How did I attract my audience.

The target audience for my magazine was people who are interested in the type of music I would include in it and the dress sense they share, the typical fan of '2TONE' would be proudly British, they would own a Lambretta, wear alot of Fred Perry and follow The Specials, this is the image I tried to create for the readers, the audience would also be mainly male. I have tried to identify a British taste in music that the cover band 'The Big Boys' possess.

I believe that the selling point of my magazine is the core music, it doesn't alter its music style with that's popular today, it stays with what its meant to, there wouldn't be any other style of music in the magazine. The layout of the magazine is very simple, I haven't tried to over-do the style of the magazine as it could lead to it looking a bit cramped, I have used a colour scheme throughout the magazine as well so you know they all link in with each other.

I had asked for feedback throughout the process of the creation of '2TONE' and made a questionnaire for what people would want to see in my magazine so I would be addressing the right target audience and them to see things they would like to see. I tried to create something that people would want to pick up just by looking at the front cover of the magazine, and when opening it, being able to read in depth and find it interesting to read, I had also included two free SKA patches in the magazine and a free single from The Big Boys called 'Black and White', I think people would be attracted to the idea of free giveaways in the magazine, they might also be wanting to see what the 'New Generation' of SKA has to offer and want to find out more about The Big Boys and their music.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L6KSMGY - this is the link to my questionnaire.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/68076371@N02/6770086413/in/photostream/
This is the link to the annotation of my front cover.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68076371@N02/6770100161/in/photostream/
This is the link to the annotation of my contents page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68076371@N02/6770107029/in/photostream/
This is the link to the annotation of my double page spread.

The audience for my media product.

The audience for my magazine would be SKA, Two Tone and Reggae fans, the SKA genre of music originates from Jamaica and the Reggae style of music. The photo above is three middle aged men wearing checked shirts, black trousers and braces. This style would be the type of people who would read my magazine, this would be the look I would aim for in my photos and magazines in issues to come. In my magazine I have given away two SKA patches for your clothes, this would be the type of things I would include in my magazine as I know that fans of the magazine would actually use the patches and it would keep them intrigued into buying the magazine and reading into SKA alot more.

I think people of this bracket would be most likely to buy my magazine more because it fits their lifestyle and interest, the other assumption I would look at for the audience would be people trying to find out more about the SKA genre and what type of music it shows.

The adverts I would include would be kept between the bracket of the magazine, I would advertise upcoming SKA & Two Tone albums about to be released, SKA & Two Tone shops, The brands associated with the magazine and alot of others, there would be no room for the advertisements of chart music or the latest hair products.

Does my magazine develop real forms of real media products?

In the photo's above I have pointed out all of the parts of my magazine which put it up to par with the real media products available today, I have tried to include as many things as possible without over crowding it and maintaining a professional look for my magazine. I studied alot of other magazine's before designing my own, I looked at several different types of magazines made by professionals to make sure my magazine would look similar but without the sense of plagiarism. I have noted parts in my front cover and my double page spread which you would find in any other magazine available. The main influence for my magazine was NME, I studied the little details of their magazine such as their use of text, layouts, photo placements and others and tried to create mine in a similar format. The NME magazine had produced a front cover with the famous SKA band 'The Specials' on the front, this was a big inspiration to how I would start off my magazine, the layout was very similar to something that I would like to include in my magazine.They also have very bold but plain text on the front of the NME Magazine, which I have included in mine but with a different style of text. The 'SKA 80' photo to your right is where I received the idea for the SKA border around my magazine, SKA 80 was the biggest and best SKA magazine around, it would be a goal to try and create my magazine to a standard such as this, they include band names that are in their magazine which I have also done but in a different style and font. I have tried to create a similar magazine so it attracts similar viewers that these style of magazines would attract, my target audience was people who listen to SKA music, have the same style and look, and who are generally interested in the music and band, I wouldn't feel that my magazine would be a success if the wrong target audience was obtained by the look of my magazine.

The title of my magazine '2TONE' sums up the magazine in one. It is a simple masthead with a meaning that describes the magazine just by a glance, you can tell what type of magazine it will be and who its audience is. I looked at other Two Tone magazines and all of their cover photos were relatively simple, so that was the image I was trying to create in my own style, I didn't want a large array of photos over my magazine so I was happy with the outcome of my photo shoot and the end products. The costumes and props were very simple, I included no props in my photo shoot apart from a white backdrop which for the effect I wanted worked perfectly, I asked the four people I chose to be in my photo shoot to study such bands as Oasis, Madness, The Specials, The Selecter to see what type of clothes they wear and their style, I tried to create an overall image of these types of bands in my photo shoot. For the actual photo shoot I wanted quite a serious stance and facial expressions, to show that they are here only to perform their music, I would try and create a serious photo shoot to pair with a laid back, funny interview, I thought the pair mixed well, as I described the band as 'The next generation' I wanted them to seem quite young and fresh to the scene, not as a wise band who have been around for years, but to try and prove that they will be around for years. The music in my magazine would be strictly SKA and Two Tone, if I included other styles and genres in my magazine it wouldn't be true its '2TONE' meaning and presentation. The content's of my magazine page has a simple layout with a matching colour scheme with the front page to try and blend the magazine in with each other. I have included features of what will be in my magazine this week and upcoming stories for the next week, I have also included a review for one magazine each week which I have included in the contents. I have also included two images in my contents which gives a preview to whats in the magazine when you read on, included along with the page numbers.I have also linked in the double page spread with the contents and front page, the colour schemes are the same throughout the magazine with similar photos throughout, which is the style I intended to create, I think that it looks professional and to a respectable standard. The overall theme of my magazine is very pleasing to what I set out to create, I am happy with the way they link in with each other and doesn't throw the magazine off course. I would like to think there is a gap in the market for my magazine as there is little of Two Tone magazines available to buy today, I have reached my targets of the audience, I wouldn't like to merge it with the mainstream music as it wouldn't fit the overall look of the magazine.

Representing Social Groups.

My magazine is based around the two tone SKA era, people who enjoy the same type of music and style that they possess. The old school Top Button, the Harrington jacket, Doc. Martens and a scooter was the audience that I would see most interested in my magazine, which is why you wouldn't see a feature in 2TONE surrounding bands such as 'N-Dubz' or 'Chase & Status'. It picks out a very unique style group, none that is mainstream or stereotypical teenager/adult, one that would not often be seen as a common person. It is an inventive and creative style.

I have tried to create a serious but cheeky look for the band 'The Big Boys' to possess in my photo shoot, the four members Adam, Lawrence, Henry and Jack were picked because they have a individual style about them, one that other people in everyday life have, they dress the way that I felt was appropriate for my magazine, which is why I thought they were the best option for me.

I didn't want too many photos surrounding too many backgrounds, which is why I stuck with 2 locations, one was behind a white screen and the other was on a bench behind a old, blue, rusty container. The background's were simple yet so suited to the style I wanted to achieve in my magazine, it fits in very well with my taste for 2TONE.

I was very happy with the outcome of my photo's that I had taken, they were just right for what I wanted them for and the models I used for my photo's worked very well with the background and the look that I wanted to pursue in my photos.

The target audience for my Two Tone magazine has a very unique social group associated with it, they are different to the usual magazine readers you would see. I think my magazine redefines what SKA & Two Tone is really all about for the die hard fans as there is no other magazine out at this time which identifies the audience mine has, it gives a sense of belief that there are still people around today who keep SKA & Two Tone living and a sense of belonging, it is bringing back the old days for the readers and this could be key in keeping my audience interested in the magazine, I must play to the taste of the readers and give them what they would like to read and see.

Magazine Publisher.

When looking for a company who I feel best to take on my magazine to publish, I looked for the best company who would look after the magazine and have the best resources to keep the magazine going at a steady rate.


My choice would be IPC Media, They publish over 60 magazines including 'NME, Nuts, Marie Claire' and others. They are a very reliable brand, they also have the funds to back up my magazine and ensure that it stays running for a long time to come. They cover a wide range of branded magazines for everyone to read, and I feel there is a gap in the market for IPC to adopt a Two Tone SKA magazine. In today's magazine industry there is very little in the form of SKA for people to read into and understand what happens and updates. The IPC Media website receives 20 Million viewers a month and has over 26 Million people reading their magazines, with them backing my magazine I know people would spot the magazine and be interested, hopefully. I feel that '2TONE' could also attract a younger generation into, which IPC may see as a chance to broaden their magazine readers.

IPC's biggest rivals, Bauer also do not have a Two Tone SKA magazine available, which would be a great addition to either company, but I feel IPC would benefit my magazine alot more than what Bauer would have to offer, IPC already advertise some of their magazines on the Television, with them being able to push my magazine further, I would see telebroadcasting as a very favourable option to show the public what a good read 2TONE would be and how interesting the 'SKA' life is.

My 2nd option would have been to self-publish my magazine. If I were to self-publish it would be alot harder to keep competitive with other brands and rivals, it becomes alot easier when you have someone backing your moves and who also has the same motivation and drive that you have for your magazine to become an iconic magazine.

3rd draft of double page spread

This draft was close to the finished product of my double page spread, once I had finished writing the article it was a matter of altering little things and making sure everything was in the right place so I felt that it was the finished piece.

2nd draft of double page spread

Through the stages of my double page spread i changed the main photo as I felt it didn't fit in with my magazine, i also included a quote which I later changed. I also included a 'Big Boys' title which I felt suited my magazine.

1st draft of double page spread

This was the starting layout I made for the double page spread in my magazine, I tried to collaborate it into the contents and the front page so they all look like they suited and that they were from the same magazine.

what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Open publication - Free publishing - More at

The new programs and applications I have used during my course.

Open publication - Free publishing - More done

3rd draft of contents

I opted back for my blue colour scheme instead of the grey colour scheme as I thought it made the whole page look very dull and not appealing atall. I thought the photo's may look good if they were slanted with the page numbers, which I later changed in my final draft of the contents back to a straight image, I tried moving images and text about to create a tigher and better packed set of information in some places aswell.

My magazine designs.

These two are the first two magazines that I had designed in my media lessons. One is to advertise what is going on inside the college and what will be available to the students in the future, it regards student life and what they can do in their spare time or when they are in college, it also gives the college student's discounts on food and drinks at Morrison's to help them through the college year and a free music track for them to listen to aswell. The other magazine I had designed was a SKA & Two Tone magazine, specified to a niesh, small target audience offering them the chance to interact with their music taste and recent events surrounding it, it also has free giveaways which the What's Up magazine has in aswell. The '2TONE' magazine is alot more in depth than the What's Up magazine, I had alot more time to design the '2TONE' magazine and think about how I would approach the style of the magazine. I also feel that I had learned alot more when I began to design my '2TONE' magazine, I knew how to use Photoshop properly and little things that would save me time and give the magazine a more professional edge.

To the left is the 'Whats Up' contents and to the right is the '2TONE' contents, the 'Whats Up' contents is very basic as I had little time and skill when I was designing it, however I think for am ametaur design it turned out ok for what I wanted it to look like, it looks as if it belongs with the front cover of the 'Whats Up' magazine aswell. The '2TONE' contents is alot more in depth and I had more time to add parts to the layout and design to give it a better look and layout, I had used alot more skills to design this contents compared to my other one, which is noticable when the two are compared, it fits in very well with the front cover which was my aim for the magazine. It is packed full of infromation that will be in the magazine and gives you glimpses of what will also be in next week's magazine, it also offers album reviews and fan mail to be sent in which gives the audience a connection between the magazine and the bands included.

This is the double page spread for my '2TONE' magazine. It has a basic colour scheme and photo's but they link in very well with the colour scheme throughout and the photo's have a connection between all of the other photo's included, the SKA banner of checks is also included in each page which give's it a professional look between the three.

2nd draft of contents

This was the start of my contents page before I edited some of the colour schemes in the contents, I tried to create a Grey theme but I thought it didn't go with the colour of my magazine so I later changed it. I think the choice I made was the right choice and it fits alot better with the other two pages I have designed.

Finished Front Cover

This is my finished front cover, I opted for a blue/black/white theme mostly throughout the whole magazine, I felt these colours didn't clash and suited each other quite well, I have placed the main photo at the bottom of the page which may not seem as effective as if it was in the middle but I feel that it makes room for other points on the front cover. I think the coloured photo makes a good collision with the baby blue background and makes the main front cover photo stand out more with a coloured background. I also think the SKA checkered lines behind the main photo makes the overall photo stand out more, the main story line also works well with the magazine, I am very happy with the outcome of my front page.

1st draft of contents

This was the first draft of my contents page, alot was changed from here on. I tried to keep the blue colour scheme flowing well with the rest of the magazine and the fonts similar as well, I thought the design and the layout was very basic and amateur so I decided to change it, I think it came out alot better in the end.

Contents Final

This is my final contents draft, I have the same colour blue on this contents as the front cover to show the bond between the two and that they are from the same magazine, I think it looks alot better than the grey I first opted with. I have included alot of information about what will be in the magazine if you read on and parts which will be in next weeks magazine, there is also one album review every week which will be located in the bottom right hand corner of the contents page, I have also included two pictures that are to come when you read on in the magazine, it is something of a taster. I am happy with the outcome of my contents page.

Double Page Final

This is my final double page spread draft, as you can see I have added a few photos in the bottom left corner, a Black and White checkered banner at the bottom, I have also changed the main photo and the subtext under the headline. I feel that the article was a success, I felt it was serious but with a funny side as well, you got to know the band as the interview went on and I felt there was a positive outcome for the readers to see. I think my article is very easy to read as well as interesting, it has an array of pictures included as well as the main photo which gives the reader something to look at. I am happy with the overall look as well, it doesn't look too 'tacky' in my opinion as what other amateur magazines can look like

3rd draft of front cover.

This was the final draft I made of the stages of making my front cover magazine, I made only a few more tweaks before revealing the finished front cover, I decided to not opt for the black and white theme for the main image on the front cover and made it colour instead, I felt that the black and white image started to look tacky and i thought this version looked better, there are some areas in the photo which I felt were not up to standard so I altered them and is available to see on my blog.

2nd draft of front cover.

This was one of the first draft's I made for the front cover of my magazine, I started it by giving myself a blue colour scheme to work with throughout the course of my magazine and tried to stick with that and similar colours. However there were part's of the magazine which I thought were very basic so I altered them to try and enhance the look of the magazine. 

1st draft of front cover.

This was the starting layout I made for the front cover of my magazine, I designed this and tried to improve all aspects of the front cover until I was happy with the final product.

Questionnaire results.

I asked people 10 questions on what they would like to see in a magazine and what would put them off reading the magazine, I tried to get a wide variety of people so that the answers would be fair for my questionnaire, this is how i knew where to start off my magazine as I would have a background on what to do for my magazine.

The first question involved having an appealing front cover and would it make you want to read into the magazine, this received positive feedback from all. The next question was if the artists in the magazine were suited to your style would you want to buy the magazine, again the answers were very positive. The question after was would you want a neat layout in the magazine, they didn't seem bothered about the layout as the majority answered 'it wouldn't bother me'. The next question was if they would like a colour scheme or random, this received a wide vote as some would prefer a colour scheme whereas others would prefer a random scheme, I will go with my instinct on what I think will look best for my magazine and I feel a colour scheme would suit it alot better than random colours. The 5th question was would a catchy magazine name make you want to read it, again there was a wide vote as people voted for the option that 'they would read it anyway' and some answered no, no one answered yes. The next question was how much writing would you like to see, the answers shew me that they would like quite a few pictures included as well as some text so I will try to include this in all of my designs in my magazine. The next question everyone agreed on that they would like to see their favourite bands in the magazine and they would like to get to know them better by reading into their life as the band. The next question was about the price of the magazine and how much they would be willing to pay for the magazine, from what the viewers had voted the prices ranged from 0.50-1.50 which I thought would be too cheap for a big magazine so I think I will debate the price and see what other competitors price their magazines at. The last question was how often would you like a new magazine to be released, a few people answered weekly but the majority answered monthly, this is something I will look into as it depends on how much information you have to write about. I will take all of the answers into account and try to show the feedback in the produce of my magazine in order to make the readers happy.

First Media photshoot for my magazine

These were the best photo's that I had taken for my photo shoot, overall I had taken 65 photos and selected 20 of the best ones that I thought could be worthy candidates to be in my magazine.

Magazine Research

Open publication - Free publishing - More aperture

Planning calendar for magazine

This is my planning calendar for my magazine that I shall make. It includes when I will plan my preparation, my photo shoot and my editing time. this is my ideal schedule for the project.

Magazine Advertisements

This is the type of style I would like my magazine advertisements to be about in my magazine. I have included influential figures surrounding my type of music which includes Ian Brown, Noel Gallagher, Terry Hall,Graham McPherson (Suggs) and the 'Modfather' Paul Weller.I would like to include a Stone Roses reunion page as well for advertisement as it is defiantly something the readers would be interested in. I have also included an album called Suited and Booted, an album dedicated to the Mod/Ska region of music, and some of the brands associated with this type of music.

These are the type of fonts I would like to include into my magazine, I would like a rough idea around these fonts that I have found, I have opted for a black and white theme for my magazine cover as it links in very well with the ska theme. I would like to include it with some Blue, Red and White to represent Mods as well so I broaden my audience hopefully.