What I've learned so far

My questionnaire has changed direction from what I was originally going to produce. At first I was going to make a dub step inspired magazine, but after looking at my questionnaire results I concluded that it would be better for myself and my audience if I made an 'Indie' one instead.

I have learned that in order to make a good music magazine, I must consider what the audience expects.
My questionnaire results showed that 'Indie' is the most popular form of music magazines bought, so for that reason mine will be Indie based.

My questionnaire also revealed that aspects such as the headline, colours, images and articles etc. are critical; as these are what attracts the audience. Therefore I will try and make mine as creative as possible in order to attract peoples eye. I will do this my making sure that my text size, colours, font and layout are all to professional standards.

I will also have to ensure that it is aimed for my target audience (13-25yrs) in order to know just what I will need to include, such as types of stories and the tone of the writing.

Looking at other magazines, I have also learned that the house style is very important to connect all the pages together; so things such as a particular phrase in the corner of the page must be continuous throughout the magazine.

I have also learned that using photoshop is quite difficult. In order to present my pages I must know how to edit pictures, and change things around in order to make them into the style that I want. There are many different options that it offers so I can even make my pictures settings change to make them seem more glamorous, which I will definitely take into consideration.

Also, by taking my own pictures and explaining things that are wrong with them, I can see how to and how not to angle them. I must make sure that the image is clear and people know who the artist actually is. It must also be creative in order to set the tone of the whole magazine.

Furthermore, by looking at the NME contents page I have discovered how a good layout is set. I know that I must use a good amount of pictures, and it's not essential to use a lot of writing because this can sometimes make the page seem cluttered. I will also edit the pictures I take to make them seem more professional and different. Looking at this I will use the idea of putting a subscription advertisement in the corner, so that my audience can see they have the chance to purchase each magazine as they come out for possible a % of the original price.

In addition, my articles will include pull quotes in order to try and interact with the audience and make it seem more personal. I will also ensure that my headlines are striking towards my audience to make it seem interesting enough to want to read.

Now that I have completed my first round of research I must consider the name of my magazine, its house style, its images, its topics and its layout. I plan on coming up with these over the half term in order to make sure i'm up to date with all of my work.