Thinking up my own ideas..

Over the past few weeks I've been constantly thinking about the way I want to layout and present my magazine including it's audience, genre, frequency, name, images, USP, inducements etc. and have finally pulled together a few of my thoughts to create my first rough draft of my cover.

My magazine will be weekly to allow it to keep up to date with all of the new gossip and updates on gigs and brand new albums so it's ahead of the game, meaning people will want to read it more and rely on it for all the up to date news. It would be more effective than a monthly magazine because if it was monthly, it's readers may have to wait a possible 3-4 weeks after an important piece of news to read about it, meaning they are highly likely to switch magazines or go online and read it else where , giving therm no reason to read your magazine. I've charged it at a price of £1.99 to make it look less than it is with a play on numbers. It's reasonable for my target social class of C1 and C2 still and looks like a bargain.

After a lot of thinking and debating, I've finally come to a strong decision on my audience and genre. I've decided to aim my magazine at 18-25 year olds of the social classes C1 and C2 who are interested in modern rock and inspired by the influences of previous rock and roll stars such as Jimmi Hendrix, Jeff Buckley, The Rollling Stones, Rod Stewart, Black Sabbath, Blur etc. and who enjoy modern takes and portrayals of this traditional music, it's atmosphere and everything behind it. They won't like 'cheesy' American pop punk music, the generic repetitive club music, modern studio produced electronic sounds or auto tuned instruments and singers, they like it all traditional with man made sound. The age is a more mature, independent age who have already built up their own likes/dislikes so the magazine will be read a lot more frequently by returning readers. The social class, I find, is far more accepting of this music genre, the lifestyle it creates and all the rebellion behind it to express yourself. It's affordable for them, and perhaps too expensive for the social class D.

I've decided to call my magazine Novocain. I feel it's catchy, a strong word, easily remembered and rebellious. It reminds me of rock stars, being out of your mind and feeling numb which is what I feel the music genre of modern rock should encourage you to feel without being drugged up, for people who get lost within the music. The masthead will be a unique font to stand out in the style of old tattoos, a popular trend amongst this genre, meaning it'll look 'cool' and in fashion. The colour will contrast with the back ground of the magazine to help it stand out more. It will start close the edge of the left third and be big and bold so it can be noticed in shops straight away.

The colours are all going to be edgy and dark, but bright enough to catch attention and stand out. In order to do this, I have included my idea of using bright red, black, white and vibrant yellow. This means there won't be too much colour but certainly enough, being able to make certain words and parts of the cover to stand out without making it look too bright and 'pop' like. I feel it matches the masthead with being deep and rebellious. I would like the background black and the image to move out from it, with all font, white, red and yellow. I'd like the masthead to be white so it completely contrasts with the magazine background but still looks easy on the eye, with the main part of the cover line bright red to stand out, because I would like to use it as my main selling point as it's what usually makes me pick up a music magazine. I usually look first at featured bands, so using the main featured band as the main cover line is a great idea I feel I have used a short, catchy, memorable band name 'BITE' to draw in attention quickly then fit the rest of it's cover line in around the name. I have then created a list of other featured bands down the left hand side of the page as a cover line, which means people in a shop looking to buy it will be able to see them names straight away and may like some of the bands mentioned, meaning they are more likely to pick it up. I have featured a big number in a cover line too to provoke the thought that you're getting more for your money. I have written 'Best 50 albums of 2010'. It looks like there'll be a lot inside, but still looks realistic. I've also had an idea to  include and inducement of a free CD of the main featured bands new single, advertising it that you can't get it anywhere else yet. I've also advertised a competition at the top to win gig tickets, which is always exciting for the reader.

I have a few varied ideas for my cover image. I am debating between using the whole band or using an attractive, popular member on their own for more emphasis and eye candy. I will dress them in plain, neutral colours with no black and perhaps with red in their outfits so it co-ordinates with my colour scheme. They will be looking into the camera to create a personal connection with the audience and they'll have an inviting expression to be welcoming. For now I've drawn up the whole band as a feature of the cover but am looking to change it. I'm considering using just a boy, with blonde hair to contrast the dark background. I'll only have one image on my cover for simplicity, maybe with one smaller image to represent their single that's featured.

Overall, I'm very pleased with my first draft and after a few adjustments and changes, I feel it'll be even better. I feel I could include more detail around the cover liens, perhaps paint splodges or boxes, and I need to think about my barcode, and a selling line which will help my magazine to sell.