Research into similar products

I have been researching into types of billboards.
I found the website, Out Front Media whereby I found the definition:

"Billboard signs help us decide what to do and where to go, acting as guides, helping us find businesses and services and helping businesses find customers. Billboards work well alone or in tandem with TV, radio, online and mobile."

After looking on this website for quite a while, reading about the different types of billboards e.g. digital, bulletin, posters, walls, spectaculars; I have decided on a poster billboard.

"Posters bring your message to a more local audience." Which coincidentally, is what I'm after. Advertising in the local area for people to read my REGIONAL magazine. This idea was sold to me immediately. 

After I found this link to the poster type of billboard, I then typed into Google, "poster billboards". I found the website Lamar. 

I found out that these are particularly good "when you’re launching a new product, making a name change or trying to get a message out in the shortest amount of time possible, posters are the way to go."

I am very happy with my choice of a poster billboard and there are many advantages of this:

• Smaller advertising structures
• Located on primary and secondary traffic arteries
• Seen by vehicular traffic and pedestrians in commercial and industrial areas
• Designed to be mass produced and posted in multiple locations to flood the market all at once
• Posters provide 4 times more impressions than radio and magazines, 8 times more than TV and 11 times more than newspapers

Now that I've made this decisions, I have a clearer idea of the products that I need to look at for my research.

Research into similar products

I have once again been looking at Issuu and typed in "regional magazines" into the search bar.
I have found a magazine about Menorca.
Initially, this attracted my attention because of the eye catching image. It is an image that immediately lets you know where the location is without looking at the masthead or page titles.
I have been wondering lately, what kind of cover lines to include on the front page of a regional magazine, and after looking at "SCENE" magazine and now "ALADIERNO", I have noticed that NO cover lines are required, but merely a summary of what can be found inside the magazine at the bottom of the page.
Like SCENE, Aladierno includes the dateline at the top of the page centrally, this is something I included in my first draft of my magazine, it also has the issue number, something I also included. I like the way this magazine's masthead takes up the top of the page, showing its importance to the readers, and also making it identifiable. This shows that so far, my first draft has been successful because my masthead also does this.
The contents page is also effective, the colours from the front page have been carried through. I think this contents page can be quite influential because its a single contents page, just like mine is going to be. It has "contents" written largely, and boldly! Clearly showing the page I am on.
Unlike the front page, the contents page shows that the magazine is full to the brim of exciting stories due to the secondary images included. I have used this idea in my own magazine and think it looks great.
This magazine (even though typically it may be found on an aeroplane) can go some way to influence my decisions for my own magazine. It also emphasises that the decisions I have been making so far are correct, and stick to the typical conventions of a regional magazine.


Here is an example of Aladierno magazine:

Research into similar products

In relation to my last post, I have researched the colour orange on Issuu products to see how the colour is broken up in magazines.

I think that the use is highly effective due to the connotations:

 Orange, the blend of red and yellow, is a mixture of the energy associated with red and the happiness associated with yellow. Orange is associated with meanings of joy, warmth, heat, sunshine, enthusiasm, creativity, success, encouragement, change, determination, health, happiness, fun, enjoyment, balance, freedom, expression, and fascination.

Orange is the color of joy and creativity. Orange promotes a sense of general wellness and emotional energy that should be shared, such as compassion, passion, and warmth. 

This was found on Bourn Creative

I think that due to these connotations, I should definitely include this colour in my magazine. These are the vibes I would like my magazine's to give off. 

I found a magazine called "healthy living" and this use of the colour orange, especially on the front page can help me find a colour balance within my own magazine. 

Drafting and planning

Now that I have saw what my contents page will look like if I stick to the three main colours: black, white and blue, I have figured that it needs another vibrant colour in there to make it seem exciting.
After the debate of whether to choose orange or blue for my masthead, I have discovered that it may look quite complimentary if I incorporate the orange too.
Even if it is just for a minimum level of text, I think my magazine, if limited to these three colours will lack excitement and won't be eye catching to the readers.

I have decided that I like the effect of the orange and blue working together, it shows clarity yet warmth at the same time. This will invite readers.

By going back to my front page and having another deep look, I have decided that to fill the space between the font at the bottom and the lowest image, I must take an interesting panoramic shot to fill the space, therefore it won't be stretched out. This image will be one from standing at the top of the Birmingham Central Library, so that I can present the whole of Birmingham in once image.

I then decided to use the incorporation of orange in the contents page so that I had a consistency. 

I also like the way that the orange is looking on the contents page too. it breaks up the blue consistency nicely. I am definitely going to include this colour in the next drafts and improvements in my contents page. 

Drafting and planning

Now that I have completed a first draft of my front page, I have gone on to look how to structure my contents page.
I have decided to keep the one page style of a contents page, and to feature an advertisement on page 1. I am going to continue to use the same colours featured in the front page in the contents page but use another range of images.

I am using the software page plus to edit this. I have included my masthead, in a smaller version in the top left and made a point of centralising the word "contents". I think this looks quite effective. I like how I am putting the images in one part of the page rather than scattered all over. And I am making my magazine look quite coherent by adding page numbers on the pictures and having certain sections on my contents page to make it accessible to the reader. 

However, this draft is unfinished as I was unsure of what to do about my background colour and font colour. I think I may introduce grey onto my contents page. 

This first draft will be great in influencing the rest of my decisions and I will constantly refer to scene magazine found in my post on 30/09/15, to help me design my contents page.

Drafting and planning

In relation to my post on Wednesday 30th September, here is my own version that is highly similar to SCENE BIRMINGHAM.

I used the same sort of font as Scene, a bold square font. This will immediately capture the attention of the audience for the front page.

Similarly I used more than one image and this looks great because it makes Birmingham appear as a busy city with loads to do, inversing the stereotype of a slow, less intelligent inhabitant of Birmingham. The images are all of key places that will appeal to tourists.

Differently to Scene, I used the colour blue rather than kept the consistency of black. I think this breaks up the dullness of the magazine and makes it seem cooler and more inviting. 

I have included key conventions such as a masthead, dateline and cover lines. This makes my frst draft look highly professional. 

Now that I have found the sort of first page I want, I can go onto the layout of my one page contents page. As I have the main images to give me inspiration for the content within my magazine.
Another idea I have come up with for my contents page is the idea of taking pictures of the new train station in Birmingham - the key part of the train station is the architecture and a huge eye is a part of this. As my magazine is called insight, this could create a high level of symbiosis and will look very effective. I will have this picture behind my masthead. 

Drafting and planning/ Target audience

I have used Paint.Net to create two draft mastheads. I used the font "Fava" for both. However, my choice in colour differed. I kept the dominant colour black, yet changed the smaller font between blue and orange. Here they are:

I'm very happy with both of these drafts for my masthead because I think that the font sticks to the idea of the font which my target audience identified in survey which I posted about on Thursday 17th September. They said that they'd prefer a "bold and dominant" font for a masthead. I think that I have used the correct font to cater to their preference. I like the idea of the orange font as it's bright, energetic and inviting; but I also like the blue as it's cool, classic and professional. 

I used the social network Twitter to ask my target audience which masthead they preferred.

I had three replies to my tweet. Here they are:

Two out of  three of my replies identify that they prefer the blue for my masthead. Therefore, if two thirds prefer something, that is what I will use for my final product. 

I have enjoyed using Twitter to get feedback from my target audience, this is something I am going to use more often for my product.