Evaluation of finished magazine.

From the start i didn't want my magazine to conform or be similar to any other mainstream magazines as the genre of music i focused on was far from mainstream. One way i achieved this goal was that i decided not to include an image of a person on the front cover, instead i chose something that i thought was far more creative and interesting than simply featuring a persons face on the cover. I did this because i felt that my genre is unique and greatly different from a genre such as pop, so it would of been wrong to feature a similar style of photo. I think that incorparating this unconvential image is a good representation of the genre, my research has shown that often dubstep artists or magazine will use controversial artwork or imagery to appeal to their target audience.

I think this difference would make it stand out in a shop as it shares few similarities with any other magazine. The computer program photoshop CS3 allowed me to edit and perfect my photo's, this is something I found very useful in the production stage of the magazine As other magazines i have looked at that focus of similar underground forms of music also focus on art associated with these genres, i decided that i should incorporate some sort of artistic style into my magazine, i tried to do this in my mast head by using a graffiti style font as i felt my readers could relate to this as it isn't a very mainstream art form just like my genre isn't very mainstream. They could also relate to this because my genre and this style of art take a lot of influence from the street.

From also looking a magazines that promote similar genres i found that was a lot of graffiti influence in the artwork as mostly all of these genres including mine are 'street' orientated. I decided to use a black background for my magazine front cover as i think that almost anything stands out against it and the bright colours i have used prove this. It also meant i could blend the background of my photo into the front cover giving it a more professional look. I believe that this will appeal to my target audience because after researching other magazines I found many readers share a love of both music and art. I tried not to clutter the front cover and keep it simple, I saw this technique put to good use on the front cover of an issue of XLR8R. I also didn't want my cover to be similar to the style of 'gossip' magazines where the front cover is usual very busy and cluttered.

I decided to use only three fonts on my front cover and for the contents page it was only the double page spread that features a new one, I used the same font for all the headings throughout my magazine so readers could become familiarized with that font and to add to the simplicity of the front cover, this made the production stage of the magazine easier too. I like the layout and the composition of my front cover, all the headings and key information is presented clearly, the photograph is bold and keeps the cover well balanced. I chose to keep information such as the date and issue number out of direct view making them small so not to steal attention from the rest of the cover. I also decided to keep the colours on the front cover fairly simple too, i didn't duplicate the colour I used for the masthead any where else as I wanted it to stand out from the rest of the cover it is also the largest text on the front cover for the same reason. I was pleased with the range of colours that indesign allowed me to use, it meant I could create unique shades of colours that would be different to other magazines. I use a bright red and a different font for the advertisement on my front cover to stop it from blending in with the rest of the page.

Overall I am reasonably pleased with the outcome of my front cover, I have managed to make it unique which is something I wanted to achieve from the start, I would be unlikely that my magazine would be sold in a newsagents instead it is more likely to be sold in a specialised record shop. I also think that because it is different it will appeal to my target audience or anyone with a unique taste in music. I think my magazine projects a 'cool' vibe because of its individuality this will attract all generations but I think it will appeal especially to teenagers. I think the composition is good and I am pleased with the lack of clutter on the cover. I wanted the name of my magazine to have some meaning behind it, i came up with 'subverse' by taking the word subversive meaning controversial or underground and shortening it, the word verse can also be linked with music so I think it has a lot of relevance to an underground music magazine. I like to think that the name of my magazine wouldn't sound out of place in amongst other 'street' orientated music magazines. My ideas for my contents page were fairly simple too and didn't really change from the start. I think my contents page is attractive and well laid out, I wanted to create a theme within my magazine so I made the fonts on the contents the same as the cover and I also used the same colours. I did this not only because I think the colours work well together and look good but because I wanted the reader to become familiarized to the magazine, on the contents page I decided to list only the key articles and features that the magazine contained, this is so that the reader can navigate quickly to the article there interested in. I believe this would appeal to all audiences as not many people want to struggle when looking in a magazine. Like my cover I think my contents page is also unique in a good way, although similar to some my contents isn't typical of any other music magazine, I think this will appeal to my target audience as individuality will appeal to any music fan.

I think the colours I used on this page work really well together, the black pages help create contrast when paired with the white font which is a great effect, I also like how the subtle hints of blue gives the page a professional look.

I think the advert(special offer) on the page does the job it was intended to do, when the reader first looks at the page it really jumps out and grabs your attention, the information is clearly presented so the reader can quickly navigate to this page. From research into other magazines I have learnt that a magazine needs good composition to look good, I have achieved this in my contents page and kept it well balanced as there is an even spread of text across the page and one area isn't too crowded. After doing research into to magazines focusing either on this genre or a similar one I have found that the language and fonts used are not really formal but instead quite relaxed and sometimes humorous. Because I knew our target audiences would be similar if not the same I decided to try and duplicate the relaxed style of language, I think I have achieved this on both front page and contents page. This style of writing wont appeal to an older, upper class person interested in vocabulary instead I think my younger lower/working class audience will appreciate this informal way of writing.

Indesign, the program I used to create my magazine really helped when constructing the contents page, I don't think I would have been possible using any other software. It also allowed me to experiment with font sizes and colours, I learnt from the preliminary task that these little things really make a difference when looking at the final outcome. The preliminary task also taught me that because the contents page doesn't really deal with any interesting points like the rest of a magazine it was easy to make it look dull and uninteresting. Another feature of my contents page I think my audience will enjoy is the 'Clubland' font, this is a font that is commonly featured in other electronic music magazines so I think it is an appealing and relevant addition to my magazine. I continued the theme of simplicity on my double page spread, I devoted half of it entirely to a photo, I did so the audience could really fouc on the image and understand it, the photo and the quote above it suggest that Dubstep is turning people into party animals which is an issue my article deals with.

I am really pleased with how this photo turned out and Photoshop software helped greatly when it came to editing and enhancing it. I think the photo is more artistic than some photos you might find in a typical high street magazine this is why I think it will appeal to my target audience, from research into magazines that focus on similar genres I have noticed that the photographs in these magazines are generally more creative and artistic than most mainstream music magazines.

I wasn't very pleased with the presentation of the article on my double page spread I found it difficult to make it look interesting and it doesn't really jump out at the reader, I am disappointed because compared to the rest of the magazine it is very dull.

However I was pleased with the outcome of the article it self, I think that the language and my style of writing will appeal to my target audience, the article includes enough technical details about the genre to keep the hardcore fans happy and at the same time is relaxed enough for someone with only a slight interest in the genre to enjoy. I gained some inspiration from XLR8R magazine when designing my double page spread, when studying the magazine I like some of the photos featured in there own spreads so I decided to also devote a whole page of my spread to a photo so the reader can really focus on it and its meaning. I like how the colourful image on one side contrasts with the black and white text on the other page.

Overall I am fairly happy with the outcome of magazine, I was pleased with the presentation of both the front cover and the contents although am not entirely pleased the double page spread most of the magazine looks good. I have tried to make my magazine appeal to my target audience as much as possible and I feel I have achieved this to some extent, although some aspects could have been better. Because the genre of my magazine isn't yet mainstream and still largely underground it would be unlikely to see it in WHSmiths or a similar shop, instead it would be far more likely to see it in a specialised record shop. What I learnt from the preliminary task really helped me in this project, I found that it was a good idea to make your flat plans as details as possible so when it came to making your magazine there was already something to work from. I also feel in this task that I found ways to attract my target audience and I tried more to do so. I think my magazine looks fairly realistic and professional but at the same time is very different from an actual music magazine, but it because this originality that I think my magazine works.

Analysis of excisting magazines.

This is a cover from XLR8R magazine although it does not focus entirely on Dubstep it does have a lot of interest in the genre.

The cover of this issue is very simple but not necessarily in a negative way i think it has been done to give full attention to the subject in the photo on the front cover. It wants the reader to be drawn in and focus on his facial expressions and emotions of the subject. The photo is intriguing and you want to know why the subject looks like he does, this has been done on purpose to attract readers and persuade people to open and continue reading the magazine. Only key information that will interest readers is displayed on the front cover and their is no clutter. All the information is clearly presented so it easier to read. After viewing the front cover it is clear that the colour purple has some relevance to either the artist featured on the cover or another feature in the magazine. It is likely to be a recurring theme throughout the magazine, most probably for the article linked to the photo on the front cover. The ethnicity of the subject on the cover gives some indication to what genre the magazine is about before even opening it. Black artists will normally be stereotyped and associated with "street" or more underground music genres such a Hip-Hop or Rap. Although this may not be correct it will give a reader some indication of what the genre or genres the magazine focuses on.

This is a front cover from Woofah magazine, again it does not focus entirely on Dubstep but does promote the genre.

Compared to the previous front cover this one has a lot more going on, features and articles displayed on the front cover are much bigger and bolder and demand a lot of attention. Unlike the last front cover where nearly all of it is devoted to the artist on featured on it, Woofah has tried to advertise to readers what is going on with in the pages of the magazine. Although the both magazine feature similar subjects on their front covers the composition is completely different and with this magazine your eyes are almost immediately drawn to the bold fonts that display what is featured in the magazine. This magazine also contains items on the front cover that readers will associate with certain genres, for example the turntables and microphone featured would suggest that this magazine focuses on more electronically produced music rather than a guitar based genre. Despite the fonts on the cover not really giving any indication to what genres the magazine focuses on or audience it might appeal to, the language used does. "BASS WARFARE WITH THE BOMB SQUAD" this quote has aggressive connotations and isn't something you would see on the front of a pop magazine it also suggest that this magazine might not be suitable for children and is instead aimed at an older audience aged above 16 as the sort of language used would be more suitable for this age group.

This is a double page spread from the same XLR8R issue that i used for the front cover.

This isnt a conventional double page spread and is nothing like a spread you would see in a magazine focusing on 'pop' music. This compiles with the whole feel of the magazine, i think they want it to be out of the ordinary and stand out from the rest, as the magazine also covers more underground genres of music it makes sense that they would try to be different. The only conventional thing about this page is that they have use a pun in the title this is something that a lot of other magazines will do. Like the front cover this page has a purple tint i think this has been done firstly because it has some relevance to the article and secondly so the reader will see this same colour and know it has something to do with the front cover. Also similar to the front cover is the the photograph, the photographer has filled the frame (bullseye) with the subjects face so the reader can really focus on the emotion and facial expressions of the subject, it also gives you some idea of the subjects personality. To create a theme the magazine has used the same colour scheme and font that was used on the front cover this has been done to familiarise and so the article is more easily recognisable

planning and evalutation of the article.

An extract from an interview with two dubstep producers Caspa and Rusko featured in XLR8R magazine.

XLR8R: How would you say you guys are different, production-wise?
Caspa: Rusko’s really into his drums. He’s big on melodies and chords and stuff. I am always into LFOs and basslines. But we have a friendly rivalry in the studio. We’re brutally honest with each other. He will be like “Gary, that’s shit.” Oh, and I do everything in Reason.
Rusko: I use Acid.
How do you feel about the dubstep scene at the moment?
Caspa: I think the dubstep scene is very refreshing and very exciting. In the beginning, it was like being in a new relationship. The honeymoon period is over now, but you still get that same feeling every time you play around the world.
Rusko: Dubstep virgins. They’re the people I love to play to.

In the interview above the tone is very relaxed as if having a conversation between two friends this is so the reader can relate to the person being interviewed but in parts of the interview this tone can change and more technical terminology will be used so that those seriously interested in the genre can gain some knowledge. Most of the language is very informal too, i think this a mainly due to the genre, as it is a largely underground music form it is unlikely you would see similar language being used in a more mainstream music magazine. Interviewing an artist or producer is a lot more personal way of learning about them, this as well as the informal tone and language makes it a lot easier for a reader to relate to the person being interviewed alot more than an article that might make them seem unapproachable. This article also contains some from of humor this again has been done so the reader can relate to the artists.

The following article is a review of an single by DZ another dubstep artist featured in Big Up magazine.

If you’ve been to a dubstep event in the past few months, you’ve probably heard DZ’s “Old Timers”, as a matter of fact; you’ve probably heard it get the rewind. That’s the type of track this is: An absolute dance floor killer defined by its’ raw and relentless call and response bass lines and heavy drops. The well defined half time drum groove provides the pulse and drives the track, while the vocal sample (which gives the track it’s name) is tastefully used and gives the track a lot of it’s character. DZ’s prolific output of tracks has provided sublow dance floors with a lot of excuses to be excited lately, “Old Timers” has got to be one of the best excuses yet.

This article is more formal than the last although its tone and the language used is still fairly relaxed and informal. This is because the aim of the articles are different, the interview allowed the readers and fans some insight into the lives of the artists, whereas a review is used to show opinions and express the views of a magazine about artists and producers. These reviews can have a lot of influence on the reader and with some well respected critics this could even effect sales this is why it is important for a magazine to write a serious honest review.

I don't want my main article to be a interview, instead i would like it to be an informal review of my genre. First explaining its roots and development then dicussing how it will continue to develop and evolve before examining any drawbacks or negative points about the genre.