Blog Checklist for your Music Magazine:

Blog Checklist for your Music Magazine:

1. The Brief

2. Your Selected Music Genre
• What is the chosen music genre, which your magazine will focus upon?
• What are the key features of this genre?
To answer this you can look at images of artists featured in magazines/CD
covers/videos/websites etc.; images of any fans featured in magazines etc.;
and also other areas such as song lyrics.
• What magazines, currently in publication, cover this genre?

3. Select 3 music magazines ( at least one from your selected music genre). Analyse a front cover, contents page and a double page spread for each magazine using LIIAR. Upload scanned or photographed images of these magazines to your blog.

LIIAR
L – Media Language. How is the photograph composed? – describe the content of the shot and then discuss the associated connotations of the image.
Discuss the design of the magazine masthead – connotations of the font, position and colour.
List the other conventional elements used – tagline, cover lines, puffs, sell-lines and how they are placed within the design.
I - Institution – Use the Internet to research the publisher of the magazine. Quote your sources, don’t just copy. Are they a small independent or a large global company?
I – Ideology - What message / moral / values does the magazine convey about the music genre and target audience?
A – Audience – Who is the target audience? Publication media packs will give you this answer. Quote your sources, don’t just copy.
R – Representation -How is the featured artist / music genre to be represented by the magazine?

4. Identify your audience and what they like to see in your magazine.
Conduct an online poll on your Blog. This will be created in class.

5. Initial ideas and draft designs – these can be hand drawn and scanned in. Decide the name of your publication and the name of the featured artist and other content.

6. Photographic session – don’t just take one or two images. Really explore a range of angles and compositions. Post all your shots and comment on the quality of each image. Remember to really consider the selection of your model, their clothing and the location they are photographed.

7. Start to design your magazine front cover first. Use Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Publisher as your main pieces of software. Take screenshots of the techniques and processes you use. Explore the use of different fonts and layouts.

8. Post your final front cover design.

9. REPEAT STAGES 5, 6, 7 for the contents page & double-page spread which need to be posted as drafts on your blog.

DEADLINE
17th December 4.00pm
• All the research and planning completed
• Front Cover Design – completed
• Contents Page and Double Page Spread – as drafts with all necessary photographs taken and article text complete.