Importance of Colours

As an extremely important factor of marketing and magazines, I have decided to investigate the significance and hidden meanings behind specific colours to help me choose an appropriate colour scheme for my music magazine. Colours can be known to increase brand recognition by 80%, whilst ads are read up to 42% more than similar ads in black and white. Lastly, up to 85% of the reason people decide to buy product.

From research I discovered that what evokes a reaction from colour in one person may evoke a very different reaction in someone else as this is down to personal preference or sometimes cultural background.

Looking at the colour red, it could be associated with violence, blood and heat or the complete opposite of love and passion.  In terms of magazines, red can be a powerful accent colour, giving a strong and high-end feel; It can have an overwhelming effect if it is used too much in designs but is a great colour to use when power or passion want to be represented. As a versatile colour, brighter versions of red can be seen as more energetic and darker shades being more powerful and elegant. Not only does it draw attention, but it is also the colour that the eyes are drawn to first. 

Another colour such as yellow can be seen to give a sense of positivity or energy, therefore associated with creativity and imagination. Furthermore, purple is the colour of mourning for some people, whilst darker shades connoting wealth, luxury royalty, traditionally. Lighter purples, however, can be considered more romantic and calming. 

Black is commonly used in edgier designs, as well as in very elegant designs. It can be either conservative or modern, traditional or unconventional, depending on the colours it’s combined with. In design, black is commonly used for typography and other functional parts, because of it’s neutral effect. Black can make it easier to convey a sense of sophistication and mystery in a design.

In magazines, white is generally considered a neutral backdrop that lets other colours in a design have a larger voice. It can help to convey cleanliness and simplicity, and is popular in simple designs. White can also portray either winter or summer, depending on the other design motifs and colours that surround it.

• Red: Passion, Love, Anger
• Orange: Energy, Happiness, Vitality
• Yellow: Happiness, Hope, Deceit
• Green: New Beginnings, Abundance, Nature
• Blue: Calm, Responsible, Sadness
• Purple: Creativity, Royalty, Wealth
• Black: Mystery, Elegance, Evil
• Gray: Moody, Conservative, Formality
• White: Purity, Cleanliness, Virtue
• Brown: Nature, Wholesomeness, Dependability
• Tan or Beige: Conservative, Piety, Dull
• Cream or Ivory: Calm, Elegant, Purity

Overall, from this research into colour and its effects, I have decided that I would like to include the colours red, black, white, purple and possibly blue, and these are all appropriate for both genders, my genre, and my target audience. However, just like my flat plans, I am aware that these may change further on in the production of my magazine, and I may include various other colours which I will write about if these changes occur. 

Flat Plans

Above is a scan of my flat plan for my music magazine's front cover. This plan involves the idea of using a main image with a close up of a female looking directly into the camera to engage with the audience and draw them into the magazine. From initial research of other magazines, I am aware that it is only the most popular and famous brands that have the ability to cover most of the masthead as it still remains recognisable. Therefore, I am certain that no matter how much my plan changes from now, my masthead and tag line will definitely be placed in front of the main image. I have also decided to position the majority of my text including coverlines, the hook, and the secondary image, to the left of the main image so that it doesn't become too covered and lose its effect. However, I would still place the barcode and other smaller details to the bottom left so that it's less noticeable in front of the image. 

For the contents page I am still undecided about the image I would like to use, but I may experiment with a medium close up shot of the same person on the front cover, positioned to the left hand side of the page. This would then allow me to place boxes of text opposite highlighting important and popular articles that should stand out to the consumer. I have initially planned to put 3 smaller images at the top to advertise different features of the magazine, but I may also change this later on. 

Finally, as for the double page spread, I would quite like to take a further away shot so that it contrasts with the cover and shows another side to this featured artist. The text would then cover the remainder of the double page spread, however this will most likely be changed as I construct this. 

Production Plan.

Above is my production plan that I completed to show the progress of my magazine and the steps I need to take to finish this project. From the initial brief, to researching my target audience, genre and conventions of a typical magazine, the tasks I have completed so far have provided me with the necessary information and ideas to work on my own flat plans.

I can then begin to create my real front cover, contents page and double page spread on Photoshop and from audience feedback, improve and alter this production. 

Lastly, I plan on investigating different publishers that I can use and through marketing and branding, evaluate the successes and improvements I would make in this project.   

Q Magazine Deconstruction

Above is another deconstruction that I completed on a cover of Q Magazine. Compared to my last Q analysis, I focused more on the different fonts, colours, and the layout, as this is something I'm beginning to think about for my own magazine and can take inspiration from. In particular, I am going to focus on capturing the same effects from this magazine such as the clever use of the z-read, the engaging main image, and the original styles of text that overall make this an effective and desirable cover for the consumer.  

Magazine Article Link

Before I begin to decide on any fonts, I wanted to develop my researching skills and look for articles that could help me with my own magazine. Here is one I found that talks about the significance of typefaces/fonts:

Do typefaces really matter? 

Editorial Profiles

Editorial profiles, or editor's letters, are placed near the beginning of the magazine to offer an informal view from the editor/s themselves. They can sometimes provide initial information outlining key features of the issue or personally favoured aspects.

I have attempted to create my own in the hope that I can learn more about editor's letters for when it comes to making one in my music magazine.

Magazine Name

Looking back at my results again, this time at magazine names, the majority of people voted for 'Fusion'. I couldn't help but agree with this as it really captures the idea of the two genres 'Pop' and Rock' together as one 'Pop-Rock' genre. Furthermore, the remaining 'Melody' and 'Harmony' almost didn't suit my style of magazine as they sound more related to an acoustic genre magazine. Therefore, I have finally decided to use the name 'Fusion' as I believe it will work well as a music magazine title.