Mod Magazines

The genre I have chose to create a magazine cover, content page and double page spread for is a Mod.

List of other mod magazines:

• Shindig
• Rave
• Young Modern

'Shindig'- the definition is a large, lively party, especially one celebrating something. This is because the magazine wants to be related to the vibrant lively mod of the Mod genre. Mod music is famously related to being lively and therefore Shindig is a good word to relate to it. Shindig wants to be positive magazine and expresses this by using a word which has connation's with celebrating something. Also shows the magazine wants to celebrate the genre of music it is promoting.

Rave- This is a magazine which existed in the 1960's. Used the word rave to also relate to the liveliness of the mod music It wants to be related to people having a good time and enjoying music and this is what people do at raves.

Young Modern - Also a magazine from the 1960's. The name of this magazine tells me it includes all the latest music in the 60's, including mod. Using words such as 'young' and 'modern' will make it appealing to a younger audience who are interested in music. However there is no direct relation that shows the reader it is a music magazine.

This cover uses a font style which is famously related to 1960's 'groovy' font. This informs the reader straight away what genre music the magazine is on. Also shows the time the music is from in is promoting. The main tag lines are also in bold fonts. Shows when i plan my magazine i should experiment with bold 3D fonts. Other tag lines appear small. Smaller to ones on other magazines.

Possibilities Magazine Names:

• Modernist- This is the original name for 'mod' because it got shorten to 'mod'. This will be a good name because straight away it will show to the reader it is magazine based on this genre.
• The Whisky - This is a nightclub which was famously known by mods. People would turn up outside on their Vespa before entrancing to see a performance.
• Parka- This would be a good name for a mod because a parka is a piece of clothing which is iconally related with mods. They used to wear them over their smart clothes when driving places and take them off before they entered a club.

Music Ideology

Ideology- a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

When related to music, ideologies are certain 'ideas' and 'policies' the genre lives by. It causes the fans of that genre to dress and act in a certain way.

Claude Levi-Strauss came up with the theory of binary opposite. Things which are on completely different ends of the scale. An example in music is Pop and Rock.  

History of Music Magazines

I looked at the history behind billboard magazines further and looked another a magazine which had a specific genre as well to extend my knowledge into music magazines more.

United Reggae Magazine

United Reggae is an online magazine created in October 2007 that is dedicated to reggae music. It's intention is to offer reggae music on a intentional platform.

'Our aim is to promote and spread the inspiring and healing vibrations of Reggae music and culture.'-Reggae

The magazine features 6 sections :

• News,
• Articles
• Artists
• Videos

• Books
• Movies.

Artists, Books and Movies are three original databases updated daily.

This shows the audience varies from Untied States to Poland



The logo

A screenshot from the magazine's website

Billboard Magazine
 A American magazine headquartered in New York City and owned by Prometheus Global Media. It was first published on November 1, 1894, and is distinguished as being among the oldest trade magazines in the world.
Most recognizable feature of the Billboard magazine is it's Billboard's Top 100 chart which track the most popular songs and albums across several categories on a weekly basis.

Originally titled Billboard Advertising because it was a trade paper for the bill posting industry.
Within a few years of its founding, it began to develop and document outdoor amusements such as circuses, carnivals, amusement parks, fairs and whale shows and other live entertainment.
In the 1930's the jukebox industry developed and so The Billboard began publishing music charts. Originally, there were only three genre-specific charts: Pop, Rhythm & Blues, and Country & Western.
As television was introduced, in the 1950s, a section covering the television industry was added that included ratings charts for programs.
In 1961, The Billboard was renamed Billboard Music Week. The publication was now devoted almost entirely to the music industry. They moved it's news of fairs, carnivals, theme parks, and other outdoor entertainments into a new weekly magazine called Amusement Business. At the same time the television coverage had also been moved to a separate publication. Two years later it changed it's name again to Billboard.
'Amusement Business' closed in May 2006.
Now, Billboard magazine is still widely famous. It has included the most famous and influential people in the music industry on their covers. It still documents weekly the top 100 and 200 tracks. As well as hosting the yearly 'Billboard awards' which anyone who is a someone attends.

David Carson

David Carson is a graphic designer who was the art director for the magazine Raygun which is a alternative music and lifestyle magazine that debuted in 1992.

The magazine Raygun went against the tradition conventions of a magazine cover. In his own way he 'deconstruct' the covers of magazine and includes 'random' elements. The choice of fonts he uses makes the reader have a closer look into who is featuring in this magazine. This causes the magazine to stand out against the other stereotypical magazines however it could also confuse people into what they are reading.

This is a tradition magazine template for a film magazine.

Pro's of Caron's iconic designs

• The magazine is different and unique compared to the rest.
• Rules are made to be broken, he definitely broke the rules behind magazine conventions twice over
• His brave behaviour to do something new can encourage other magazine directors to push boundaries and be more adventurous
• It reflects the type of music it is representing. 'Alternative music must have a alternative magazine,right?'

Con's of Caron's iconic designs

• The layout and fonts makes it hard to understand
• Being alterative means there will be a smaller audience
• Could take longer to build a reputation as people make not understand the purpose or message behind the magazine
• The magazine causes people to take a closer look to develop a understanding and people may be against this as they want a easy pleasurable read
• There is no consistent layout which could make it harder for it's readers to find. Could even lead to readers giving up and not buying the magazine.

My opinion
I believe it is a positive thing there is a magazine which contradicts the conventions of a magazine. It reflects the alternative music genre by being a alternative magazine. It can inspire other magazines as well as aspiring designers to always push boundaries and step outside the box. It's hard to be inspired by a magazine which looks exactly the same to all the others on the shelf. However, it can be become unreadable with it's font choices and layout, making what should be a easy pleasurable read, hard work.

The Four F's

Developement of my school magazine

Creating a front cover for a school magazine

I've now began to take photos for the cover of my magazine. I used two fellow sixth form students to model in the image. I wanted to create a natural photo of the two girls walking around school with the normal sixth form essentials.

School Magazine

To continue my research in to music magazines I have decided to create a mock-up of a school magazine. This way I can learn the conventions of a magazine and what they include. It helps me develop and understand my knowledge of techniques magazines uses to help attract readers. Before I create my school magazine I am going to research into a current school magazine.

After looking at this magazine of Kettering Science Academy's I can identify all the features a school magazine uses. The main coverline is a important feature that should encourage readers to read the magazine. I now know when I create my own my main coverline should be interesting and also eye-catching. Also features like a issuedate is important because if the magazine is kept in a library, the reader knows how recent it was published and so how recent the information inside will be.

Music Genres

For my coursework piece in Media Studies I will create a magazine cover, contents page and a double spread for a music magazine. To begin my research I have created a mind map of different Genres and sub-genres in music. This helps me discover what type of music is out there that I could create a magazine for.