Research & Planning: WHAT ARE MUSIC MAGAZINES?
Magazine comes from an Arabic word that literally translated into 'place to store things together'. Magazines usually tend to be generic; they're always segregated by the specific genre they belong to, further dividing into sub-genre, specialised publications that target very particular demographics. Music magazines are ones that include elements such as reviews, interviews, album and festival advertisements and many more; they are rather niche, with the highest selling one of 2016 being only around 50,000 copies sold per issue (that one being Top of the Pops), therefore appealing mostly to genre enthusiasts.
Some different music magazines, all of them appealing to different demographics are We Love Pop, R2 and Q.
From just the front covers, it's clear to see what kind of people each of these publications appeals to; We Love Pop is clearly aimed at teenage (11/12/13) girls, with the very generous use of colour and 'in-your-face' lettering. The artists appealing in that publication always belong in the pop genre, since that kind of music seems to be the type that this particular demographic enjoys the most. Additionally, We Love Pop, along with Top of the Pops were the only music magazines to be included on the list of top 100 best selling magazines of 2016.
R2 is a rather significant change; the cover is much more mature, it only features one image and a rather low-key usage of colour when it comes to typography. From the statistics given by the magazine itself, the main demographic purchasing this publication is people in the 35-50 age group; which would explain the much more sophisticated approach to design, as well as the genres the magazine focuses on such as rock, blues and folk.
Q is a publication focusing on, so to say, 'established good music' - both new releases and classics; bands such as One Direction or Little Mix wouldn't appear in that publication, which is aimed at a more serious, mature audience. Similarly to R2, this can be seen in the design of the cover itself: colour is used rather sparingly, the typography is mostly black and white and the style of the lettering used (both the serif and the sans serif) reflects the maturity of the magazine.
Q is a publication focusing on, so to say, 'established good music' - both new releases and classics; bands such as One Direction or Little Mix wouldn't appear in that publication, which is aimed at a more serious, mature audience. Similarly to R2, this can be seen in the design of the cover itself: colour is used rather sparingly, the typography is mostly black and white and the style of the lettering used (both the serif and the sans serif) reflects the maturity of the magazine.
Research & Planning: CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF MUSIC MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENTS
After looking through a number of MMAs, I was able to identify some of the conventions and codes occurring on a regular basis; although different, each advertisement included particular essential elements which made it easy for the target audience to read and understand the information in front of them.
The conventions I have been able to identify are:
The codes of MMAs are harder to identify, usually relating to the use of images, colours and typography. Advertisements for more pop-based albums have the tendency to use brighter, bolder colours, showing the audiences what kind of music they could expect from the album (upbeat/lively/etc.). More indie albums tend to use a darker, more low-key colour scheme that carries across the expectation of more soulful, unique music.
The usage of typography is a rather important part of MMAs: especially if the artist has a font that is purely associated with their image (such as Imagine Dragons, One Direction or Lana Del Rey); that is when the use of a particular typography type becomes rather crucial. The audience learns to associate the font with the artist, making them more likely to 'fish out' the advertisement out of a sea of other ones. Additionally, interesting, big lettering is more eye catching, making it easier for a customer to notice an advertisement in a music magazine; however, it is also a very delicate area: while being interesting, the typography still has to be clear and readable to the target demographic (so an album advertised for children will not use an overcomplicated, flowery font since the target audience will not be able to decipher the text).
We were given the task of creating a MMA from a selection of pre-taken photographs: in order to make ourselves more comfortable with using the correct template, familiarise ourselves with Photoshop and its features, as well as incorporate the relevant information of an advertisement. Both the name of the album and the date of release were selected my my classmates, so that the whole group would be working with the same information. The finished product can be seen on the right; I have decided to use that particular background because it gave the advertisement the depth it needed to be more visually effective, as well as juxtaposed with the black and white image of the artist, and typography. Additionally, it linked well with the album title, matching the themes of challenging journeys etc. The task itself wasn't the hardest challenge ever, however it gave me some very valuable practice removing background from an image and softening the edges, as well as working with typography and various visual effects such as glow.
Reflecting on the ideas presented above, and taking the audience feedback into account, I have decided to follow through with the last design. It is the strongest one composition wise, it incorporates all of the most important elements of the whole album aesthetic, and it doesn't have unnecessary empty space to worry about.
The conventions I have been able to identify are:
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| This advertisement follows plenty of conventions: from the upper half being dominate by the name of the artist, to the name of the store where the album is available. |
- artist's name appears (often in the upper half, however not necessarily)
- name of the album appears (can be bigger than the artist's name, however that's a rather rare occurrence)
- there is an image used, often representing the artists and the genre (this convention and the two previous ones are ALWAYS followed); the image could be one of the artists themselves
- there can be a quote from a reliable reviewer present to encourage people to buy the album
- the date of release is often put under the name of the album
- can include the actual front cover of the album (Rihanna's LOUD)
- there is a record label logo/name
- can include artist's links: social media pages/websites/etc.
- there can be a use of a based slogan/review (not from a reliable source, usually put there by the record label/marketing company to encourage people to buy it, in hope they won't question the opinion)
- can include where the album is available (websites such as Amazon)
- can mention a popular song from the album
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| The colour scheme used for this advertisement is very bright: Rihanna is a pop/R&B artist, so the colour scheme reflects the genre of music well. |
The usage of typography is a rather important part of MMAs: especially if the artist has a font that is purely associated with their image (such as Imagine Dragons, One Direction or Lana Del Rey); that is when the use of a particular typography type becomes rather crucial. The audience learns to associate the font with the artist, making them more likely to 'fish out' the advertisement out of a sea of other ones. Additionally, interesting, big lettering is more eye catching, making it easier for a customer to notice an advertisement in a music magazine; however, it is also a very delicate area: while being interesting, the typography still has to be clear and readable to the target demographic (so an album advertised for children will not use an overcomplicated, flowery font since the target audience will not be able to decipher the text).
MMA PRACTICE
We were given the task of creating a MMA from a selection of pre-taken photographs: in order to make ourselves more comfortable with using the correct template, familiarise ourselves with Photoshop and its features, as well as incorporate the relevant information of an advertisement. Both the name of the album and the date of release were selected my my classmates, so that the whole group would be working with the same information. The finished product can be seen on the right; I have decided to use that particular background because it gave the advertisement the depth it needed to be more visually effective, as well as juxtaposed with the black and white image of the artist, and typography. Additionally, it linked well with the album title, matching the themes of challenging journeys etc. The task itself wasn't the hardest challenge ever, however it gave me some very valuable practice removing background from an image and softening the edges, as well as working with typography and various visual effects such as glow. Research & Planning: MMA INITIAL IDEAS + AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
These are my initial ideas for the Music Magazine Advertisement - I have drawn all of them in Photoshop (using the same brush for the first four, and a different one for the last one), and then pasted them into a Google Document. That way, I could obtain audience feedback smoothly and efficiently, making it easily accessible for the commenting people.
Research & Planning: TYPOGRAPHY CONSIDERATION
After choosing the idea for the product came the time to consider the element of typography; which is quite an important factor of the promotional design. Since Vagabon is an indie artist, I decided to look at fonts that reflected that: sans serif, sometimes quite messy and free spirited - just like the genre she's a part of.
After looking at a selection of fonts, I had particularly liked the messy, handwritten one - I thought it went really well with the very emotional, raw atmosphere of the album. After choosing the two, I looked at how the album name presented itself in both - so that I could choose the one that worked the best.
For the final typography plan, I decided to use both! The name of the artist looked the best in the messier font, and the free spirited symbolism behind it was also quite nice. For the name of the album I used slightly squished PW Chalk font, because the elongated letters were simply more aesthetically pleasing.
Research & Planning: PHOTOGRAPHY PRACTICE
Since the chosen desing for the MMA does not have much of a person in it, the practice shots were just experiments with a few different ways we could position Emma's hand, so it would look the best on the actual advertisement. During the actual photoshoot, this section won't take too long; as a matter of fact, I could probably use these photographs, however, I want the character's costume (as well as the typography and the colour scheme) to be a linking point between the two.
Construction: MAKING OF MY MMA
As mentioned on my digipack page, I have had a change of style idea - from a more cartoony style, to a more medium realism. Consulted with a few members of my target audience, I have decided that it was the best direction to take my artwork in; it presented a better image of the artist. Although still indie, now a bit more serious and respectable.
During the construction of my MMA, I have reached for feedback on multiple occasions. Major ones were the colourful background, as well as the placement of the character and the landmarks behind her. Multiple members of my target demographic instructed me as to what looked better; hence why the idea changed from just a plain background to that with more life in it, as well as the character not being placed upside down.
In the sped up video of me constructing the product you can see the moments where the feedback is presented; I have decided to insert an image of my friend to indicate which decision was the one approved by my target audience.
Construction: FINISHED PRODUCT
After choosing the idea for the product came the time to consider the element of typography; which is quite an important factor of the promotional design. Since Vagabon is an indie artist, I decided to look at fonts that reflected that: sans serif, sometimes quite messy and free spirited - just like the genre she's a part of. 
After looking at a selection of fonts, I had particularly liked the messy, handwritten one - I thought it went really well with the very emotional, raw atmosphere of the album. After choosing the two, I looked at how the album name presented itself in both - so that I could choose the one that worked the best. 
For the final typography plan, I decided to use both! The name of the artist looked the best in the messier font, and the free spirited symbolism behind it was also quite nice. For the name of the album I used slightly squished PW Chalk font, because the elongated letters were simply more aesthetically pleasing. Research & Planning: PHOTOGRAPHY PRACTICE
Since the chosen desing for the MMA does not have much of a person in it, the practice shots were just experiments with a few different ways we could position Emma's hand, so it would look the best on the actual advertisement. During the actual photoshoot, this section won't take too long; as a matter of fact, I could probably use these photographs, however, I want the character's costume (as well as the typography and the colour scheme) to be a linking point between the two.
Construction: MAKING OF MY MMA
As mentioned on my digipack page, I have had a change of style idea - from a more cartoony style, to a more medium realism. Consulted with a few members of my target audience, I have decided that it was the best direction to take my artwork in; it presented a better image of the artist. Although still indie, now a bit more serious and respectable.
During the construction of my MMA, I have reached for feedback on multiple occasions. Major ones were the colourful background, as well as the placement of the character and the landmarks behind her. Multiple members of my target demographic instructed me as to what looked better; hence why the idea changed from just a plain background to that with more life in it, as well as the character not being placed upside down.
In the sped up video of me constructing the product you can see the moments where the feedback is presented; I have decided to insert an image of my friend to indicate which decision was the one approved by my target audience.
Construction: FINISHED PRODUCT
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