Front Cover Flat Plan Analysis

First of all for my magazine I have used the title ‘Riot!!’ because then it clearly reveals the genre of the magazine, and about the rock scene. It is called riot because often ‘rockers’ are seen as violent and cause a riot by the way in which they dance, behave, etc. but not just that riot just is generally catchy and short for a magazine name. I have used a range of techniques to make the magazine cover but the colour scheme in my opinion would be the most important because it is continued throughout the magazine to an extend and also it sets the magazine off and it is the first thing someone would recognize and be attracted to. I have used a three-colour palette of red, black and white. I used this so the layout doesn’t look to busy and also that all of the features stand out in comparison to the background. My influence for the magazine was Kerrang! And I had tried to base my magazine around it but change it and use my own creativity to make it work. I have chosen to use a white background at the moment, mainly so it looks plain and it sets the rest of the colours off the page. I think that the colour white shows the purity of the artists but in a different light, more in the way that they make their own life and their own music- its purely from them; this is what the white background may connotate. The white background would allow all of the other features to be visible and draw in the reader by making all of the features stand out. I have also used black and red on the front cover for multiple reasons. I had used red for the masthead mainly because it connotates the passion and love the artists or readers have towards their music and it is showing clearly that music isn’t just a hobby, but it is a big part of their life and it could have changed them for the better, this interlinks with the article I had written because I had used how music had changed the life of a small town girl, and the red connotates that if you love something then never give up on it. However, I used the colour yellow for a very different reason. I used yellow because it is a warm colour and people normally compare it to happiness, and warmth so I used this to show that happiness of the people in the industry and that what makes you happy is important. The colours I used are all indications of what the audience should try to find, and also it contrasts slightly with the red so I used it to show that people may clash, and that the rock industry has clashing artists in. The black however was just basically to show sophistication of the artists and to add mystery to the magazine so people will want to continue reading, but the main reason is just because it is a bold colour and would be easy to read. The colours don’t exactly correspond well together but I think that it works because it is indicating the differences between certain areas and that you should never let other people stop you from doing what you want. I used the colours to try and inspire people to follow what they believe in like their favourite artists did; otherwise they wouldn’t get to where they are now. I think because the target audience was the age range of 16-24 there would be a lot of people interested in the music industry and reading about other artists and how they got into it could inspire them, and give them confidence to do the same; so I thought that the colour were well target but could be improved. I don’t think I could have used other colours because then it would be too busy on the page, with the reader not knowing where to read or look first, and I couldn’t use extremely bright colours because then it would be hard to read. So I used the colours that could represent both the reader and the artists therefore forming a bond between the two groups; artists and fans/readers.

The reason for the layout choice was used so that it looks professional, like it could actually be a magazine cover. I have used a picture of a female model, to represent a small town girl breaking into the music industry, and it is a medium long shot to some extent as it is a picture of her from the thighs upwards. I used this type of shot in order to show how original her fashion sense is and it shows the normality and reality of her attitude. It is a clear image and it is showing the expression and pose without getting up into the persons face. However, I feel as though I could of used a mid-shot from the waist upwards just to show the artist more clearly and show the true feelings by the look on her face and the pose she is using. I decided to overlap the masthead under the image so that it shows my textual research on both Kerrang! and Rolling Stones. I think it is more effective this way because it then shows the artist to the full extent and it looks professional. I decided to put the model in the center of the page so that its signifying that she is the center of attention and it will be the first thing in which the readers will be drawn to. I also did this so the sell lines can go on both sides of the model overlapping ever so slightly, I did this so they would be drawn to these as well because these are the main features in which people look for when buying a magazine. The sell lines meant that it was a busy layout but not overly busy so therefore it is easy to read and shows there is a lot in the magazine, and they are getting a good value for what they had paid. I put a few banners, and a puff so it shows there is more to offer and also to catch the readers attention to persuade them to purchase the product. for example 'win tickets to see Biffy Clyro' suggests a competition in which people will be interested in. However, I am going to change the front cover layout slightly by adding a skyline in which says 'the ultimate preview.. behind the scenes.. all inside' because this would be more interesting to those in which are interesting in starting themselves in the music industry. I have done the main article in larger text so that it stands out as the main topic, the one in which will interest the people with the most content on. I have done the sell lines descending in size, and changing in font as they go across the page, this is show the importance is made clear and there is more context in which is used to suit the genre of the magazine. I am thinking of maybe changing some of the fonts underneath from WIREDsaji to something easier to read, such as fragment core. I think that this would be a more appropriate font because it is clear, and a lot more eye-catching even if it is plain, it is also bold and will catch the general publics attention. 


I haven't aimed my magazine at a specific gender, and I have made this clear by the use of colours. I have used colours in which will suit both genders; I used red, black, white and yellow in which aren't normally associated with either gender. Furthermore, the use of my models being mainly female may suggest that it is meant for females but in my opinion I used mainly females so males will purchase the magazine as they will like the models, and females may purchase it in order to get the look and look like the models in which are in the magazine. I have aimed it at anyone with also the use off sell lines, such as 'Gigs inside' and 'Downloads available' this is meant for both genders in which are interested in the music, there is nothing biased or aims to one gender by the content in my magazine. All of the text on the front cover will be above font size 15 so that it is easier to read and eye-catching because my audience is the age range 16-24, and in my experience people in this age range only look at a magazine if they have large text and a good image. People in this age range usually notice the image, masthead, and then sell lines so I will have to make them of a decent size in which I have chosen 15 or above. The girl on the front cover is clearly showing attitude and style so that it signifies the genre in which it is based around and also to look like a rock idol in which the readers would want to be like, because obviously if you have a boring picture with no pose, and no facial expression this will not attract peoples attentions. 


For the image I am intending on using a location shot with natural lighting in order to show the natural side of it all and that the artists are just like anybody else, but had the courage to show their talent and this will influence all other music readers. I have used pretty natural clothing on the front cover to show that the artist is comfortable and confident with who she is naturally and she doesn't have to dress up in order to show she has a talent. I am planning on maybe using a guitar as a prop on the photography so it has more meaning behind the image, and it is about a female who is from a low background but is breaking into the higher music industry- about life in general.