answers and responses to focus group questions

1. FocusGroup:
1) What do you think of the design?Are all media conventionsofmusic magazinesspread
out evenlyor clustered?
Participant1: All three mediaproductionsare quite similar,asincolourand layoutwhichI
like because itshowsconsistencyandaneat piece of work.The feature articlesonthe front
coverare of goodquantitybutI thinkthe righthand side isa bit too squashedtothe top of the
page,maybe distributingitmore towardstobottomright.Apart fromthat everythingisthere.
The designisalsonice;it isa good touchhavingthe ‘GreenAddition’,whichcarriesonthrough
all the three pages.
Participant2: Out of all three I preferthe double page spread.Ireallylikethe layoutasyou
don’tsee suchveryoften;usuallyit’sanimage onone side andtexton the other.Many things
are there suchas bolderquotations,abigtitle andI thinkeverything isnicelyspreadout.Iwould
howeverchange the size of ‘MainlyIndie’onthe contentspage;Ithinkit istoo small.Iwouldn’t
say it’sclusteredbecause the textisjustright,nottoobigor too small;otherwisethere could
have beennotenoughor too much space whichwouldn’thave lookedgood.
Participant3: all mediaconventionsseempresentandare well distributedbutIthinkthat
there mayhave neededmore conventionssuchasfree itemgive aways,makingitmore
appealingtoevenpeople whowouldn’tusuallybuythe magazine.The designisnice andassaidI
like the ‘GreenIssue’creationasitmakesthe magazine feelexclusive aswell ashavingtokeep
the same colours,whichhas beendone well.
Participant4: all of the productionsIthinkhave usedthe space reallywell,suchasthe
contentspage and havingthe artistsimage onthe right handside reallyworks.The double page
spreadlookingatfirstsightlookslike alotbut itis nicelybrokendownintodifferentsections
such as the interview andthe ‘RagstoRiches’bit.
Participant5: the layoutof the frontcoverand double page spreadisgoodbut I thinkthat
there issomethinglackinginthe contentspage whichmakesitlookmore informativeand
seriousthenitshouldbe.Maybe adding some sortof designtothe backgroundmaymake it look
betterbutI thinkthere needstobe a bit more on the contentspage.The frontcoverlooksgood
and so doesthe double page spread.Theyuse the space nicelyandwithenoughtext.

2. 2) At first look, what music genre comesinto mind?
Participant1: Whenlookingatall three,itsdifferentandI’ve neverreallyseensomethinglikethis
before. The drumtellsme it’ssomethinglike ‘EdSheeran’typeof music,countrypop? The colours
are greenwhichalsoshowthis.
Participant2: It has an indie feeltoitbecause of the clothingandthe patternsused.Iread these
typesof magazinesandthe style andstructure is quite similartosome.The title obviouslygivesit
away as well butitisalsoclear throughothermediaconventions.
Participant3: justas said,indie isthe genre.Indie asIknow isold fashionedanduniqueandIthink
that isshownthroughthe patternson the frontcover as well asthe greentheme.Quite alotof
these genre bandsalsohave the same conventionssuchasclothingandcolourtherefore Ibelieveit
isindie.
Participant4: It has a countryfeel toit because of the ‘Greenissue’aswell asthe greencolours.The
artiston the front alsogivesme thiskindof impression because of the beardandethnicity.The band
inthe contentspage isalsowhite ethnicallyandhasonce more thisrural feel tothem, differentfrom
typical musicyouwouldfindnow.
Participant5: Assaid before the artistgivesafeelingof the genre beingamix of countryand indie.
The indie isshownthroughthe style of the magazine andthe countrythroughthe continuousgreen
colourthroughout.Itremindsme of magazines‘Kerrang’havingaunique feel toit.
3) What do you think of the colour scheme and its relationshipwiththe genre?Challenge or
developit?
Participant1: The colour scheme nodoubtedlydevelopsthe genrewhichthe otherpeople here
have said.The greencolourgivesa feelingof nature andcalmnesswhichiswhatthe
indie/countrymusichastoit.
Participant2: Definitely!It’sgoodthatthe colour isn’tonlygreenasitwouldhave beenabit
repetitivewhichwouldhave beenboring,butthe additionof burgundyandreddevelopthe
magazinesgenreswell.
Participant3: The greendoesverymuch sobut I thinkthe secondary,lesspredominantcolours,
such as the greydoesn’tdevelopitasmuch as the green,howeveritdoesgive itanoldtype of
feel whichmaydevelopthe genre aswell.
Participant4: Yesone hundredpercent.The greenisusedtoa nice extentandportraysthe
genre verywell.Iwouldn’tthinkitwasaclubmusicmagazine or mostothergenresbecause of
the style andthe use of the greencolour.
Participant5: Eventhoughit isa greenissue whichdefinitelydoesdevelopthe genre,Ibelieve
evenwithoutthe special editionmagazineissue,the magazine developsthe genre because of
the style andpatternsused,eventhe clothing!

3. 4) The use of text fonts,is it limitedor enough?
Participant1: Lookingat the productions,there doesn’tseemtobe manytextsfonts;Ican
onlypickout twoor three.I thinkthisisby far enoughastypically,followingconventionsof
musicmagazines,youwouldn’tsee manydifferenttype of texts.
Participant2: I thinkthat lookingatall three productionsthere israrelymore thanthree.I
like thisbecause Ithinkitgivesthe magazine aprofessional andneatlook.Ithinkhaving
more than three wouldmake anypage looka bituntidyandwithlittle information.
Participant3: Asthe frontcoverusedthree differentfonttexts,Ithinkthat,thatcouldhave
beencarriedonthroughthe nexttwopages,whichmayhave made the pagesseemless
formative andmore fun such as the contentspage, butthe coloursand the interactivityof
the pageshave solvedthe problemmore orless.
Participant4: twois byfar enoughI think.The use of textand the editingof themworks
whichmakesitlooklike there ismore thantwoused.Textisstructurednicely,andexample
wouldbe ‘Iceland’onthe contentspage whichlooksboldandreallymakesyouthinkabout
the significance orinsignificance of the word.
Participant5: Maybe three wouldhave beenbetterasitwouldhave beenavariationand
may make the pageslooka bitmore funthan informativelikesaidbefore.Butapartfrom
that the pagesstill lookfunkyandexciting.
5) Are the feature articlesrelevantto the magazine?
Participant1: The feature articlesIthinkare reallygoodto grab people’sattention.Ifirst
one I can spot isunderthe ‘Franz Ferdinand’titlewhichsays“Stage fright?All the time!”I
thinkthisreallyworksbecause itisunexpectedfromasignerandtherefore wouldgrab
people’sattentions.‘The ByardsvsThe FleetFoxes’alsoisagoodone because I’dlike tosee
whatthe rivalryisandwhy there isone inthe firstplace.
Participant2: The feature articlesare goodand theyall have the effectthatyouwant to read
aboutit after.But I thinkyoucouldhave usedmore feature articles,downthe bottomright
of the page or made the textsmaller.Apartfromthisthe feature articlesare all good.
Participant3: All the feature articlesare goodandthe use of the ‘Arctic Monkey’one which
has a controversial quote notan introto whattheirfeature article will be about.Language is
reallywell usedbecause Iwouldn’thave knownaboutthe otherfeature articlesbutbecause
theyare smallergroupsIhaven’theardof feature articlessuchas“Folkpopsnew religion”is
reallyappealing.
Participant4: The feature articlesIthinkare relevanttothe magazine because the soundof
the group namesalreadytellsme the genre,andthe use of texttodescribe theirfeature
articlesisdifferenttowhatyouwouldsee inanothermusicgenre magazine.

4. Participant5: The feature articlesare relevanttothe genre youare doing.The groups I have
neverheardof but the language usedmakesme wantto.As the otherhave mentioned
language suchas “Stage Fright?All the time!”thisisreallyappealingtome because inthis
genre the groupmust be bigand you wouldn’texpectpeople of theircalibretobe scaredof
singingif theyhave done ittime andtime again.
6) Have I used appropriate language for all three mediaproducts?
Participant1: All three articleshave usedlanguage reallywell.The frontcoverhasnice
feature articlesandthe language theyuse isappealingsuchasthe ‘ArcticMonkey’s’agroup
I like.The contentspage hasa nice use of the editorial andonce more the language isreally
goodin itbecause itgivesme a prevue of whatI can expectinthe magazine.The double
page spreadusesnice coloursand texttoemphasise alotof the writingandcrucial events.
Participant2: YesI thinkappropriate language hasdefinitelybeenusedinall three pieces.
The contentspage has nicelysetoutarticlesandtheirpage numbers,undersubheadings
such as ‘News’and‘Radar’whichIlike a lot.The double page spreadisalsonicely setout
withthe quotationsandthe title forthe page beingboldandevidenttopeople whowould
flickthroughthe pages.
Participant3: All the language isusedverywell.HoweverIthinkyoucouldhave usedswear
wordsto make it evenmore appealingbecause peoplelikeme wouldn’texpectthatfrom
any magazine there attractingme tosee the attitude of the person.Apartfromthat I think
youhave affectivelyappealedtothe audience withyourlanguage.
Participant4: I reallylike the language usedasmentionedinthe previousquestion.Not
manygroups I wouldknow,butthe use of language toattract me and the audience isgreat.
The bestone wouldbe the FranzFerdinandone butjustas goodis the ‘Noahand The
Whale”.Language inthe contentspage alsoappealsto me because the one of the feature
articlesisdisplayedwithgooduse of language.
Participant5: Language I like throughoutall pieces!The editingof certainwordsandphrases
alsowork toadd emphasis,suchas‘Iceland’inthe contents page andincreasedquotesfrom
the artist inthe double page spread.The structure of the language isgoodas ithas an effect
that youwant to readabout it.The double page spreadhasreallynice quotationsused
whichmake me feel surprisedfromwhathe hassaidbut I thinkyoucouldhave useda few
swearwordsif your personisthat type of guy.
7) Do the horizontal patternsat the top and bottom of the page work?
Participant1: I thinkthe use of those patternsdefinitelyworksif itistryingto portray the
magazine genre!The patternslookverycountry,rural themedwhichIthinksuitsthe
magazine youare doing.

5. Participant2: The patterson the page I thinkworkbecause theymake the page lookbolder
and more exciting.Withoutthe patternsIthink the page wouldbe toobland.Theyreally
workin showingyourmusicgenre.
Participant3: I reallylike the patternsbutIthinkthere couldhave beenacontinuationof
themmaybe inthe contentspage and doublerpage spread,butcertainlyinthe contents
page.If you continuedit,Ithinkitwouldhave workedasyourtheme throughevery
magazine youpublishnotjustaone off ‘Greenaddition’
Participant4: The patternswork onthe frontcoverif theyare a piece of designaswell as
presentingyourgenre tothe audience.Ilike itasa piece of designaswell because itclearly
establishesyourindie musicgenre.
Participant5: as everyone hassaid,the genre isdefinitelypresentedthroughthe patterns
and itis a nice design,butIthinkyou should have continueditthroughoutthe paper,
especiallythe contentpage.
8) In what ways are you attracted or not to all pieces?
Participant1: the frontcover I like because itshowsitisa special additionwiththe ‘green
issue’.The feature articlesare alsoappealingbecausetheyall create acontroversial
message,suchas“Stage fright?All the time!”because youwouldn’texpectthatfromartist
ina famousandpopulargroup.The colourtheme isverynice tolookat as well,andthe
double page spreadgetsmyattentionbecause itlooksinteractive,funandexciting.
Participant2: The biggestwayI am attracted to yourpiece isthe double page spread.Ithink
that youhave usedthe coloursreallywell tocreate a happyand excitingmood,andthe
artisthimself showsafunandboldcharacter throughthe camerashot.I like the wayyou
usedthe textediting,in‘Iceland’inthe contentspage,Itmakesitboldandnoticeable,
attractingme straightawayto the feature article.
Participant3: I reallylike the wayyoumade the genre evidentinthe frontcover.The green
colour,the use of language all worksreallywell.Iwashopingthere mighthave beenmaybe
one or two more feature articlestoaddmore hype and appeal tothe audience if theywere
to pick it up andscan throughit. The contentspage isnice laidout across twopageswhich
letyouput a lot of textintoit.The double page spreadisexcitingandIlike the wayyou used
the globe onhisfingerto showhow he has alreadysethiseyesfora biggerchallenge.
Participant4: I am attractedto your piece throughthe use of the language inall three pieces
such as “Is the worldreadyforUK’s new indie king?”inthe frontcover,“Iceland?Bringon
the world”in the contentspage andof course inthe double page spread“UK,isonlythe
beginning”reallygrabsmyattentionastheyare contentious.The use of imagingof the artist
inthe contentspage alsoworksto show how significanthe is.Maybe abit more colouror
patternscouldbe put on the contentspage.

6. Participant5: I reallylike the usesassaidbefore the language andimage.The imagesof
‘Luke Clark’are usedinall three whichtellsme asan audience the significanceand
importance of himinthe article.The colourscheme throughoutkeepsthe ‘greenissue’in
tack, and I like the feelingof the magazine beingexclusiveandaone off. The layoutof the
three page challenge conventionsIwouldusuallysee inothermusicmagazineswhichmakes
it nice as itsdifferentandunique,notthe same aseveryother,especiallythe doublepage
spreadwhichlooksverygood.
9) What doesthe size of the image on the front coverinferto you about the person?
Participant1: The size of ‘Luke Clark’is a mediumshot/longshotwhichisobviouslytryingto
getas muchdetail aboutthe character as possible.Ithinkfromanaudience perspective it
showsthe magazine wantto focuson himmainlyandshowinghissuperiorityinthe
magazine.
Participant2: The image of the mainartiston the front coverisappealingtome as he looks
un- intimidatedandpowerful.The use of the guitarprop showshismusicgenre type.The
mediumshotisdone toemphasise andgive me the feelingthathe isthe nextbigthing,and
the seriousstraightface givesthe impressionhe isconfident.
Participant3: The main image coversthe mastheadwhichI thinkshowshow bighe is
comparedto the restof the feature articlesaswell asthe magazine,emphasisinghispower.
It showshisdominance overthe otherarticlesandthathe is the mainstar of the show.
Participant4: ‘Luke Clarks’mainimage islarge and coversthe mast head.Ithinkthisisa
goodideaif the article revolvesanditbasedaroundhimself.‘Luke’lookslike aserious
character that has highambitionsandwantstoreach the top withhisNVCandposture.
Participant5: ‘Luke’portraysthe indie/folkpopgenre reallywell throughthe use of props.
His personalityisshownthroughthe shottype,whichisamediumandrepresentshim
10) If there were room for improvement,whatimprovementswouldyou make?
Participant1: as mentionedbefore Ithinkthatthe frontcover,to the rightside isa bit
squashed,soyoucouldhave thoughtoutspreadingthe feature articlesacrossthe page
differentlyorhavingone lesssoitisn’tasclustered.ApartfromthatI reallylike it.
Participant2: I saidthat ‘Mainlyindie’onthe contentspage wasa bitto small andthe ‘This
month’on the same page couldhave beenmovedabit more central and furtherawayfrom
the textbelow,buteverything elseisreallygood.
Participant3: issomethinglackinginthe contentspage whichmakesitlookmore
informative andseriousthenitshouldbe.Maybe addingsome sortof designtothe
backgroundmay make itlookbetterbutI thinkthere needstobe a bit more on the contents
page. The textmay have usedone more fontbut that mayhave not workedaswell.

7. Participant4: I thinkyourthree piecesare all verygood.The only criticismIwouldgive youis
that the contentspage colourslooklackinginenergy,somaybe changingthe colourfroma
darkergrey to a littergreenora completelydifferentcolour.
Participant5: The contentspage as othershave mentionedlackedabitof energy.Iwould
add the patternsfromthe front coverontothe contentspage or as justsaidchange the
colourto make it lesssimple andratherlivelier.