on this magazine cover is also another important aspect, because of the fact that the focus of the image attracts the audience to Alexa Chung's eyes and facial features, more than anything else within the shot. The eyes are also greatly emphasised, as though to connect with the audience with the use of eye contact, and engage them in what the magazine has to offer. The fact that the image has been presented like this creates a sense of aspiration for the target audience, in the sense that women will take in what the magazine is telling them about fashion, and adapt it into their own lives, and hope to feel as beautiful as how Alexa Chung is on the cover. 

Simply by looking at the cover, it is apparent that the magazine is for young females who take an interest in beauty and fashion, and trying to be "chic" and stylish, as most of the cover presents. The "girly" colours, along with a well-known fashion model, show the audience that the magazine falls into the fashion and beauty genre. 

Therefore, with my magazine, I must understand how different conventions must appeal to my target audience of young people in Britain, who take an interest in the dominating Pop/Rock music genre. This can be done through the use of colour and fonts, whilst maintaining the house-style. 

What I learnt from my Preliminary Task is that great consideration must also be taken in to the image, as it creates the main base for the magazine, and is the first thing that the audience notices, so it must effectively appeal to them as intended.