Research into similar products

I have fell in love with this Birmingham regional magazine I have found on Issuu!

It's called SCENE BIRMINGHAM.

I think it looks so distinctive and eye catching, I like the way they have used a contrast of black and white and even blue. The colours work really well together. These are colours I may include together in my own magazine as I think that they really compliment each other. Using more than one image on the front page in a sort of collage form is not something I have seen much of before. I think this looks great! It makes the magazine seem as though it will feature lots of different topics, ranging from beauty, to art, to sight seeing. And these are all elements of Birmingham I know students would like to be shed some light on to. The photography is beautifully clear and this makes the magazine look very professional. I like the way the most important image (alerting the reader it's a Birmingham magazine) is the largest image on the page. I've noticed the way this magazine, even though it's so different and dynamic, sticks to the usual conventions of  a regional magazine - it includes a date line and price. The only thing I would add to this magazine is probably some anchorage text to make it have a clear magazine layout format and to include a bar code. 

I also like how the contents page seems full and buzzing! Also, the way the colours have been carried through from the front page creates a great level of   symbiosis and I think the two page layout is effective because it shows that the magazine is jam packed full of information. The way the same text has been used looks very professional. In the same way the same layout of the images is fantastic, it's different and quite inspirational. I will definitely take this into account for my own magazine. The use of page numbers on top of the pictures provides a high level of coherence for the target audience showing that the editor has really thought about how to make their magazine easily accessible. 

I am going to use this magazine to inspire me for my own work!

Here is the magazine: 

Drafting and planning

Yesterday I went to Brindley Place and took some photos, these are the better quality images that I took.

I'm really impressed with these images because I think they make Birmingham inverse it's stereotypes. The images show Birmingham to be still, quiet and with no rush for life. They all look very elegant. 

On the other hand, the lighting suggests that it is a very busy and bright city.

I think all of these images have the potential to be a great billboard image. This is because 3/4 are landscape, and with research I found that most billboard advertisements are landscape, therefore my images fit in with the conventions of a billboard.

I think the contrast of the bright and dark colours are all highly effective because they'll capture the attention of my target audience as even though the background is quite subtle, the rest of the image on all of them shouts out at people passing by. 

The image that I think is most likely to feature on my billboard is the last one:

I think that it's truly beautiful how the light bounces off the water of the canal. This represents Birmingham as energetic and exciting, and can also represent my magazine in this way. I think I will have a look at this specific image in further detail when producing my billboard. It could potentially be my final image.

Organisation

Tomorrow I will be going to to Birmingham City Centre to take photographs of Birmingham on the evening.

I will specifically focus on areas such as Brindley place as I think I'll be able to take quite dynamic pictures that will appeal to my audience.

Certain photo's I'd like to take may look like the range I've found on Google Images.

Birmingham

These classic images of notable Birmingham land marks will lure the readers in as they make the city look truly beautiful. I will take the idea of these images with me when I go out to take my photos for my magazine and billboard. 

Target audience/ Drafting and planning

In connection to my post on 17/9/15, I had four responses to the questions within my survey.

• Q1: What type of image would you like to see on a billboard?

100% answered "one eye catching image".

• Q2: If this billboard is promoting a regional magazine about Birmingham, what would you expect the main image to be?

All of the answers included phrases such as "land marks", "tourist destinations", "important places".

• Q3: For the front page of the magazine/ main image of the billboard, should the main image be during the day time or night time?

Half answered day time, one said night time and the other said depends on the context.

• Q4: What would you expect the main font on a magazine and billboard to look like? (If it is aimed at males and females)

75% of the answers said "bold and dominant", 25% said "clear and simple".

Here is an analysis of my thoughts:

As 100% of the responses said that they'd like to see one eye catching image, I know that within my photography I need a clear, edgy shot of the city. This differs from my original idea of a photo collage for the billboard, now that I know my target audience would prefer one image I am going to stick to this. I think the main image on both the magazine and billboard must be my decision! Therefore, when I look at the rest of my photography, I will make a final decision depending on what I think looks more effective and eye catching. Finally, I think it's clear that the font I use for the masthead must be "bold and dominant". I am happy with the responses I have collected and they are going to make a difference and great impact on my products.

Once again, my survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NHVFJK3

Drafting and planning

I've drafted the layout of my magazine:

• It's going to have the masthead laying central at the top
• The main image in the centre of the page
• Three cover lines on the left of the page 
• The anchorage text over the main image

Here is a draft example:

This will not necessarily be my main image and this certainly won't be my final masthead. This task was to help my find and idea of how I will position certain elements on the page. 

I can refer to this when constructing my first draft of the magazine. 

Research into similar products/ Organisation

I have identified many Birmingham magazines, and other regional magazines within my research that have different target audiences.
Student regional magazine's such as The Scratch found in my previous post on 24/09/15 have given me an insight for how my own magazine will look. I'm at an advantage now too because I've done half of my photography. My photography applies to my target audience well.

My aims for the rest of my photography will be to photograph Birmingham by night to appeal to a range of different people within my demographic. This will take place this weekend.

Research into similar products

I have been researching on Issuu to find magazine's that are similar to the one I will be constructing.
I've found a university prospectus for a university in London, this can be found here...
Issuu magazine

I like the way that an establishing shot of London and a key landmark has been used on the front page. This immediately lets all readers know that the magazine is about London. The fact that the main cover line, or anchorage text, if you like has "London" embedded in it shows that there is symbiosis between the image and the anchorage text; and also the masthead.

The colour scheme is highly complimentary and I like the contrast of the blue and purple. Both of these colours represent wisdom and royalty, which is something associated with London itself. Therefore the editor has clearly thought about the connotations behind the colours they have used.

The only difference between this magazine and my ideas for my own magazine is the fact that I would like to include another two to three cover lines on the front page; this will make my magazine seem a little more informal and appropriate for the young people who will be living in Birmingham, this will mean the magazine won't intimidate them.

An alternative magazine that I have been looking at can also be found on Issuu.
In contrast to the first magazine, this one is actually a regional magazine for Birmingham that is targeted at the students themselves (THE SAME AS MINE). Therefore, this magazine may be very helpful.
This is a link to "The Scratch" magazine - The Scratch.

I'm impressed with how, immediately this magazine addresses the fact it is a Birmingham regional magazine through the use of an image of Birmingham Central Library as the main image. Therefore, readers will quickly and ultimately know what to expect. The choice of the font for the masthead shows that it is for younger people, specifically students as it's quite bold and edgy, rather than plain which would emphasise that it's formal. I like the way a similar, messy font is used for the anchorage text because this kind of font you would surely associate with universities. It kind of looks like someone has wrote this font. The anchorage text is on a white background which also looks as though it it supposed to appear like a 'note' as students in the region would be taking notes for university/college etc.

In the same way, I love the colour scheme in this magazine. It applies the colour scheme of Birmingham City University. This is another clue that "The Scratch" is a student magazine. It includes other typical conventions of magazine's as a whole such as a date line, and various cover stories.

I will use this magazine as an inspiration for when I create my own.