Press pack research

Research in to press packs(Kerrang and NME.)

The editor of Kerrang magazine is james McMahon and the baurer media group founder is Geoff Barton. The first issue of this magazine was in June 6th 1981 also, the country its based is in united kingdom. 

 Click here for the official kerrang website

History commenced publication in June 6th 1981 was in fact originally a monthly magazine during the 1980s and early 1990s. The magazine placed many glam metal acts on the cover but later discarted them when grunge acts such as 'Nirvana' rose to fame.

More information on the readers of  Kerrang magazine.

Circulation

37,603 (Jan-Jun '13)

Readership

345,000 (July-Dec '12)

Website

kerrang.com

Magazine Address

Endeavour House, 189 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JG

Information on the editor:

Image of James McMahon

James began his career in 2002 as a freelance writer on NME and Metal Hammer, moving to become New Music Editor at NME in March 2006 and Features Editor in 2007. In July 2010 he stepped across as Film Editor on NME.com and moved to his current role in March 2011. Since July 2010, James has worked as a freelance contributor for national newspapers, including The Daily Mirror, Guardian and magazines including X Factor Magazine, Mixmag and NME.  James is also an Associate Lecturer in Popular Music Journalism.

Magazine distribution

Task 5: Magazine newsstand task/ distribution of magazines (planning)

For the magazine distribution task I went to a newsagent where there was a range of different magazines and for the purpose of this tast I took a photograph of the music magazines.

 The layout of magazines on stands are all layed out in a specific way, which is having all of their mastheads on show to attract the buyers and immediately inform them where each magazine belongs (company.)  Some examples of the magazines we can identidy are 'Clash' 'Rock' 'Clash' and 'Kerrang.' You cannot see their prices as you would have to pick it up and check because they are not exactly on show for the customers. This may be because the sellers want people to pick it up and have a glance through it, instead of being put off because of the price.

Contents page for LSC

Final contents page for LSC magazine.

Audience feedback and evaluation-preliminary task/college magazine.

Evaluation of the college magazine

I am satisfied with the quality of my front cover as I believe it is appealing for the following reason, the masthead stands out and looks good with the image especially because it is the same colour as the clothing the student  in the photograph is wearing, I done this by using the eyedropper tool on photoshop. Also the puff I chose to add to the magazine makes it look more professional and advanced as it is a key feature that would be placed on most magazines.

I like the way the masthead 'LSC' is behind the the image I done this by using the eraser tool on photoshop by carefully rubbing out part of the 'C' so it gives the impression that the student is infront of the masthead. In addition to this 'LSC' is quite simply an abbreviation for 'Leyton sixth form college' this is most commonly used by the students at LSC so I decided to name the magazine that as it could make the potential buyers feel more comfortable with the magazine.Furthermore I am pleased with the image I have used as it is a midshot of a student from LSC, representing the college. He looks very engaging and welcoming which would therefore make majority of the students purchase this. Lastly as he is wearing the LSC ID it once again enhances what the magazine is about and what the readers could expect.

What do I need to improve on? I think that I would need to improve the colours I have picked for the text as it may not be easy to read from. Also I could change the layout of of the barcode and LSC logo as it does look out of place therefore if I had experienced more with the software this could of easily be solved. A very important factor that I have missed to add is the price of the magazine although it has a barcode it is essential for it to have to cost on the front cover this way people know how much it is worth.

For the contents page, I have used a lot of informative language so that it is easier for the readers to navigate through the magazine and acknowledge what the magazine has to offer for them. I also have used 3 different images this is to suit people with different interests and give an insight of the college to people who may of been new for example AS students. By doing this I have tried to appeal to different types of audience and their needs. Lastly I have added an information on subscription and this may also draw some readers attention and encourage them to sign up for more issues of the magazine. I designed the contents page on InDesign as we believed that it was the most suitable software for creating a contents page because of the various features it has to offer for example the shapes to insert pictures in and the columns which are especially designed to keep the layout of a magazine sharp.

What do I need to improve on? I need to improve on the layout, and colour scheme because although it is easy to follow it is not as eye catching as I believed it would be, it looks rather plain and has no character to it. However this can easily be solved for instance next time I may decide to use a different coloured background rather than white, which might make it even more interesting to look at.

After reading the audiences feedback the main points I need to explore are: 

• The choice of colour I have decided to use, as some think that the 'red' I have used on my front cover could be changed and adapted to make the magazine look more alluring.
• The layout of the contents page and with this I could think again about how I decide where the text goes, for example I could have used to colums instead of one.

Leyton front cover.

Final front cover for LSC magazine.

Final college magazine-front cover.

Front cover of LSC magazine.

This is my final front cover for the Leyton sixth form magazine

Photoshop notes.

2.09.2013

File -  New - International paper.

View - Rulers - Cursor - Drag - 0.5

16.7%  : viewing size 

100%   : what the end product will look like

Ctrl T   : transforming

College magazine analysis.

• This image type is a  mid shot, which shows the person from the waist upwards. 
• There is a specific colour scheme which includes black, green and white. 
• The masthead is in a bold font with a bright green colour which adds a burst of colour in the black background. 
• The masthead also instantly gives us an insight of what the magazine might cover, as it is called "college" therefore we know that that the purpose of this magazine is to inform and entertain people who are in education.
• In the image the person is holding books to do with "law and society" which once again outlines that it is aimed at students.
• Also the persons body language could be perceived as a friendly person as he does not seem violent or angry therefore he is approachable.
• There is also a bar code on the left hand side which informs the buyer the cost of this magazine.
• The coverline's are in a bold font which stands out from the other text.
• The issue date can also be found in the top right hand side of the magazine.

Contents page analysis.

• This contents page seems to be more simplistic yet still engages the reader.
• This picture tries to preset the college as a peaceful environment.
• The page numbers are in order so it makes it easier for the reader to follow.
• The colour scheme is bright which engages the reader, however the colour scheme does not compliment each other as they make it harder for the reader to follow.
• This college magazine also follows a very typical college magazine layout.
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