Main Task - Photographs

These are the photographs for my magazine. The photograph on the left is the image i will be using for my front cover. This photo is in fact of my dad as the main article in the magazine is about him. For the costume, i decided to keep it simple to reflect the style of music. A simple brown jumper and white T-shirt with the top buttons open to show how relaxed he is when he is playing. The main feature in this photograph is the alto saxophone that he is playing. I wanted him to be playing the saxophone because it is a typical jazz instrument. I also made him wear studio headphones. I did this because it makes it look like he is in a recording studio, which gives it a more professional feel. As he doesn't actually play the saxophone, i wanted it to look like he was playing it with real passion. I did this by making him close his eyes and slightly tilting his head to the left so it looks like he is feeling the music flowing through his body. I took this medium close up photo in a lightish room with a spot light facing directly at him. This makes him darker around the edges but lighter in the middle. It also reflects on the saxophone making it seem really shiny.

This image will be used in the contents page. For the costume in this photograph, i wanted her to wear something lightly coloured to reflect the light and contrast against the guitar making it stand out. In her left hand she is playing a chord on the guitar whilst her right hand is raised and bent. This is so it creates a line leading up from her arm and ending up at its natural resting place which is her eyes. It makes it look as if she has just played a chord and is letting the strings ring. She isn't making eye contact with the camera to show she is feeling the music. I used this technique in the image for my front cover.

This mid shot was taken in front of a blank wall, but there was no lighting on it at this time. To get this image brighter, i had to edit it in photoshop and increase the brightness and contrast.

This mid shot photograph will also be on the contents page. I wanted Katherine ( the drummer featured) to not look at the camera to show her concentration, and to make it look as if she is looking at a band leader. This is so it makes it look like she is playing at a concert. I also highlighted this by putting an amplifier in the background. For the costume, wanted Katherine to be wearing a dress. This because kit drum is stereotyped to be a very 'manly' instrument. Because there are very, very few female jazz drummers, i wanted to emphasise the fact that Katherine is one. I haven't used any effects on this photo because i wanted to make it look authentic, real, and as if she was playing at a small concert. The only editing i did on this photo was cutting out unnecessary objects.





This image is similar to the first one. Only differences are that this is a side on view, there are objects in the background, and it is un-edited.
Similarly to the first image, i kept the costume easy and simple. A simple brown jumper and open white shirt, to show the informality's and relaxed style, and a pair of studio headphones to make it look like her is in a recording studio. In this image, i emphasised it more that he is in a studio because of the other objects in the background. For example: two guitars, a drum kit and a studio condenser microphone. Also i put a 'Recoding In Process' sign behind him to make it look as if he is recording live. This image is un-edited because just like the picture above, i wanted it to look more authentic and real. This image will be on the contents page to emphasise that Nick Dechaine is who my main article is about. Therefore, this image will also be on the double page spread, illustrating what the article is talking about.

This image will be on the contents page with a caption telling you which page Nick Dechaine's article is. I got my inspiration for this photograph from 'Jazz Inside Magazine'. On one of the musician interviews, on the double page spread, there is an image of that musician standing with his instrument in front of a plain background. I wanted to do this in my magazine because i think that this simple photograph is very effective in the way that it is there to show purely what he looks like. I took it in front of a plain background so then everything is completely focused on the person in that image.

Main Task - Fonts

In my magazine, i will be using three fonts:

For the mast head on the front cover, i decided to use Edo SZ. Jazz is a very 'informal' style of music. You can tell this by the way that the pieces of music don't have a fixed general structure. There are also other things such as the type of clothes the musicians wear and their type of instruments. This differs to classical music for example as it is perfectly structured, uses old traditional instruments and the musicians are always well dressed. This informal style led me to want scruffy writing for the mast head. Edo SZ is a font that looks just like paint, but not paint applied by a thin brush, but a big decorators brush giving a rough and undisciplined look.
Also undertaking a small survey, 7/10 people preferred this font over much more formal styles such as Times New Roman and Elephant.

I used the font Blackjack for things such as the tag line, main flash and main sells. Blackjack is a font that looks like handwriting. It isn't calligraphy but yet it isn't scruffy. This is in contrast to the other font I'm using ( Edo SZ) because that way, it looks as if the editor has actually written it by them self. It gives the magazine a sense of authenticity which appeals to the reader because
it makes them feel that the person who wrote it has seen the magazine in all of its stages of production. 'Jazz Inside magazine' uses this technique for the publishers name.

Finally, i used the font Calibri just because it is simple and easy to read. If i used a font that you had to struggle to read, readers wouldn't even bother to look at it. Keeping it simple means they can understand the article's a lot more as they don't spend time deciphering words. It makes the article look a lot more appealing. I only used three fonts because anymore than that would just look ridiculous. In my opinion the only kind of magazine you would use more than three fonts are magazines for kids, as the different colours and patterns appeal to children a lot more than it does to adults.

Main Task - Flat Plans

This is the flat plan for my front cover. I called it J.N.M because it stands for Jazz Nation Magazine. I thought this would be an appropriate name because jazz is such a big genre, so therefore it is like a nation. For the tag line it says 'The Jazz Nation Magazine' which basically explains the initials of the mast head.This will be in black with the font Edo SZ Along the top is the strap line. This is where i have listed other musicians that will be featured in this magazine. This will also be in black with the font Blackjack. This is quite similar to 'Downbeat' as that has a strap line telling you what sub genres of jazz it is about.

The main image takes up all of the front page. I have used the rule of thirds and directed the viewers attention to the right hand side where the image of Nick De Chaine playing the saxophone is. Just below that image is the main flash saying 'The exclusive interview with the worlds leading alto saxophonist'. This makes the reader want to read on and see what this article is about. On the left hand side are the main sells. I have two on this cover and the surnames of the musicians are bigger, bolder, in red and underlined. This is also similar to 'Downbeat'. Again this is to draw the readers attention and make them want to buy this magazine. You get a good sense of the target audience with the main sells. In this case it could be aimed at the female as Momo Mockett and Katherine Miles are both female musicians. At the bottom of the front cover are two pictures featuring musicians in this magazine. Next to that is the bar code and date. There is also a web link there as well.

This is the flat plan for my contents page. I have put the mast head that was on the cover in here as well just to remind the reader that it is J.N.M. This way they are more likely to remember what it was called. Below the mast head there are the credits. 'Jazz inside magazine' do something very similar to that. It shows who the publishers, editors, advertising sales, design, etc. I did this because people actually get a sense of how many people have worked on the magazine. This gives it a more friendlier feel as they can relate to each person and their work in each section.

Below that I have written out a copyright notice. This is so that competing magazines don't go through my magazine and steal articles for themselves without paying royalties.

The whole contents page is set out into three columns: credits and copyright notice in the left hand column, articles and page numbers in the middle column, and pictures and captions on the right hand column. I did this so it is easier for the reader to find what article they are looking for. In the middle column there are subheadings saying 'Musician interviews','Up and coming concerts', 'This months score?' and 'Instruments for sale'. This is purely because it is easier to understand where everything is that way. The third column just shows pictures of some of the musicians. Beneath them are their captions telling the reader what page the article about them is on.

In the top right hand corner of the contents page i have put a spiky yellow box with red writing in stating where the subscription information is. I did this because it is an important part of making the magazine sell. At the bottom of the page, there is a box telling the reader about another publication from J.N.M and how to subscribe. To the right of that box is a 'Quick Quiz' where there is a relatively easy question about a famous jazz musician/s. This is so it makes the reader feel more involved with the magazine so they are more likely inclined to buy it. Is is still mostly black and white on this page, apart from the yellow box. This is so it is easy to read and the reader is not dazzled by the colours.

This is the flat plan for my double page spread. For the first page i kept it quite simple. It is the same picture covering the whole page as the front cover, accept this time it is a medium close up. To the left of the image is the name Nick De Chaine in a box.This will be in black and in Blackjack At the top of the page is the word 'Interviews' underlined. This will also be in black and in Edo SZ. I kept it simple so that way people know who the article is about, and there is a good picture for the reader to look at. On the second page, it is split up into two columns. There is also a picture on the right to compliment some of the interview's questions. At the top of the page there is a mast head saying 'Nick De Chaine' showing who this article is about. It will be in Edo SZ font. This page will be all in black and white apart from the image. This is because i want it to have an old feeling about it as jazz is a very old genre.

Main Task - Target audience

I have been analysing the two magazines 'Jazz Inside Magazine' and 'Downbeat'. Both of these magazines are of the jazz genre, and it is from this that I shall design my magazine.
There are currently not that many jazz magazines on the market, so their target audiences have to be specific as it is a specialized genre. I tried contacting Jazz Inside Magazine and Downbeat by e-mail, asking about their target audience and who their magazine is aimed at. This didn't prove successful as Downbeat didn't reply. Jazz Inside on the other hand did. This was their and my response:

From: Eric Nemeyer, Publisher, Jazz Inside Magazine, Jazz Inside NY, 215-887-888
Thank you for your inquiry.

Please provide your full contact information, street and mailing address, website, company name and what product or service it is that you are seeking to promote. At that point we would be in a better position to determine the proper response to your request and if we are interested in pursuing a business relationship.

Best wishes,
Eric NemeyerPublisherJazz Inside Magazine Jazz Inside NYGroove News

I replied saying:

My name is Oliver Dechaine and i live in Brighton, England. I am currently studying Media AS at Sussex Downs College, Lewes. For one of my tasks i have been asked to analyze some music magazines and find out about their target audience. As i am very interested in jazz myself, i came across your magazine on the internet and thought it would be very sutable to analyze for my task.many thanks Oliver Dechaine.

I have not yet heard from Jazz Inside Magazine, so i conducted a survey in the north lanes of Brighton, where all the music shops are.

I asked thirty random people of varying ages what age, gender, if they are a musician, and social class of people they thought would buy a magazine such as 'Downbeat'.
These were my questions and results:

What age group do you think would buy this magazine?

□ 10 – 25
□ 26 – 35 5
□ 36 – 45 7
□ 46 – 55 9
□ 56 or above 9



What gender of people do you think would buy this magazine?

□ Male 22
□ Female 8



Do you think a majority of the people who buy this magazine are musicians?

□ Yes 20
□ No 8
□ It is irrelevant 2



What social class of people do you think would but this magazine?
□ Under class 5
□ Working class 10
□ Middle class 10
□ Upper class 5

From my results, I have come to a conclusion that the average reader of this type of magazine is generally older( 40's 50's 60's), mainly male, a musician and working to lower middle class.