David Carson

David Carson was born September 8th, 1954. He was an American graphic designer and art director. He is best know for his innovative magazine design, and use of experimental typography. He was the art director for the magazine Ray Gun, in which he employed much of the typographic and layout style for which he is known. In particular, his widely imitate aesthetic defined the so-called "grunge typography"

The designs of David Carson are extreme compared to other magazines. Other magazines, such as Kerrang! and Q, all follow the usual design of a magazine (Masthead at the top, mid-shot of a person in the middle, snippets or sell lines of information down each side). 

David Carson however doesn't fit with this trend. Carson creates magazines that go against the trend and make people express an opinion because of this.

My opinion on his work is that it is original and almost abstract. Each issue is completely different, almost making it a one of a kind magazine for each issue. Carson doesn't stick to the rules when it comes to a magazine layout and this means you get a different look to the magazine every time.

 

Some of the things that Carson has made different about his magazines are:

That Carson hasn't put the masthead of 'Raygun' on every magazine. Magazines put the same masthead on the top of the magazine so buyers and readers can recognise the magazine. Carson, however, has put different titles at the top of some of his magazines, e.g. blue.

Another part of these magazines which make them different to typical magazines is that this person on the front of 'blue' is sideways with their face not being visible. This is different as a usual magazine contains on the front a mid-shot, long-shot or close up of the artist normally facing forwards.

Lastly, with 'blue' there are no snippets or sell lines down the side. This can make it difficult for readers when they want to know what's inside of the magazine and don't have time to flick through.

Overall, my opinion of David Carson's work on these magazines is that he has created a new genre of magazine, one that doesn't stick to the rules and therefore creates a creative and interesting magazine from the front. Even though a magazine like this wouldn't do so well when selling due to the layout of the magazine, I love the contrast 'Raygun' has to other magazines.

 

 

History of Music Magazines

The History of Kerrang!

 

Kerrang! was published on June 6th 1981 and was edited by Geoff Barton. Initially the magazine was as a one-time supplement in the 'Sounds' newspaper, which focused on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal phenomenon and on the rise of other hard rock acts. Angus Young of AC/DC appeared on Kerrang!'s first cover. The magazine was first launched as a monthly magazine, however later, began to appear on a fortnightly basis, before becoming published weekly in 1987. The original owner was United Newspapers who then sold it to EMAP in 1991.

Typical Content -
Each issue includes a variety of bands and scenes to provide for the different needs of readers so that they enjoy their favourite bands as well as their desire to be introduced to new music within our world.

Typical Reader-
The typical reader  is 16-25 years old. However over the years, the ages of the reader have dropped with more teenagers buying and reading the magazine. I think this is because of all the new, young and upcoming bands which are on the front cover of the magazine which make it look more appealing.

What is the house style like?
The Kerrang! house style has been very similar since it was publish all them years ago. The main house style of the magazine matches the genre, and you can see from the master head with the cracks through the letter and jagged edges symbolise violence that matches their genre of music. Inside the magazine there is a theme of dark colours which connotes the genre of music.

How are social groups represented?

The intentions of Kerrang! suggests that they will ensure that we are constantly appealing to our variety of readers. Kerrang appeals from younger teenagers to any age that actually  respect Kerrang! and thoroughly enjoy that genre of music.

The History of the Q magazine

Q is the biggest selling music monthly magazine. Q is the brand that celebrates the biggest stars in rock and roll and shows us the most exciting new artists out there to date. over time the Q brand has grew a world wide reputation as a trusted premium quality voice of musical authority amongst fans. the reputation has grew not just through the magazine but through the internet, their reputation has grew bigger from their magazines and their website. Q was first published in October 1986 , setting it self apart from the other music magazines out there with its high standard of printing and photographs.

Typical content -
The magazine has an extensive review section, featuring new releases, music compilations, film and concerts as well as radio and television reviews. Q magazine uses a star rating from one to five stars; the rating an album receives in Q is often added to print and television advertising for the album in the UK and Ireland. it also has a list of about 8 albums which is the category of the best new releases of the last 3 months.

Typical reader -
According to valid statistics, the majority of Q’s readers are male, with the percentage for men being 66.2%. The statistics also show that 83.8% of the readers are 15-44 years of age. This shows that Q ability to make their magazine appeal across a wide range of audiences by doing section on today top artists like Adele and by doing interviews with people that don't necessarily feature in the top artists list anymore for example john Lennon etc.. To make them appeal to a wider range of an audience they do special for example on John Lennon's 70th birthday they done a John Lennon special.

What is the house style of Q like?
The Q magazine has a very consistent house style through out its magazine as the Q logo is always in the top left this means that when a reader is going to buy the magazine they know what they will be purchasing. on every copy they a similar look on the magazine making them look more professional and making it easier for the reader to read and enjoy the content.

How are the social groups represented?
Social Groups are shown through the groups or artists chosen to be put in the magazine. Q has a wide audience as they do not focus on a set genre which makes it more appealing. They have genres from pop to rock so they have a wider audience to most magazines.

This shows how many male and females read Q and the ages of the reader.

Title	Total	Male	Female	Age range						ABC1
				15-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+
Q	377000	68.3%	31.7%	35.5%	26.3%	19.8%	13.9%	3.1%	1.4%	70%

 

 

Research Methods

I will be using different research methods for my AS Media such as:

• Primary research

Primary research is research I will carry out myself. For example; interviews, questionnaires, surveys, textual analysis or even the internet. Advantages of using primary research are that the researcher can focus on both quantitative and qualitative issues, the researcher has control over how the information is collected and controls the search design to fit their needs. However, disadvantages of primary are that it may be very expensive carrying out research compared to secondary research as for things like questionnaires it will cost for all of the paper used and for any equipment needed for any other experiments.

• Secondary research

Secondary research is research that I use that someone else has carried out, so you're looking at existing research rather than primary research where you collect the research yourself. For example; search engine, websites, books, magazines or journals. Advantages of secondary research are things like the ease of access to many sources of secondary data and low cost. However, the disadvantages are that it may not be specific to researchers needs, the researcher may not get the full version of the research to gain the full value of the study. 
 

• Quantitative research

Quantitative research is on collecting and analysing numerical data. It's also about identifying patterns and trends, for example; There are more females aged 14-19 who read 'vibe' than there are aged 20-25. Quantitative research can also be things like surveys and customer questionnaires to help firms improve their products and services. This method is all about structured opinions so that you can produce facts and statistics to guide you. To get reliable statistical results, it is best to survey large groups of people so that there is a good representative sample of your target market. Quantitative research can tell you useful information such as what type of people are your best customers, how many people are interested in buying your product or service, and the needs of your target market. A disadvantage is that a large sample of the population must be studied; the larger the sample of people researched, the more statistically accurate the results will be.

 

 

• Qualitative research 

Qualitative research is more subjective in nature than quantitative, as it involves examining and reflecting on the less tangible aspects of a research subject e.g.
values, attitudes and perceptions. This research method is also concerned with peoples ideas, opinions, thoughts and feelings. For example interviews, observation, sampling, and questionnaires. Qualitative research is strong for embracing both verbal and non-verbal behaviour, penetrating fronts, discovering meanings and revealing Weaknesses of this research method can be things such as:It can take time to negotiate access, assemble a sample, develop trust and rapport, and find out what is 'going on' or what people are thinking.

Magazine Contents Page

This is my contents page. I wanted to keep it simple, and still keep to the school colour scheme of red white and black as I liked how it made the main writing stand out. I have included the school logo where it uses the rule of three; challenge | Commitment | choice, which fits in with the overall theme of the magazine.
I have added a picture of a member of staff as this links to a part of the contents page and makes it look more interesting, whilst still keeping it professional.

 

School Magazine Front Cover

This was the original photo that I took before I did any editing.

It contains a long shot of year 9 students walking outside of the main school building. 

The reason I chose this photo is because I wanted to make it clear that the magazine was about school, and by including pupils in uniform and the school sign, I found this would make this very clear.

This is the photo after I edited it. As you can see I cropped the photo to make it smaller and fit into the centre of the page. I also put the mast head at the top in a bold serif font in the colour black so that it stood out on the white background. I also added small short snippets of information such as GCSE results, year 11 prom and parents evening. Doing this gives the audience an idea of what sort of information will be inside and hopefully entice them to read it. I also stuck to the school colour theme which is red white and black. This gives it a more professional look and makes the information look very aesthetically pleasing. For example, black text looks clear when places on a red background.

In conclusion, I was quite happy with my final school magazine cover, and think with further learnt skills and techniques it could look even better. 

The Four F's Of Magazine Design

The four F's are:

• Format - visual style
• Formula - what is in the magazine and where it is
• Frame - the margins and gutter
• Function - what is it's job? sum up in a sentence, sell line, or slogan...

These will help me when it comes to producing my music magazine as I can then think about the four F's to help me produce the best magazine I can. If i'm thinking of more than just the visual style like, for example, I will be looking at the job is of it which will help me come up with a sell line which will then, therefore, help my music magazine sell well.

Disecting School Magazines

When creating a magazine the audience is most important as you want to be make it appealing to the reader.



This is a great example of how a school magazine should be designed as it has a clear bold mast head which immediately catches the readers eye. The colour of the magazine is very good, as the light background at the top makes the bold mast head stand out, as well as the darker background on the middle and bottom of the page, making the lighter writing stand out.

 

The image is positioned centre of the front cover which is what the readers eyes are drawn to first. Having a younger child tells the readers that the magazine is aimed at that age group. 

They have a few cover lines which inform the readers of what's involved in the magazine. There is a clear colour scheme of pink, white and yellow which keep the cover more presentable and aesthetically pleasing.

Magazine Conventions

Conventions in the Media

Below is a music magian called 'Kerrang' which has been labelled with key conventions. 

The main key terms I think are:

A Mast Head - having large bold text at the top of any article immediately draws the readers attention. This needs to stand out from any other piece of text as it indicates to the audience what the nature of the article is about. Also, if the magazine is popular, the mast head is positioned slightly behind the main image.

Images - having images is almost as important as a header. Lets face it, no one wants to read a magazine purely full of black and white text, and so having images makes the magazine more exciteable and catches the readers eye straight away.
The Main image which covers the full page of the magazine is most important as just like the text, it is used to pass a clear view of what the article is about.

A Selling line/Strapline - this is usually situated below the master head which describes the magazine and informs us what we are going to be reading about. This is also important as most buyers read the front page headlines before buying, so its got to be catching to make them want to read more.

Coverlines - These are nowadays situated around the main image without detracting from it too much. They need to be short and snappy so that that give the reader little previews of what's to come inside the main magazine.

Main Cover Line - This needs to be very large, taking up at least 3/4 of the magazine cover. It normally comes in 3 layers each in a different colour. It is best places next to the models shoulder so it shows up more clearly.

Music Genres

Music Genre's

What is Genre?

Music genre is a conventional category that identifies pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from musical form and musical style, although in practice these terms are sometimes used interchangeably.

Different Music Genres

 

POP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RAP

 

 

INDIE-ROCK

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

Different music genres are very important because if they didn't exist, songs and artists would be very similar which would make music boring and repetitive. It would also mean that's artists and groups wouldn't sell very well due to their being no uniqueness. Everyone has their own favourable music genre which appeals to different audiences and can have an influence on the way people dress and act. For example, male adolescence may prefer rap, whereas older woman may prefer classical songs.

 

In particular I have taken a liking to Indie-Rock as it's extremely diverse and includes lots of sub genre's such as indie pop, jangle pop and lo-fi, for everyone both female and male can enjoy.