Final Front Cover

Final Double Page spread

Final Contents Page

Double Page Spread Second Draft

This is better than before. I have changed the heading's font to a different font, that more represents the article about William Stone. It's a very 'flowy' font, which could represent Stone setting free and becoming an awesome solo artist. I have also change the summary sentence to a different font, which is more formal, as classic rock magazines have a clean cut, more formal look about them in comparison to other rock magazines such as Kerrang which is seen as quite busy and for a younger generation. Even though I'm making the fonts more formal and all clean cut, I'm still aiming it at a younger generation, but by keeping them in the loop and not excluding them from certain features, it creates the sense of identity and belonging to the same group of people who the love the same genre of music as you. I have changed the font of the article, to make it more bold and clearer to read. The image of Stone drumming is now in black and white, to draw all of the attention to Stone instead of the shelves behind and make sure all the attention is drawn to Stone's facial expressions. 

Double Page Spread First Draft

Here, for my first draft I have used a basic structure for my double page spread, including an eye catching title, drop capitals, a summary sentence and an image. I have picked these features from magazines such as NME. I decided that some things needed to change, such as the title, it looks as if it's for a fairground rather than representing a one man band in a double page spread. The summary sentence also lacks colour, e.g. a highlighted word or phrase which has been a used feature in Uncut magazine, highlighting an important quote or name. There is far too much space which has been left unfilled, which definitely needs to be filled up with other features from other classic rock magazines. The colour image at the bottom definitely needs to be in black and white, to represent the classic rock look a lot more. There are too many colours in the background on the shelves which distracts the attention from William Stone rather than focus on him. However it does lack some colour!

Contents Second Draft

I have now added an issue number and date to the contents page. I have now placed lines that segregate the image from article numbers, and lines that segregate the issue number and date. This gives it a more clean cut look which is again very much like Uncut's contents page. I have now changed the title "contents" to the same red which is used for the masthead on the front cover, to fit the colour scheme and tie in. Although more features have been added in here, there are still a few more things that need to be added such as a page number and article on the photograph of William Stone.

Contents First Draft

This is a basic draft of  my contents page. I have built the main structure using a black and white image of William Stone playing his bass guitar, he is concentrating hard. I chose this photo as it is very similar to photos that are used in Uncut's contents pages. It represents the artist as ambitious and very much in to their music. I have used the basic structure of a contents page, it is extremely similar to Uncut magazines contents page. The fonts that I have used here are good, the colours just need to be changed. Also, a date and issue number needed to be added to the contents page as well as other things such as a reviews column. 

Front Cover Second Draft

I have started positioning things differently and changing the colours and added a new feature. I feel that changing "William Stone" to a teal colour instead of red was more pleasing to the eye as it didn't make it all 'in your face'. The teal colour flattered the black and white contrasting image a lot better and complimented it. I have also changed the sub articles to the same colour (teal) to carry out the colour scheme. However, I have left the band names in "Impact" font and in white, as it draws the eye in, especially to well known bands, as people are more than likely to care if it's someone that they know well. This was a feature of Uncut magazine. I have left the title the same colour and font as I think that it suits the picture, and is bold and stands out, which draws the intended audience in. Another feature I have used from Uncut magazine are the band names/artists above the masthead. The bold colours (white and yellow) are very eye catching and pull the reader in as they are bright and stand out. 

Front Cover First Draft

Here is my basic idea for my front cover. It hasn't got a set design to it, it's a bit all over the place and hasn't got a real structure, which isn't the style of a classic rock magazine such as Mojo or Q. However, the fonts are a feature of a classic rock magazine, the bold straight font to show bands with a phrase underneath in smaller writing, a bold mast head to draw attention and the main article is very bold. The colours are appealing, however the structure for this draft is a disaster. The "free CD" doesn't look very appealing either, it looks tacky and doesn't go very well with the picture. 

Possible Images

These are the possible images for my front cover. The first image (top left) I edited. I saturated the colours and changed the shadows of the image in Photoshop. I did this to make a more aged looking image, which could have represented the classic part of rock. However the shot also has some graffiti on the church doors behind, showing that the photo was taken in more modern times. But I didn't feel that it could be the final image that I used for my magazine because the facial expressions and body language weren't right, and the image was taken at a more low angle, which was unflattering on the face and wasn't very appealing. The second image (bottom right) was taken against the brick wall of the church. The colours contrasted well with the facial expressions here, and the mouldy green bricks brought out William Stone more. However I didn't feel that this image was just right for the front cover as I wouldn't have been able to mould the features of the magazine around it very well, and it would have looked messy, which isn't the style of a classic rock magazine. I decided to go with the last photo (top right) because it was a mid-shot, I altered the colour to black and white in Photoshop, as many other classic rock magazines use this technique, showing "classic" as represented through the artist. It also shows more about the artist, e.g. clothing, which is a beanie hat and a military style coat which could be said to be a feature of clothing from the classic rock genre, and represent the intended audience as what they wear or what kind of clothes they aspire to wear. 

These are the possible images for my double page spread. The first image was a good idea, as it's a mid-shot and you can see William Stone playing his bass guitar, and you can also see the concentration on his face, showing that he's really concentrating on it, and paying plenty of attention. The second image I thought was better than the first image as it shows concentration of playing the drums, but it also shows the drumsticks in motion, as I turned the shutter speed down to capture this. I decided no to go with the first two possible images because they were both in colour, and although they showed William Stone concentrating on playing his drum and bass, they didn't express happiness, and that's why I chose image 3. Image 3 is similar to image 2, however, Stone is smiling and playing the drums as well as concentrating. The drumsticks in motion has also been caught in this image. Because of the facial expression of Stone being happy, I thought this represented how he's broken free of an old band and become a solo artist, and is eager and happily making his own music, making a really good job of it as well. I changed the image to black and white in Photoshop as it fits the classic rock theme, and theme going along with my front cover, so it would all fit together, and make the front cover, contents and double page spread look like they all come together very well and don't look out of place. 

Contact Sheet

For my front cover I took the images in a graveyard, as it was a dark setting with plenty of walls as a background. The brick walls were quite plain in most areas, with small details of graffiti dotted around. I decided to use a more plain background to photograph my model against as in classic rock magaines such as Uncut and Mojo, majority of the time the artists featured on their front covers are photographed against a plain background. This brings out the facial expressions of the artist/band featured on the front and draws you in. I also took a lot of shots where there was eye contacts with the camera, this is because other classic rock magazines have done this as a way for the artist to connect to it's intended audience. I have mostly done upper mid-shots or close ups, as you can see the emotions and body language used. The reason that it's important to use shots where the intended audience are drawn to emotion is to represent the type of music that that band/artist produces. For my front cover, I managed to get shots that were serious shots, or sometimes serious shots with a hint of smiling in them. This represents the type of music that "William Stone" makes as quite serious, however he has a soft side to him, and overall a nice personality.  The reason that I took all of the photos in colour was just in case I decided that I wanted to edit and play around with the colours, then afterwards turn the photograph black and white using Photoshop. It just gave me more options, than if I were to take all the photos in black and white. In some of the front cover shots I have the model hold a pair of drumsticks. Just holding the pair or drumsticks represents his solo career. By it only being him in the picture, it shows he is the only person that's creating the music and no one else. 

I have also taken photographs of myself, this is so that I can make a small badge for the band "Citrus Cream" which is another eye catching feature of a magazine. Classic rock magazines have also used this feature, especially in Uncut magazine. It shows who the band is. Also the small image helps paint a picture of who they are e.g. appearance, age and identity. I have taken photographs with me wearing a silly red cowboy hat, and a sailors hat. Representing "Citrus Cream" as a bit whacky and obscure with their ideas. 

I took a set of photos showing the instruments used by William Stone, with him playing them. It shows that we can explore what he does, that we aren't completely shut out of how he produces the music, although he does prefer to work alone. Again, I took the images in colour so I had a wider range of options to edit the pictures later on in Photoshop. I lowered the shutter speed in order to capture the movement of the drumsticks as he was banging about the drums. These photographs represent him as very much a solo artist, putting songs together via recordings and a computer. In majority of rock magazines, the images for the double page spread aren't usually the band members playing with their instruments, unless its a double page spread reviewing the most recent gigs. So I decided that since William Stone was solo, he performed for himself at home, like a home gig, as when he's live he gets help from specifically chosen band members to help him. So I thought it would be a true representation of his work. 

Publishing Houses

Bauer Media

Bauer Media is Europe’s largest privately owned publishing group. The group offers over 300 magazines in 15 different countries; they are a worldwide media empire. They also provide for television and radio stations. Bauer Media is a multi-platform UK-based media Group. Their two main offices are based in London and Peterborough in the UK. Bauer distribute three music magazines: Kerrang, Mojo and Q.


IPC Media
IPC Media produces over 60 iconic media brands. Their print alone reaches two thirds of women based in the UK and 42% men in the UK. Overall reaching almost 26 million UK adults. They distribute two music magazines: Uncut and NME. They compete with Bauer with music magazines as well as other magazines such as Look and other chat magazines. Majority of magazines are aimed at women.

I will use IPC media to distribute my magazine. This is because they have similar music magazines to what mine is e.g. Uncut and NME, which means the genre of music is familiar and would be more likely to be bought. I also feel that there’s a gap in the market for my magazine. My magazine is aimed at a younger generation of people who enjoy classic rock and other sub genres and have an overall deep appreciation for music. It would be a good opportunity to unleash my magazine and enlighten young adults and give them more information about the artists they listen to.

Magazine Ideology

My magazine is aimed at males and females aged between 17-24. Majority of them are in education such as college or university, however some of them are working, or have just come out of university and are searching for work. The genres featured in the magazine are varied; however classic rock is mostly featured with bands such as Def Leppard, The Who and AC/DC. The other bands featured that wouldn’t be classed as classic rock could vary from Gorillaz to Red Hot Chili Peppers. The intended audience like to listen to a variety of music ranging from old to new, but they have a big appreciation for music that was made with passion, rather than just making something up quick on a computer without much thought given to it. They believe that being themselves is more important than being mainstream and don’t worry about being extremely popular amongst a group of people. Thus meaning they don’t feel it necessary to listen to music such as R&B or rap because they feel as if most of it isn’t made with talent and doesn’t excite their ear holes. The intended audience will use social networking sites such as Facebook to keep in contact with each other. Majority or teenagers and young adults use social networking as a way of knowing what each other are up to and organising events. Facebook would be a good concept to include in my magazine, e.g. having a “like” page for the magazine.
The name of the Magazine is Unchained. The reason it’s named this is to represent the magazine as being a little different from other classic rock magazines, being aimed at a younger and sophisticated audience that appreciate good music and know how to be independent. It also brings in genres that maybe have been forgotten about like Rock & Roll which are still appreciated by people, including teenagers and young adults. It releases to its intended audience more genres to them, and allows them to take a bigger interest in music rather than the usual music that they listen to. By connecting people with old music that’s new to them, it could incorporate with their emotions and create a desire to read more of the magazine and be quite interested.
Music magazines that I have drawn inspiration from are “Q” and “Uncut”. I feel that both magazines have featured a variety of genres over the year’s e.g. Uncut magazine featuring Bob Marley and Q magazine featuring AC/DC. And this is a good approach to make sure that readers can get the most out of music and appreciate it fully, but also discover new bands and artists that they hadn’t known about previously. My magazine will feature similar concepts, however it will be aimed at a younger audience and will be styled around meeting their needs such as venue reviews (so they know where’s best to go to gig). And a wider range of genres. The design of my magazine will be similar to Uncut, it will use black and white images, but a colour scheme that catches the eye will be used to draw the intended audience in. Colours such as red, white and yellow. I know that this will appeal to an audience aged between 17-24 as I myself are interested in this type of music and different genres, as are my friends. Also, magazines featuring classic rock are aimed at an older audience rather than a younger one. I believe there is a gap in the market for this magazine as many young people would want to read it rather than reading magazines aimed at an older audience, it would also feature things that would interest a young person such as a free CD.
It would be good for the magazine to come in to circulation as there aren’t magazines that feature genres such as classic rock that are aimed at younger people. It would create a wider audience and allow more people to come together and listen to the music together e.g. at gigs. It would make everyone feel more involved in something that they have a passion for rather than being secluded from it and being pushed elsewhere to go and listen to music.