Font Research

How does font change the meaning of our text?

Many people are unaware of what a large impact font makes. Here is an examples on the left. Each quote says the same thing, a serious sign saying "BEWARE! HIGH VOLTAGE POWER STATION!!!!", the first two are in Comic Sans and Handwriting fonts

"This is showing the choice of typeface can manipulate the meaning of the word" Spikermann and Ginger.

As they do not look serious and you are not able to immediately tell  they are sending a serious message, whereas the bottom three you are able to tell immediately they are trying to send a serious message.

I looked at this website, which shows the impact of different font uses. Here are some Screen Shots from the website.

Here is is an example of "THE SOURCE:HIP HOP MAGAZINE", the first text is written in comic sans, without reading when you look at this you immediately think it is something aimed at children, yet the text itself is not aimed for children but at teanagers. The second text is in Courier font, in contrast to the comic sans font, when looking at this you immediately are able to tell the text is not aimed at children.

World Music Magazine.

I have started researching into world music magazines and found that many are only online. The reason i think this is that music does not play such a big part in many cultures, in England and America music plays a big part in culture, therefore there being many music magazines for all types of genres and while researching into the various music magazines i found there were not many for other cultures.

 "Turkish music portal" is a Turkish music website based on the history of    Turkish music, instruments and the different types, such as contemporary, folk, pop and classic. This was the only Turkish website or music magazine i was able to find, therefore showing that music may  not take a huge part in the Turkish culture.

 This was one music magazine i found amongst many others, showing music does play a big part in the Caribbean lifestyle. Although the website it is called "Island Vibes Magazine" it is not a printed magazine, the website posts recent music and also other topics, such as politics, business and other tops to do with the Caribbean.

This is a magazine website i found based on the Arab world. It is not only based on music but the different arts such as art, films, theatre etc. Whilst doing research on this particular culture this is the only magazine i found based on the Arab culture    as a whole, the others were based on Arab countries separately, yet this is not a printed magazine.

This is the only Iranian magazine i came across, which is based on the latest Iranian music of all genres. It has interviews with musicians and reviews on them as well. This is not a printed magazine. Here is a quote from the magazine of what they wish to accomplish.: "irzamin is an Iranian online music magazine and the project concept is to create a forum to connect the new wave of Iranian independent musicians and bands, both inside and outside of Iran,
 to the Iranian public and the world."

This is not the only African music magazine which i found but what seems to be the most popular, the conventions of this i found to be the most similar to English and American music magazines, such as the subheadings, plug, and the use of the three colour rule. On the website it has a link for beauty, style and events, therefore the magazine is not only based on music.    













Unfortunately i was unable to read most of the website as it was in Polish, yet there was an introduction to the website in english version, while researching for Polish music magazines i did not find many, showing music may not play a large part of the Polish culture other than traditional folk music.

Research On Music Magazines

When looking through music magazines, and specifically looking at the "Wire", I came to the understanding that most of there cover pictures were unusual and did not follow the normal conventions of a music magazine. The main picture is a close up photo of a man looking slightly mysterious, with the lighting coming from above creating a dark shadow on most of his face and also wearing a top hat. He is also wearing eyeshadow on his left eye which in some way shows the audience immediately the picture is of a singer or some sort of music artist and not a model, he also has a very serious expression on his face. The title is very simple and bold, there is only one font and colour used for the subheadings making it difficult for the audience to understand what the main article is relating to the cover photo. The bar code is on the right hand side in the middle which is not a normal convention of a magazine.  Overall there is very little text and variety of fonts and colours used, i get the impression it a purposely simple front cover.

When looking through "Blender" magazine covers i came to the understanding that most, if not all, the cover photos are taken in the same way, with the artist in a medium shot picture. I noticed that the font style and colour of the mast-head was not the same each time and also would mostly be hidden behind the music artists head, showing the magazine is well known enough for the audience to be able to know what the magazine is called without seeing the whole text. This magazine follows the three colour rule of white red and black, there are two skylines, they have clearly shown what the main article and who the main picture is off by placing text next to the music text in a large bold and red font with a slightly smaller subheading underneath. There is also a puff, the other sub-headings other than the main article sub-heading are on the right hand side. Overall this magazine cover follows the normal conventions of a magazine cover by using various fonts, text fonts and following the three colour rule.

The cover picture is of a music artist topless and looking down with only a hat on, the reason for this i feel is to show off his tattoos, as well as the ones on his eyelids, he is also wearing a necklace with the rolling stones logo. The puff covers the masthead, once again showing the magazine feels the audience will be able to recognise the magazine without having to see the whole mast-head. When looking through the "Rolling Stones" magazine covers i noticed each masthead was in the same font yet different colours, and followed the same convention as "Blender" magazine with having a simple white or black background. Each subheading is in the same text with varied font sizes and barriers separating them. There is a three colour rule of black, white and yellow. The main article heading is the largest and next to the music artists head, obviously linking the two. The overall magazine cover is simple.

The cover magazine is of an extremely famous an worldwide known "Michael Jackson", the cover photo is of a close up of his face with no expression of his face. The main article is clearly based on him with his name in large and the sub-heading underneath saying "Unmasked inside his mad, bad world..."  sounding as if this is an exclusive article on his life. All other sub-headings are on the right hand side, on the top right "Jack White" has been written in a large white font standing out from the other subheadings below. There is a three colour scheme used on this magazine cover and every other "Q" magazine covers. There is a puff also included, there is also a sky line saying "The UK's biggest magazine" promoting the magazine even more and persuading readers to buy it. This particular magazine was probably more successful than other Q magazine issues as Michael Jackson is such an iconic music artist, therefore readers who don't normally buy music magazines may have only bought it because there was an article based on him.

When looking through "Vibe" magazines i noticed all the front covers are similar, a medium shot of the music artist the main article is based on with a simple white or black background. I also noticed on each cover the three colour rule is followed yet different colours. They have placed the name of the artist in a  large bold and white font next to the artists head indicating who he is and the sub-heading "The hardest in R&B" underneath his name. With each subtitle they have written the main heading in red with what the article is about in a smaller font under or around it in a smaller and white font, for example the sub-heading "Haiti" in a large bold and red font and then in a smaller white font "A survival story" underneath. There is also fashion advice included rather than only music, on the way left hand side "4 ways ti rock a suit". They have written the Masthead in large red font yet part of it is hidden behind the artists head indicating the magazine feels it is so well known they can afford to hide part of there name.

Draft Magazine Cover.

This is my draft for my magazine cover. I purposely took the medium shot photo so the main subject was in the centre and the subheadings would surround her. I also purposely matched the masthead color to the puff, but are different shades, as i felt if i was to use two different colors it would clash and make it seem tacky. I included the conventions of a masthead, puff, skyline, date line and subheadings. I used a college style font for my masthead as it immediately gives the impression of it being a college magazine. My three colors are red, grey and black which follow the three color rule for magazine design.
I feel the background could me improved by making it more simple, such as a plain white or black background.  I could take more test shots with different lighting. I will also add more shadows to the text and shapes to give them more emphasis. When my make my music magazine i will have more knowledge of my target audience and the articles inside. I will also do more flatplans and audience research.                          

Fonts for Magazine cover

I downloaded these fonts off this link, mainly looking for college style fonts for my masthead and then created samples from the heading of it as shown on the left. The fonts i have used are mainly american style college magazines therefore i have decided i will not use the 3 first ones and use the fourth one as i feel this will fit perfectly so readers will still be able to tell the magazine is a college magazine just by looking at it and it is not to much an american style college font.







After choosing the font i will use for my masthead, i thought about which colours i will use for the masthead and other text such as sub-headings the page. I thought it would be best to stick to the three colour rule which is most simple and attractive for readers, i have chosen to do one bright colour red for the masthead as it is eye catching , and the dull grey and black for the sub-headings.







After choosing the font for the masthead and colour scheme i would use, I carried on looking at different fonts to use for my subheadings on the same website. I downloaded a few of them as shown on the left, i decided to only choose simple fonts to not overwhelm readers and make the overall magazine seem simple. I decided on the third one as it is bold and will therefore stand out.

Flat plan of magazine cover.

This is my official flat plan for my preliminary task. The main cover picture will be a medium shot of a girl with the main heading in bold "Interview with top ex-student, now a high-flying CEO" so readers will be able to realise the main picture and the main cover-line are to do with each other. The plug will say "Voted best student magazine in North West" persuading readers to buy the magazine over other student magazines in the area. The puff says "Free vouchers included for Hampstead Cafe" also persuading readers to buy the magazine. I will use the three colour rule for the text to keep it simple and so it does not seem over complicated. I have also used teaser lines in the sky line such as "Top 10 revision tips and fashion advice".

Flat plan and Brain storm

I made this brainstorm to create an idea of the different articles and information i would like to include in my magazine. When creating my magazine i will look back at this and choose which topics i think will be most eye catching and interesting for readers to include. I scanned this and edited it on Photoshop to make it easier to read.

I made this Flat plan to create an idea of what i want my magazine layout to look like, how many cover-line and teasers i think will attract readers and make it seem interesting. I also scanned this and edited it on Photoshop to make it easier to read.

Image Manipulation.

Cropping.

Cropping is an editing technique that can change the meaning of the photograph. The below is a photo from the guardian website, i have taken the original image and cropped it therefore changing the meaning.

1.Original image - In this image we see a golf match being played with a plane coming from above.

2. Cropped image - This is of a crowd, you cant tell what there looking at and why they're there.
















 3. Copped image - In this image you can tell the crowd are watching a golf match.




4. Cropped image - We see an image of a plane in mid-flight.

The the three colour rule & Shot sizes on magazine covers.

The three colour rule.

Many magazines follow the convention of using three main colours on the cover of the magazine, they use this to make it simple and easy for readers to read.

Here are some examples.

Shot Sizes.

Most magazine covers use either close-up or mid-shot as the audience is interested on the main person on the cover rather than the background and what is behind them.

Close-up - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is relatively large. In a close-up a person's head, or some other similarly sized object, would fill the frame.


Medium-shot -A framing in which the scale of the object shown is fairly large; a human figure seen from the chest up would fill most of the screen. A common shot scale.


Long-shot - Framing such than an object four or five feet high would fill most of the screen vertically.

Researching College Magazines

Judging by the front cover image of this magazine "Carmel Up Close" of a girl holding what looks like a exam paper with an extremely happy expresion and the cover line "result!", you immediately get the impression the magazine being a college magazine. The logo of the college is in the bottom left hand corner, and there are three other teaser/cover lines promoting the college with there sport facilities and acomodation facilities at the top. The date is placed next to the main heading, "Autumn 2009" showing the magazine is published once a month.

This Masthead "Campus life" is in a large and bold white font with what is supposed to look like a students head covering part of the text, giving the impression that the magazine is so well know that readers would be able to identify the magazine without having to all the text. The subheadings stand our with white text contrasting with black backgrounds talking about birth control, gamers lounge, the top 5 international student cities and how to pick your perfect wardrobe, certain topics which students would be interested in. There is also a puff in a bright red circle saying "win an LG shine" making readers even more persuaded to buy the magazine.

The masthead of this magazine has been written in a typically college style text in red and black contrasting with the white background and standing out. There four subheadings which have been randomly scattered in white text and contrasting with a black background, one being "free cafe voutures inside this issue" persuading students even more to buy the magazine. Judging by the overall layout of the front cover, it is obvious the magazine was made by a student themeless rather than professionally.

The masthead of this magazine has been done in a bold, large blue and typical college font. The subheadings have been written with what is supposed to look like paint splatter backgrounds making them stand out and the main cover picture is of a student. Overall the magazine looks as if it was made by a student themselves as it is very simple.

The masthead of this magazine "College" is done in a large bold and red text and is slightly covered by the girl in the main cover pictures head, showing that students would automatically already know what the name of the magazine is called without having to see it completely. Below the masthead there is a date line in small text saying "Fall 2009" showing that the magazine is released every season. The main cover picture of a girl  smiling and wearing an american football red t-shirt, matching the masthead, saying "I love SMU" and has been taken with a professional camera. The subheadings have been done in black and dark blue text contrasting with the light colored background and boarding the main cover picture of the girl. You can tell overall the magazine has been made professionally by the layout.

Semiotics

"Signification is often applied within a theory called semiotics, the study of signs. Everything we see is a sign and carries a meaning. The basic meaning of the sign that most people can recognise and agree on is known as the signifier. The more complex individual meanings that people give to signs are known as the signified. Look at your shows. What image do they create of you? As a signifier, they are just a pair of shoes. As a signified, everyone who sees them will construct their own meaning; this is a matter of taste. When analysing media meaning, we deconstruct signs for what they might signify, but we must always remember that meaning is polysemic-every signifier has the potential to be given meaning differently by ever person who sees or hears it". - From the OCR Media studies for AS

Colours.

Audiences have different readings of colours.

Red - Can mean danger, romance, blood, arsenal, Ferrari, bus, postbox, labour party etc.

Black - Can mean goths, rock, death, depressing, anarchy etc.

Green - Can mean nature, environment, recycling, generally nature friendly.

Hands.


As a signifier a pair of hands means human and universally recognisable. As signified a hand can mean peace and safety, but in Judaism a hand represents the five religious books, in some cultures a palm of a hand can mean stop as well.

Still image Media Language

I have started to analyse magazine covers but in order to do so i needed to understand the terminology used with the design. I researched on the internet and found a useful resource that enabled me to analyse magazine covers. The following is a list of the terms

Some or all of these may be found on the front pages of newspapers.

Box-out – A small part of the page, shaded in a different colour.

By-line – The name of the reporter, if they are important is often included at the beginning of the feature, rather than at the end, or not at all.

Caption – Typed text under photographs explaining the image.

Credits – The author of a feature may be given credit in the form of a beeline. Photographs may have the name of the person who took them or the agency that supplied them alongside them.

Crosshead – This is a subheading that appears in the body of the text and is centred above the column of text. If it is se to one side then it is called a side-head.

Cover Story - Leading story used on the front cover.

Deck - Part of a headline which summarises the story.

Exclusive – This means that newspaper and no one else solely cover the story. The paper will pay their interviewees, buying the story so it cannot be used by another paper.

Feature – Not necessarily a ‘news’ item (current affairs), but usually with a human-interest angle presented as a spread.

Headline – This is the main statement, usually in the largest and boldest font, describing the main story. A banner headline spans the full width of the page.

House Ad - An upaid advertisement put on a palge to fill a gap left by a lack of paid advertising. Often a promotional ad for the publication.

Jumpline - A line indicating a continuation, or jump, on an article on a subsequent page.

Kicker – The first sentence or first few words of a story's lead, designed to stand out from the rest of the page by the use of a different font or set out in a font size larger than the body text of the story.

Lead Story - The main story on the front page, usually a splash.

Lure – A word or phrase directing the reader to look inside the paper at a particular story or feature.

Masthead – The masthead is the title block or logo identifying the newspaper at the top of the front-page. Sometimes an emblem or a motto is also placed within the masthead. The masthead is often set into a block of black or red print or boxed with a border; the ‘Red-tops’ (The Sun, The Mirror, The News of the World) are categorised by style and the use of a red background in the masthead.

Menu – The list of contents inside the paper.

Puffs - A news story with editorialised, complimentary statements.

Pugs – These are at the top left and right-hand corners of the paper and are known as the ‘ears’ of the page. The prices of the paper, the logo or a promotion are positioned there. They are well placed to catch the reader’s eye.

Secondary Lead – This is usually only a picture and headline, it gives a sneak preview of a story that you might find inside the paper.

Sidebar – When a main feature has an additional box or tinted panel along side of it.

Splash – The splash is the main story on the front of the paper. The largest headline will accompany this, along with a photograph.

Spread (Or DPS: Double Page Spread) – A story that covers more than one page.

Standfirst – This is an introductory paragraph before the start of the feature. Sometimes it may be in bold.

Strapline – This is an introductory headline below the headline. Similar to a Subheading.

Source - An individual who provides imformation for a story.

Tag – A word or phrase used to engage a reader’s interest in a story by categorising it e.g. ‘Exclusive’, ‘Sensational’

Audience and Mode of Address

Each magazine needs a specific audience which are heavily subsidized by advertising

many magazines are aimed at similar audience because that 'demographic' is lucrative for advertisers. E.g. teen magazines- Bliss, More, Cosmogirl. Titles within a certain sector of the market may be very similar, but each will have unique selling point.

Every media product is put together with some idea of the audience which it is aimed at, the concept of audience is at the heart of all media products. Media audiences can be defined and approached in a number of ways. The best way to define a target audience is by describing it in terms of a suitable genre or product, a new product may be described as appealing to soap watchers if newspaper readers and immediately it is possible to imagine the type of audience being targeted. The audiences are categorised in terms of size, for instance big foot ball matches can be seen as niche programming whereas Hollyoaks has a mass audience. 

Demographics - The consumer is categorised in terms of concrete variables such as age, class gender, geographical area ect.

Psychographics- The consumer is categorised in terms of their needs and desires such as those who aspire to a richer lifestyle or those who want to make the world a better place. 

Print Conventions

I researched the internet for the conventions of print and found this link which lists all the terminology. There is a lot and clearly it will take some time to learn it all. What I've done is to get a front cover and list all the conventions I can find.

Brief

We were given the choice of several briefs, i decided i wanted to make a magazine. The brief for making a magazine is as follows:

Preliminary exercise: Front page of a school/college magazine.

Main task: Front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.

Technology: Digital photography, desktop publishing.

Theoretical understanding: Print conventions, audience and mode of address, making meaning through still image media language, semiotics, layers of interpretation. media and identity, the music industry and the music press, popular culture and youth representations.

Links with other units: Key Media Concepts: representation, music industry and audiences.

I will start by researching the theory and then analyze some college magazines. After that i will learn the software and create my college magazine front page