Drafting of Magazine

Title Block Analysis

HWK                                              Title Block Analysis and Design                                       02/12/12

NME Title Block: NME’s title is made to stand out, three letters nice and clear to the reader. The stroke effect of black white and red has two effects; first it makes the title clear and the colours chosen are the sort of rocky, laid back colours to fit with the genre, also it effectively puts the magazines trade-mark in place as people begin to associate the style and colours with NME itself. The text is not altered into some strange effect but is kept plain and simple, fitting to the audience who are not usually people interested in glamorous titles but instead the old rock and more about the music (though not true in the case of drum & bass or dubstep which very much feels the music) and overall the title is a good marker and its beauty lies in its simplicity and unique colour association.

Kerrang Title Block: This title block is made to stand out, white on a black background, this makes it jump straight out at the reader and connotes a lively feeling to the magazine. Another effect created is the broken, jagged style of the letters fits nicely with the rock genre and gives of a feeling of uniqueness yet also one of passion for music. Kerrang's target audience is largely made up of those who are passionate about their rock music, which this title instantly tells the reader – almost like a stamp or branding to send a clear, immediate message. The exclamation at the end also gives a fairly energetic feel to the title, this is added to by the capital letters which always have a ‘loud’ effect or feel connoting aggression or passion, this is left up to interpretation.       

Vibe Title Block: Vibe is very different to my previous two titles blocks as it had a far glossier feel to it – this is because Vibes covers a different genre of music and this is connoted by the style. The text is still kept simple and clear giving the effect of focus and helps mark out for the reader the style and feelings in the magazine so to speak. The colour scheme has a cool and calm feel to it but also adds to the idea of focus I mentioned before and as with most magazines allows the text to be clear to the reade

Costume/Props Planning

                                                                  Costume/Props Planning                                             

Guitar: I chose this guitar as a prop which I may wish to use in my music magazine for several reasons. Though this I a nice model the model is not the main point, yes I want a decent and indie-rock style guitar but the main reason is the connotations that come from simply having an electric guitar – these being music, rock and an artist capable of creating rhythm and solo for songs of, in this case, an indie-rock magazine. The red is also a colour I like as it stands out is in general a good colour for a guitar though I may change this to something darker such as black or sunburn or colours of that sort.

Amplifier: An Amp can be associated with music and beats of any genre and I want to use an amp for the idea of ‘music’ in general and something that seems typical for a magazine of this style. The black is a common colour but fits nicely or will fit nicely into my colour scheme and makes the amp not the main focus but still noticeable as a symbol of music for my indie-rock magazine, whatever the band an amp is considered a symbol of music and in turn beats, melodies and then enjoyment

Kurt Cobain: Kurt Cobain is not a figure associated with indie-rock, but grunge, punk and music itself. However the two are close in nature and his costume has very cooled yet laidback connotations – nothing too fancy. Jeans are commonly worn and go with the style(s) and his choice of casual dress code, the t-shirt and black jacket can fit into my genre as well, I feel, and so I chose this style for the chilled out atmosphere to go with chilled out relaxed music and the darker colours fit nicely into this idea, I don’t want anything too showy as this would not fit.

Alex Turner: Alex Turner is a prominent figure in the indie-rock genre and as such his choice of clothing or costume fits nicely and so I wish to use this sort of style in my magazine. As with Kurt Alex chooses laid back dark colours to fit the music and also does not dress up fancy or smart but very casually – jeans, t-shirt and a jacket. This casual approach is what I’m after and I feel gives the right feel or mood to my magazine, the jacket may seem a bit flash hut the style is still fitting with my desired genre and connotations.