Reasearch And Planning: Masthead font research and further planning

This was some preliminary research into a font for my masthead. These fonts were based on research on the internet.

I have now decided on my chosen font. I have been playing around with colours but it would be impossible to decide this early on in the task; it is very reliant on picture, composition etc. The masthead has to work with the main image.

After some thought- i have had a rough idea of how I am going to construct my main image. It will be outside and set up like a tea party- with a mixture of quirky sandwiches, parasols and instruments. Ideally i wish to go to an area called Dove Stones. The area is a mixture of hills and woodland and also has sheep. I want the the main image to be striking and fun.

I will spend the next few days gathering potential props and location hunting. Costume and model casting is going to be vital as well to encompass the true vibe of folk.

Research And Audience: My Target Audience

Age: 20+
From experience and from the results of my questionnaire- it has become apparent that folk music currently appeals to an older audience and university students. It is a specialist genre and is very distant from commercial/chart music- something which targets younger audiences.

Gender: Despite being a very male dominated genre, folk music is widely appreciated by both genders therefore I feel it is important to make my magazine uni-sex

Occupation: The most common of folk fans tend to work within creative industries: Media, fashion, music etc.

Class: Folk cannot be defined by class. In origin, it does target the lower/working class however now it does have a wider spectrum. I think I'd be targeting working/lower middle class. This helps to accommodate all the students who have an interest in folk

Research And Planning: My Podcast

This is my first podcast

Research And Planning: Genre Research...FOLK (part 2)

This is a website for Folk Cafe/Bar located West Didsbury in Manchester. It was interesting to use this website to gather a sense of colour and font and how this could translate into my magazine.

http://www.folkcafebar.co.uk/





http://www.didsburylife.com/profile/279/folk-cafe-bar.html

This is a review for the cafe and also has a video showing the inside atmosphere of Folk Cafe

Research And Planning: Band Image (Folk)

These are 3 examples of Folk bands/artists. Nature appears to be integral to the folk scene with a very distinct dress-code

Research And Planning: Audience Feedback Results

Question: What is your Age? 16-17 (7) 18-19 (2) 20+ (1)





What is your preferred genre of Music? Indie (4) Rock (2) R&B (3) Dance (2) Other (0)







What is your preferred Magazine? NME (2) Kerrang (1) Rolling Stone (1) Q (3)

What would you read a magazine for? Reviews (4) Int/Stories (9) New Releases (6) Gossip (4)

Where are you most likely to watch a gig? MEN (7) Apollo (2) Academy (6) Deaf Insitute (1)

What is your favourite radio station? R1 (3) XFM (2) Galaxy 102 (8) Key 103 (4) 6Music (1)

What do you immediately associate with Folk Music?
Hill-Billy's (1) Farmers (1) Banjo's (2) Dancing around fires (1) Old People (1)
Flight Of The Conchords (1)

Research and Planning: Genre Research...FOLK!! (part one)

As i wish to create a folk/acoustic magazine- I have gathered a few flyers and posters from music shops and venues that advertise gigs and events for folk bands.

This way I could get an idea of the semiotics used. It's quite a specialist genre so colour, font and image play an important role in conveying the folk ethic.

Here are a small sample of flyers I have collected and taken pictures of:

As you can see, the design of the flyers have a very pastel/ neutral colouring with a quirky main image and font- this seems typical for the niche.

Research And Planning: Preliminary Task

Front Page.

For the front cover, I thought it was important to stick with the same fonts and colours to keep the magazine sharp and tidy looking.
The font is Varsity- a font often associated with college/ high school and a bold red to make it stand out.
The main image was a bad picture making it very difficult to edit the composition hence the yellow tinge.
I did struggle to construct the front cover due to inexperience with photoshop software. This did effect my confidence so the front cover is very basic and limited.
If i were to change anything, I think it would be the main image and the layout. It appears quite scarce and doesn't really have an appeal to students








Contents page.
Due to the amount of time I spent on my front page, I found I had little time to create my contents page. I tried to follow the common conventions; masthead, pages, editors letter and a picture. Because of time, the presentation wasn't ideal. When using Indesign, I found myself slipping into the habits i picked up from photoshop causing me some confusion.
If i were to redo the contents page, I would be a lot braver with the layout- it is very basic and dull looking.
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STUDENT FEEDBACK


Why do you like the front page?
HOLLY RILEY: The masthead because it is bright, it stands out and I can immediately recognise the genre and target audience.
The main image also fits with the genre in his appearance and placement.

What do you dislike?
HOLLY RILEY: There a couple of blank spaces

If you were to improve it, what would you do?
HOLLY RILEY: Make the background a bit darker and use more colour.