Saturday 21 November 2015
Star Image
The theory of ‘Star Image’ was created by Ricard Dyer. In this theory he proposes that celebrities and icons are constructed out of a range of materials by institutions for financial gain. Dyer has split his theory up into different sub-sections, these are; Constructions, Hegemony (Cultural Beliefs) as well as Audience and Institution.
Constructions:
Dyer believes that celebrities are built for an audience instead of being a real person; for example, stars are sometimes built to be different to create originality and likeablility. This construction is then emphasised through magazines, music videos and advertisements. Record companies are usually responsible for the construction of a “star”.
Audience and Institution:
Dyer believes that celebrities are built only to make money. Therefore every “star” is constructed to met the interest a specific target audience to generate revenue for record companies. The “stars’ are constructed to be what the record companies believe audiences want.
Hegemony (Cultural Beliefs):
Dyer believes that celebrities are constructed to have certain beliefs, values and attitudes. Therefore audiences relate to them because they have features/ideas that they share or admire. This results in audiences seeing “stars” as role models and aspiring to be them.
Constructions:
Dyer believes that celebrities are built for an audience instead of being a real person; for example, stars are sometimes built to be different to create originality and likeablility. This construction is then emphasised through magazines, music videos and advertisements. Record companies are usually responsible for the construction of a “star”.
Audience and Institution:
Dyer believes that celebrities are built only to make money. Therefore every “star” is constructed to met the interest a specific target audience to generate revenue for record companies. The “stars’ are constructed to be what the record companies believe audiences want.
Hegemony (Cultural Beliefs):
Dyer believes that celebrities are constructed to have certain beliefs, values and attitudes. Therefore audiences relate to them because they have features/ideas that they share or admire. This results in audiences seeing “stars” as role models and aspiring to be them.
There are many examples of bands/artists for all genres of music which posses a star image, some of them are; The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rhianna, Lana Del Rey and One Direction.
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers:
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers are an alternative band from Los Angeles who formed in 1983. The band has an easily recognisable logo which is a star. This logo appears through out all of their work; on album covers, merchandise as well as in their music video for their song ‘Californication’ . This helps to successfully sell the band because the audience will become familiar with the logo which will help the record company to make money.
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers are portrayed to have a ‘don’t care’ attitude which denotes the idea that they are cool. This attitude will attract a specific type of audience, if the band lost this attitude it is likely that they will suffer a lack of sales.
This research on star image suggests that artists/bands must posses a star image in order for them to be successful and popular within the current culture. Therefore I am going to create a star image for the individual on the main image that appears on the magazine front cover, contents page and double page in order for my magazine to sell successfully.
Mode of Address
Mode of address is how the media talks to the audience. There are four main types of modes these are; first person, third person, formal and informal. First person is used when someone is talking about themselves, as in “I and Me”; the first person mode is likely to be used in a magazine when someone is being interviewed. Third person is used when talking about someone, as in “He and She”; the third person mode is likely to be used in a magazine when someone is writing a review. Informal modes are be presented in different ways, for example by colloquial language or expletive language. Colloquial language is usually involves words that have been abbreviated, which can be interpreted as ‘slang’. Colloquial words are more acceptable in writing than expletive language, which is also known as swear words.
The mode of address for music magazines are affected by the magazines genre, the format of magazine and the magazines target audience. Therefore if the genre of the magazine is rock or alternative it is unlikely that the text would be formal because it doesn't fit in with the genre. It is more likely that a rock or alternative magazine would use colloquialisms and expletive language because it fits the genre better.
The mode of address for music magazines are affected by the magazines genre, the format of magazine and the magazines target audience. Therefore if the genre of the magazine is rock or alternative it is unlikely that the text would be formal because it doesn't fit in with the genre. It is more likely that a rock or alternative magazine would use colloquialisms and expletive language because it fits the genre better.
Saturday 14 November 2015
Colour
To find out what colours might work together or might not work together you can use a colour wheel chart. The first colour wheel was designed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666 however it was actually more of a pie chart because the bands of colour were dispersed in wedges around a circle. In the current colour wheel there are 12 colours and they are split up into three sections; primary, secondary and tertiary colours. The Primary colours include; red, yellow and blue. The secondary colours include; green, orange and purple. Tertiary colours are made when primary and secondary colours are mixed together; they are then named after both of the colours involved for example blue-green and yellow orange.
For a magazine to appear sophisticated it must have an appropriate colour scheme. Colour schemes play an important role in selling the magazine because the colour is what will capture the audiences attentions when looking at a magazine. Therefore when designing a magazine front cover, designers have to make sure that they use colours that work well together yet still stand out. The colour wheel is a useful tool for designers to use because it shows a range of colours that do and don't work well together. However colours also connote different ideas and atmospheres, so designers have to make sure that they use colours that promote the correct idea about the magazine. For example red is a colour that is often associated with danger and love. It is also very intense which creates attention. So if therefore good to use for mastheads, headlines and logos.
When designing my music magazine I will make sure that I use colours that work well together to make sure that my magazine is aesthetically pleasing. I will not use complementary colours for large sections of text because they are difficult to read, however I will use them for text that I want to make stand out.
If a colour scheme is not harmonious it can look dull or chaotic however if the colour scheme is too monotonous then it can also look boring. Which will make the reader uninterested in the text or image, therefore colour is important when designing a magazine. You can use the colour wheel chart to create colour harmonies. Colour harmony is pleasing to the eye because the colours work well together which creates a sense of order a balance; this helps to capture the reader attention. There are seven different colour harmonies however the main two are; Complementary and Analogous.
Complementary colours are colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel, for example blue and orange. When complementary colours are used it creates vibrancy, therefore complementary colour schemes needs to be managed to make sure that they are not too striking. Complementary colours are bad too use for text because they make it difficult to read so should only really be used to make something stand out.
Analogous colours are three colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel, for example green, green-yellow and yellow. Therefore the colours work well together and create fluency. Usually one of the colours is more dominant and has the most pigment. Analogous colour schemes are pleasing to the eye which makes the appropriate to use when creating an image.
For a magazine to appear sophisticated it must have an appropriate colour scheme. Colour schemes play an important role in selling the magazine because the colour is what will capture the audiences attentions when looking at a magazine. Therefore when designing a magazine front cover, designers have to make sure that they use colours that work well together yet still stand out. The colour wheel is a useful tool for designers to use because it shows a range of colours that do and don't work well together. However colours also connote different ideas and atmospheres, so designers have to make sure that they use colours that promote the correct idea about the magazine. For example red is a colour that is often associated with danger and love. It is also very intense which creates attention. So if therefore good to use for mastheads, headlines and logos.
When designing my music magazine I will make sure that I use colours that work well together to make sure that my magazine is aesthetically pleasing. I will not use complementary colours for large sections of text because they are difficult to read, however I will use them for text that I want to make stand out.
Typography
Typography is the way text is presented and arranged within a page. Typography includes factors such as; font, colour and spacing. Typography is very important when it comes to designing and producing a magazine, because the font style, font size and font colour can determine whether someone decides to buy or not to buy the magazine. When producing the magazine you need to make sure that the font is easy and clear to read at arms length, you also need to make sure that the colours don't contrast with other colours on the page because otherwise it will be difficult to read and people will be less likely to buy it.
The most common typography fonts used for magazines are Serif and San Serif. Serif fonts make distinctive shapes, using small decorative lines on the end of certain strokes. Popular examples of Serif fonts, are Georgia, Century, Times New Roman and Book Antigua. San Serif fonts do not use small decorative lines at the end of strokes. Popular examples of San Serif fonts, are Arial, Calibri, Lucida Sans and Verdana. According to multiple studies, most people find San Serif fonts harder to read than Serif fonts. Because of this San Serifs fonts are usually used for smaller amounts of text such as captions or headlines.
From analysing magazines I have realised how much of an important role typography has in the overall look and effect of the magazine. If the magazine has poor typography it will make the magazine look less aesthetically pleasing to the reader/audience, this will therefore effect the magazine negatively because less copies are likely to be sold. However if the magazine has good typography the magazine will look aesthetically pleasing and will have fluency which means that more copies are likely to be sold.
When designing and producing my music magazine I will pay close attention to how I structure my typography. I will make sure that I use San Serif fonts for large titles so that they are easy to read. I will also ensure that I sure appropriate kerning so that large amounts of text and titles are clear and easy to read.
The most common typography fonts used for magazines are Serif and San Serif. Serif fonts make distinctive shapes, using small decorative lines on the end of certain strokes. Popular examples of Serif fonts, are Georgia, Century, Times New Roman and Book Antigua. San Serif fonts do not use small decorative lines at the end of strokes. Popular examples of San Serif fonts, are Arial, Calibri, Lucida Sans and Verdana. According to multiple studies, most people find San Serif fonts harder to read than Serif fonts. Because of this San Serifs fonts are usually used for smaller amounts of text such as captions or headlines.
Kerning is also an important feature of typography. Kerning refers to adjusting the space between characters, so that the font is in proportion which creates a visually pleasing structure to the text. Kerning helps to make certain letters combinations look better, for example MW, WA VA, and TA. A lack of kerning can result in difficulty to read groups of text or articles.
When designing and producing my music magazine I will pay close attention to how I structure my typography. I will make sure that I use San Serif fonts for large titles so that they are easy to read. I will also ensure that I sure appropriate kerning so that large amounts of text and titles are clear and easy to read.
NME Analysis
What is
NME magazine?
NME is a British music magazine that focuses its
content on rock and alternative music. NME is released weekly and is edited
Mike Williams. NME has been published since March 1952. However in July 2015,
NME changed to a free, lifestyle magazine that is available to pick up in train
stations, universities and retail stores.
For my
analysis of NME I am going to annotate an older issue of NME when it was completely dedicated to music and then the a newer lifestyle issue of NME.
The newer style/editions of NME follows barely any conventions of a magazine front cover and is therefore completely different in style to the previous edition of NME. Because the newer style/editions of NME don't follow many conventions it makes the magazine front cover less busy and chaotic which some people might proffer. Overall I think think the previous style of NME's front cover is better because it allows the audience to find out more of what is inside the magazine and allows the audience to identify the individual/individuals in the main image because of the headline.
NME Contents Page:
Both editions of NME don't follow that many conventions of a magazine contents page, for example the 50:50 ratio of text to image. However the new style/edition of NME has kept some of its previous features for example having page number written in red font and keeping the name of the sub-headings the same. I think that the original style of NME's contents page is better because it has more detailed anchorage text, provides more articles and involves more colour which makes it eye-catching.
NME Double Page Spread:
Both editions of NME follow various conventions of a double page spread, the style and layout of the article will affect how many conventions are on one double page spread.
Generally the newer style/edition of NME follows less conventions of a magazine than the first/original editions of NME however this is probably because it has changed from being 100% music magazine to being lifestyle with a small amount of the articles being about music. Therefore I am not going to use the new style/edition of NME as inspiration when designing my own music magazine because I feel that it is too minimal and doesn't follow enough features. However I will use ideas and concepts from the first/original editions of NME when designing and producing my own music magazine.
Sunday 8 November 2015
Mojo Analysis
What is Mojo magazine?
Mojo is a UK based music magazine that focuses its content on classic rock music. Mojo is released monthly and it edited by Phil Alexander. The first issue of Mojo was releases on October 15th, 1993, which suggests that the magazine is successful and sells thousands/millions copies of each issue. Mojo regularly includes a cover mount CD thats ties in with the magazines main article/feature.
Mojo Contents Page:
The issue of Mojo that I brought to analyse had two contents pages both feature different techniques so I decided to analyse both of them to fully understand the conventions of Mojo magazine.
Mojo Double Page Spread:
Mojo is a UK based music magazine that focuses its content on classic rock music. Mojo is released monthly and it edited by Phil Alexander. The first issue of Mojo was releases on October 15th, 1993, which suggests that the magazine is successful and sells thousands/millions copies of each issue. Mojo regularly includes a cover mount CD thats ties in with the magazines main article/feature.
Mojo Front Cover:
Mojo Contents Page:
The issue of Mojo that I brought to analyse had two contents pages both feature different techniques so I decided to analyse both of them to fully understand the conventions of Mojo magazine.
Tuesday 3 November 2015
Kerrang! Analysis
What is ‘Kerrang!’ magazine?
Kerrang! is a UK based music magazine that focuses its content on rock and pop punk music. Kerrang! is released weekly and is edited by James McMahon. The first issue of Kerrang! was released on June 6th, 1981 which suggests that the magazine is successful and sells thousands/millions copies of each issue.
Kerrang! Front Cover:
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