Rhythm & Rhyme: 2015

My task is to create a printed and virtual version of a magazine/newspaper for words relating to music.

i.e. lyrics, poetry, nursery rhymes etc...

For this task, I've chosen to create a classical music magazine. I've chosen classical specifically since I not only enjoy classical music, but it is also not a genre 'typically' associated with someone of my age group i.e. 18-25 age bracket.
It is a genre that is not always easily accessible to the younger demographic which will pose a bit of a challenge. The questions I will need to consider when creating the magazine are:

If it will be a general classical magazine or have a specific target audience in mind?
When target audience is chosen, how to make them pick up/visit the magazine?
How to make classical music appealing and relevant?
What the layout will be?
Whether the focus will be traditional classical, contemporary classical, classical crossover or even a mixture of all three?
Whether to make it a heavy in-depth magazine like Gramophone/ New Scientist or more light in nature like Cosmopolitan and NME?
Will it target classical connoisseurs or those more 'ignorant' about the classical genre, or somewhere in between?
The ratio of adverts to content

To start with I bought a variety of music magazines and newspapers (not necessarily of my chosen genre) to gain some inspirations on layout and its contents and also to gage how they market themselves to their target audience. The Magazines/newspapers I looked at were:

NME
Gramophone
BBC Music
Independent
Guardian

The target audience for BBC Music appears to be your stereotypical middle-upper class, middle-aged men and women with an interest or profession in classical music. This perception appears reinforced especially with the velvet curtains significant of an operatic performance and the font is deliberately understated yet at the same time tries too hard to be stylistic. It comes across as 'class-ist' and lacks the fun and creative edge normally found in younger 'teen'/adult magazines.

BBC Music has a front cover which uses a simple colour scheme, a white against a light and dark brown background to highlight the text and its importance; it also highlights the vintage luxury often associated with classical. The font itself is Serif, retaining the professional yet elegant simplicity of classical music. It has a main story/feature featuring a well known artist. On the front cover is also a sneak peak at the magazines contents (meant to hook and entice the reader).

Its contents page is very simple, only taking up half a page. The titles for the pages are highlighted in red (their signature colour) and bigger than the description below. Three images are used most likely using the important images of this month's issue. The bigger the image, the higher it's significance. There is a welcome note to the reader which takes up most of the page. Also, on the page you have a mini advert.

This page contains adverts for CDs to purchase it also has a page dedicated to the freebie that comes with the magazine. Since CDs are a dying form, I may use MP3 or Vinyl (which are actually selling well) adverts. Unfortunately my magazine will not come with a freebie.

All magazines/ newspapers contain a main piece/article (often a double page spread) that usually highlights the artist of the moment and directly corresponds to the front page. For my main article I intend to follow this convention, but using a YouTube generation star.

Included is the official countdown for the particular month with reviews for each single.

There are also artist and album specific reviews as well.

NME is made to appeal to a younger core group (18-30). Not only does it have fewer pages, in order to match the attention span of its audience, it also has a tabloid sensationalist feel with a hint of alternative rebelliousness. This is showcased by the artistic edge on the front cover with its respect to 'The Sun' and 'The Daily Mail'.

Whilst the colour scheme of red, white, and black, may appear simple, it is bold and brash in its simplicity; and in the way they have used the artist to add colour, thereby focusing our attention on the artist. The front cover is unusually quite bare. Normally the front covers of NME are quite busy with cover lines and a strong colour background. The cover lines are highlighted red, however, the biggest story which is bold, black and underlined.

Like most magazines, the first page opens up with an advert. Unlike BBC Music, the contents page takes up the whole page but still includes a mini advert on the contents page.

Letters from fans on the 4th page followed by an advert about a concert.

Top 20 tracks of the week and a mini description of each track. Highlighting new artists and new sounds to try out. It uses a kaleidoscope of colours and includes a cherry picked assortment of the featured artists in a personalised bubble.

Artist of the week along with another concert advert. Whilst I will use concert adverts it will be vital that the concerts I choose to advertise are maintain a balance of new and established acts that the reader will want to see.

The important interview in this magazine (since it is on the front cover) The artist has a four double spread interview. With the first two pages focused on the artist's image with a headline and tagline more reminiscent of a tabloid headline.

Gramophone demographic is older audience (over 40 years old), intelligent, upper class and higher income bracket due to their informed views perhaps from more prestigious education. I think in BBC music magazine is way more tame than the Gramophone magazine. I would describe this as hardcore. For example BBC music is soft rock or alternative rock and Gramophone is Heavy Metal or Death Metal genre. That's how different they are to me.

The masthead establishes the black and white colour palette which is carried out through many issues of Gramophone becoming somewhat of a house style for the magazine giving it a recognisable brand identity just through the colours. These colours symbolise sophistication and elegance which are all connotations of classical music.

Like the two previous magazines the first page is an advert then the contents page, however this time there is a welcome page as well as contributors and reviewers of the month's magazine.

The contents page introduces third colour into the colour palette now which is a code and convention of music magazines. This is gold. Gold connotes wealth and luxury which is representative of the audience and the institution.

After the contents are new releases that are recommended for purchasing and the page after are editor's choices. So this double page spread could be an advert as well.

A must have in a magazine, a several page spread of the main image on the front of the cover. In most magazines the first page is the image of the artist with a small description and the story starts on the next page. However, the story starts on the first page of the six page spread.

In this 6 page spread, it has adverts that take up half a page which could mean the story is not much.

Skimming through this magazine, it is very 'wordy' more so than the BBC music.

I also looked at two newspapers 'The Guardian' and 'The Independent'. One a broadsheet (Guardian) and the other a tabloid (Independent), only insofar that it is condensed into tabloid size. This was was mainly to look at the layout and also because its readership tends to be more middle-class and appeal to readers that are most likely be your stereotypical consumers of classical music.

As much as I like classical music, the magazines (shown above) are not something that I would pick up. The main reason being that they were too 'wordy'. Personally my enjoyment of classical music comes from interacting with the music itself, not reading about it (too much), and I felt that all the magazines I sampled lacked that element of interaction. I want my magazine to:

Reflect some of my tastes in classical pieces.
Be aimed at those aged 15-25 (under represented in classical magazines, in my opinion).
Avoid the posh taint that clings to classical music.
Showcase pieces that are not just Beethoven and Mozart.
Involve YouTube and music streaming sites where possible.

My next step was to choose a name for my magazine, I wanted to use a word that links to the world of classical music and/or music in general. Whilst I do tend to choose names that are simple, sound pretty, and are cute; my tendencies would not be suitable for the magazine, therefore I had to ensure that whatever title I chose was strongly grounded in music, but still satisfied my tastes. The names I considered were:

Forte - Musically it is Italian for loud. It can also reference the character and attitude of target audience. Also slang for my excelling in a particular area or being ones strong suite e.g. 'this is my forte' thereby emphasising that the magazine and the music is and will be the readers forte.
Suite - An instrumental piece consisting of several shorter pieces. However, it can also be a play on the word 'sweet' which implies that it is a treat or the slang meaning which is awesome.
Nocturne - A night-piece music that evokes a nocturnal mood. Often a title or theme used with symphonic metal/rock (which is a genre that fuses heavy metal/rock with an orchestra). It evokes the darker nature of man and music and echoes the feel of Emos', Grungers', Punks, all those on the alternative music scene. This would tie in in with the magazines' aim to be an alternative source of music for its readers.
Key - a standard feature of all music. They are the levers pressed to produce sound it is the key in which a piece of music is written and sets the tonality (although not all music has to have a key). It can also be a more literal image of a lock and key. Therefore eliciting an image of a door being unlocked (with a key) to previously unheard off music (in different keys) and introducing younger readers to classical music.
Voice - does not necessarily refer to a singer it can also be used to indicate a particular musical line. I was attracted to the word voice since most young people are used to the medium of music involving the voice. This plays on the expectation for a 'pop' artist lead magazine. However, with voice already strongly associated with the program 'the voice' which has no connection to classical music; it did not reflect the image that this magazine will try to project.
Clef - French for key and also the musical symbol used to show the pitch of a musical piece. Whilst it allows for a stylised image of a treble clef or a f-clef the name is a bit harsh on consonants (when pronouncing it).

After much consideration I chose 'Key' as the title of my magazine with the tagline 'the key to all your music'. It was chosen not only for the aforementioned reasons outlined above, but also because the title was short, sweet, and rolled off the tongue easily.

With the name of the magazine chosen, I began to think about its look and feel. From the outset I wanted 'Key' to have a calligraphic typography. As opposed to some form of bubble/graffiti type typography which I felt would be far too obvious and obviously trying to pander to the young. By using calligraphy it plays with the traditional stereotypes of classical music: that it is traditional, that it is posh and that it is fancy. A perception I hope to contrast with its internal contents.

I drew out a prototype of what I wanted then used the website 'Dafont' to find its closest match. I had several contenders.

My Sketch

Before the Rain

Dragon is Coming

Jellyka Saint-Andrew's Queen

Karine aime les Chocolats

Mademoiselle Camille

Mutlu Ornamental

Amal

Distant Stroke

Out of all the fonts, the one that most reflected my design and the look and feel I wanted was 'Distant Stroke'.

I tried to embellish the title to see what the outcome would be. Initially, the combination of the music lines and title page worked well together and the addition of time signatures would further remind the reader that this is a classical music magazine. However, upon second look, I was concerned that there might be too much detail and that it was overworked.

I played around using my calligraphic title and the music lines to see if it would work together.

For the front cover I also wanted to have a magazine logo, but one that was very prominent and act as not only the backdrop for the magazine; it would also provide the colour palette as well. I made a few random sketches for my main cover; something that would link to the title or the content of my magazine overall.

I made a series of images. To check which image had the most appeal, I used a small focus group made up of seven people aged 14-33. Unanimously they all preferred the images that featured actual piano keys. (I should also add that one member of my sample group works in marketing).

Image A (below) resembles a banner because of its 'flowy' appearance. The image clearly showcases the musical element of the magazine although it is rather obvious.

Image A: A cross-section of a music sheet.

Image B shows a section of piano keys, drawn at an approximately 60 degree angle. This was a hit with my focus group. They loved the fact that it was a literal representation of my title.

Image B: A cross section of piano keys.

Image C has that classical feel with the grand piano and the young girl evokes the feeling of a new initiate into the classical scene (at least that was my take on the image). However, my focus group did not feel that the image matched with the title and felt that the two together was disparate.

Image C: A young girl playing a grand piano.

Whilst my focus group liked the design play with the time signatures and the literal reference to a key, they felt that the image evoked romance more than classical music.

Image D: Shows a stylised image of an F-clef and a treble clef , merged with a key.

When choosing a colour scheme for the magazine, I chose black and white because of the piano keys and gold. Since it is a majestic colour and also as a sly nod to gold plated 'toffs' who are typically associated with classical music. However, upon reflection I noticed that my colour palette looked like the colour scheme for a box of chocolates or a wedding. A splash of colour was needed. I chose bright blue because not only is it my favourite colour it also provides a sharp contrast to my other colours.

Based on my sample groups' comments and my own preferences, I made a couple of rough creations of the front cover (combining the title and the logo) to see what should be my final main image.

Image 1: Birds eye view of piano keys with title

I came across this image of a watercolour based piano and was very interested (created by Divine Design Studio) It had the a similar angle as one of my other rough sketches.

Image 2: Watercolour based piano, drawn at an angle.

I used the image as the inspiration and made my version using pastel pencils. Overall, I chose this image as my final front cover picture.

I then made rough sketches of the magazine layout and the content that I want to put into my magazine.

My magazine will have 12 pages approximately. At the moment, the content of my magazine will include the following:

Front Cover
Advert
Welcome and Contents
Top best study music
Top study music continued
Double page spread (image and description)
Double page spread (image and description)
Double page spread
Double page spread
Music Sheet (Scott Joplin - The Entertainer) mini advert for the full sheet
Music Sheet (Final Fantasy X-2 - Eternity) mini advert for full sheet
Advert

Next I started to think about the virtual incarnation of the magazine. My first step was to look at the corresponding websites for each of the magazines/newspapers, I looked at. My research showed that whilst they were different in terms of colour scheme, they also shared some basic features in terms of:

Story/features are in blocks (to make it clearer to navigate).
Use of adverts.
Multiple social media links.
Navigation bar; clear, uncluttered and prominent.
Use of imagery and icons.

In contrast to the BBC Music magazine (which was about classical music), the website featured all genres of music.

Once you entered the website, we are greeted by large sliding block/adverts. It adds a nice touch to the homepage, especially the fact that were of low opacity, so the audience can see clearly.

News are separated by medium sized blocks: you have your main titles and your cover news below the title. The site is not busy and not overwhelming with adverts or overly saturated with news features. In terms of uncluttered simplicity and easy navigation it makes a great starting point for my final outcome of what the virtual blog will look like.

On the Gramophone homepage, you will first see a large image of the main feature of the day. There is an advert at the top of the page. You also, you have titles streaming across the screen.

On the right side of the homepage, the news are in block images, sometimes with a small description. However, on the left, they are just linked text.

When scrolling some more, the left is filled with adverts.

At the bottom of the page you have your subscriptions that would take over the entire screen of your computer as well as extra social media links in order to connect with the audience including: Twitter, Facebook, registering, blogs, etc...

On the NME homepage the first thing we are introduced to with a moving large image with an advert above it.

The entire homepage feels endless. Filled with large linked images (right) that will lead to their news whilst on the left are filled with adverts. To be honest there was so much content to sift through that I became board and became quite exasperated. This tells me that whilst I want the reader to be into the site and want to devour everything on it, I don't want to overload them either.

The Guardian and The Independent are quite similar to me in terms of appearance. Both sites are filled with news items, at the times to the point of overflowing. They are separated by blocks either with images or just text alone. Like most websites, the adverts are located on the right of the page.

As I will not be able to create a website for my virtual magazine. I was told that I am able to draw out how I would like the homepage to look like instead.

From at the websites/homepages I would like my virtual version to:

Be bold in terms of colour scheme, whilst also ensuring it matches the colour scheme of the magazine.
Have a simple layout easily accessible to the visitor.
Include features not covered in the magazine edition.
Be uncluttered in terms of the amount of story blocks I use.
Make use of adverts, but making sure that it does not become an advert hosting site.
Include links to other social media avenues of the magazine.
Use standard text (Times New Roman and Book Antigua) for ease of readability and familiarity.
Be minimal in the use of text. Remembering that it is not an academic or news site. But provide enough text to get the reader clicking.