Final Cover

Final Double-Page 1

Final Double-Page 2

Final Double-Page 3

Final Double-Page 4

Evaluation Activity 7

Audience Reading Gush Magazine

Name: Sam 

Age: 17

Favourite Band/Artist: Modern Baseball

Go-to shop: Urban Outfitters

Name: Jay 

Age: 17

Favourite Band/Artist: FIDLAR

Go-to shop: Pink Pigeon 

Evaluation Activity 4

From my research, I concluded that my magazine would be aimed predominantly towards an audience of the younger demographic - ranging from ages 16-22. This was useful research for me, since it dictated the writing style of my articles, as well as the features of the overall magazine. It is important that I create my magazine "in line" with my desired demographic, so that I can reach my ideal audience. Having a younger audience is important to the success of my magazine - in my view - since younger people are likely to be interested in new and upcoming trends. I conducted a questionnaire in order to aid with this: my audience were asked questions regarding their lifestyles and interests, meaning that my magazine could be constructed around the livelihood of the audience. 

The gender of my audience was another important factor in my research: I decided that my magazine would appeal to both male and female consumers - widening my audience and ultimately resulting in a more accessible magazine.

Synergy/convergence is important to consider when making my magazine - especially since mine focuses on music. I therefore asked my audience questions about where they like to shop and what music they enjoy: in order for my magazine to connect with its desired audience, it's important that cross-media convergence is taken into account. Below is a screenshot taken from my questionnaire regarding the bands/artists my audience are interested in:

From questions such as this, I can gain useful information about my audience and cater the magazine towards them - for example, my magazine features a section about 'The Jesus and Mary Chain' and 'Slowdive'.

Audience Profiles

The following audience profiles are examples of the type(s) of people who would be interested in my magazine:

Name: Lily Eve

Age: 17

Interests: Photography, music, gigs, video games, film

Favourite bands/artists: DIIV, Radiohead, Beach Fossils, Blaenavon, The Wytches, Karen O, Joy Division, King Krule

Favourite places to shop: Independent stores (e.g. Pink Pigeon), Online (e.g. ASOS Marketplace, Hoodbats)

Name: Fin Quinlan

Age: 16

Interests: Playing guitar, skateboarding, gigs, photography

Favourite bands/artists: The Velvet Underground, Marietta, Mom Jeans, Merchant Ships, Car Seat Headrest

Favourite places to shop: Charity/vintage shops, independent stores

Contents Page Draft

Artist Profile: Lily Eve

Name: 

Lily Eve

Genre(s):

Bedroom pop, dream/jangle pop, lo-fi, indie pop, alternative

Influences:

DIIV, Mac DeMarco, trendy dog with sunglasses, The Wytches, CASTLEBEAT, Pale Waves

Instruments/Roles:

Lily plays all the instruments used in her songs when producing at home. However, she has specific band members when touring:

• Lily - Vocals, acoustic/electric guitar
• Zachary - Percussion (drums, tambourine)
• Otto - Keyboard/synthesizer
• Thom - Bass

Somewhat interesting facts:

• Lily can balance a beer can on her head for about 1 minute 47 seconds - try beating that
• Isn't afraid to bottle someone
• It is rumoured that Lily has a shrine dedicated to her 'Is The Is Are' vinyl (although this isn't confirmed)
• Remarkably, she only started playing guitar last year 
• Dislikes: posers 
• Likes: alcohol

Latest release:

Lily's latest release is her "..." EP. It provides a brief glimpse into her mind - dealing with personal topics and issues. It definitely isn't called "..." because she couldn't think of a suitable title. 

Double-Page Spread Draft

Draft Magazine Cover

Photos used for Gush Magazine

Gush Magazine Pitch

Deciding on a Magazine Title and Fonts

Since my magazine will lean towards the shoegaze genre, it is key that I choose a title that associates with that style of music. I feel that shoegaze tends to be very sensuous; for me, words like 'Gush', 'Lush', 'Gaze', 'Dive' and 'Crash' come to mind. I want to choose a one-word title because that ensures simplicity, and keeps the magazine far more structured. As well as this, I have noticed that all of the magazines I have been inspired by have singular word mastheads (e.g. Clash and DIY).

Title/Font Ideas

Here are a few title ideas:

The two fonts featured in these title ideas are: Pier Sans Black (top) and Muller Narrow (bottom). I have decided that I much prefer the Pier Sans Black font, as it is reminiscent of the font from both Clash and DIY magazine - both of which have highly appealing mastheads. The Muller font is far too narrow - I don't want to create a confined image for my magazine. In contrast, the Pier Sans font is nicely rounded and spaced out, allowing for a structured and simplistic look.

Final Choice

In terms of titles, I like both 'Gush' and 'Crash' because of the 'sh' sound that is created at the end of each. As well as this, the font works well with both of these titles. Overall, I feel that Gush links more to shoegaze, and so it will be the final masthead for my magazine!

Choosing a font for main bodies of text

In contrast to the font for my masthead, I want the font for other sections of text to be smaller and slightly less spaced out. As well as this, I feel that a serif font would be better - as opposed to sans serif - because the sharper lines are more composed, allowing for a clean and professional appearance.