in the middle of the page. They felt this as they believed that the topics were an important part of the magazine and that the middle is where people focus their eyes on. However, other candidates said that they should be put on one side of the front cover, as it allows there to be room for a picture of an artist which could attract readers. They also felt that bright colours would "attract the reader" However, one person felt that it depended on the type of music the magazine is displaying. Due to my research, I have acknowledged that rock and metal magazines tend to use reds and yellows where as hip-hop or rap magazines use blacks and whites with some bold colours like yellow which contrasts with the dark colours. Also from my research, I have seen that the artist may cover the masthead(title) of the magazine, therefore I had to put it in my survey to see how others felt. They felt that the image shouldn't cover the magazine as the name is what gains the most publicity which allows people to talk about it. However one candidate felt that the need for the artist to cover the title as it "might be important to stress superiority of the artist". Despite this answer, I will not cover the title as they would not be able to see it from a distance or recognise it.
Despite the results being quite even, most of the candidates said no. I support the "no" answer as not every page will be an article as well as that having every page on the contents would look boring and not engage the reader. There was also a split view between whether there should be images on the contents page. Some said yes as they felt it gives a clear meaning of the content and it allows you to look over it quickly to know what is in it. Others said no as it diverts your attention from a possibly witty title of content in the magazine. One candidate however said that it depends on the type of article. If it is a cryptic article then it may be necessary to use an image, but if it has a witty headline, then there shouldn't be an image. I will therefore not use images to represent every article and mix it up with a witty title.
The 1st chart above shows that every candidate felt that there should be some representation of the magazine on the contents page, which I will therefore make clear when creating mine. In the 2nd chart, most of the candidates felt that the content should be represented along one side with a few pictures. I agree as it gives a clear representation of each bit of content as well as what it may include.1 person also felt that there should be numbers, which I will include as it tells the reader where a specific article is.
There was varied answer for the question above but 3 pictures was the most popular. I agree with this answer as it is the most reasonable amount due to it allowing a lot of writing to be put about the artist. Candidates there should be a mix of images and writing about the artist as well as tour dates or album releases. One candidate also suggested that personal information about the artist, which gains connection with audience therefore engaging them with the magazine. The top two answers were a bold headline and pictures. Despite not being the most popular answer amongst the candidates, I will include a good amount of information as I believe that it would seem pointless to have lots of pictures with little writing. It also makes the artist seem more popular and powerful if there is a lot to say about them. Candidates also felt that the images used should be clear that "captures the key aspects of the artist" as well as what genre they base themselves in. Another image could be on that relates to the article itself.
These results have made me think that I should plan my images and what information I will include as it gives it makes it easier to create it. I will include images about the artist as well as specific information about him/her as it can connect with the audience. I will also include bright colours but they should relate to the genre of the magazine, therefore I will look at more magazines to do with my chosen genre. My contents page will not include lots of pictures or all the content as it makes it cluttered and hard to read. My target market will be young people who enjoy hip-hop or rap as the majority of people who answered my survey were from 16-21. However I will also try to appeal to older people from ages 25-35 as I want my magazine to gain more popularity.
