Research for Print Project

1. RESEARCH
Jack Hickman

2. Gaming

3. Product 1: Front Page Spread
The Masthead for the front cover is rather
easy to understand as it is a simple black
heading that simply states the word
PlayStation with the PlayStation logo and
that is it. This can be a good thing however as
this makes the masthead relatively easy to
read and returning readers will see it as more
iconic so, it doesn’t need to stand out. This
could also be because people coming across
this magazine would trust it inherently as it
shows the audience that it is Sony’s own
brand and because of this, they would be
more likely to pick it up. The colour black has
more negative connotations which are evil
and mystery but, it does help the title stand
out a little more as the background is quite
bright and the title contrasts this which
makes it easier to see. The fact that parts of
the masthead is hidden behind Kratos’ head
shows that the publishers of the magazine
have a lot of confidence in this brand to the
point where it could even be considered
arrogant. This also helps the character to
stand out more and make him feel alive.
The cover-lines for the front cover is also rather easy to understand as
they use a simple font that is bulked out so, it can be seen better by the
audience. This particularcase is quite big anyway and goes over the new
game at the time which was God of War 3 and this game just so happened
to be a new game in a pretty big and popularseries so, the magazine
could use this new big game to help advertise their magazine better. The
colour white has connotations with purity and innocence but, they don’t
actually relate in this sense because the game shown is far from these
virtues. If anything, the colour just allows the writing to stand out more
even more so than the actual title of the magazine. This is most likely
because the magazine wants the reader to pick up the magazine more for
the game then the actual magazine the company is trying to sell. There is
also some more text just below the masthead which briefly mentions
some more games that will be included in the magazine. Because they
don’t stand out too much, its safe to assume that these products aren’t
going to be nearly as important God of War is to this magazine issue then
again, this magazine is a Sony product so, they would try to advertise
more PlayStation exclusives to the viewer then games that cross over to
the Xbox as well. This is surprising as games like Red Dead Redemption
which was also another ‘big deal’ back in 2010 yet, it is just briefly
mentioned here on this magazine page.
The front cover doesn’t use a lot of images at all bit rather just one big one. The massive image is of Kratos from the God of War series which appears to be the main focus of the cover and the main focus of the
entire magazine. Kratos’ expression is angry which is one of the main points of the game as he is after revenge for the death of his family. Fans are instantly drawn in as Kratos’ anger is the primary part of his
personality and is what makes the game for some of the players so, most of the players will instantly relate to their past experiences with the other games and would buy the magazine for more information just
because of this. Because of Kratos’ iconic appearance, fans will instantly recognise it even without taking an extra look to see what it really is. The colour of Kratos’ skin is grey which is a curse giving to him by
the gods and even represents being dull and moody which, is what Kratos’ personality is so, the colour matches him perfectly. The red has connotation's to violence and pain which is mainly due to the fact that
the colour of blood is red which, helps to show how brutal the game is as it is very graphic. Red is also the colour that stands out most in the light spectrum so, viewers have a much easier time seeing and
becoming alerted by this colour. The background image is an orange/yellow colour which can represent the element of fire and it just so happens to be synonymous with anger and rage which, perfectly
describes Kratos’ personality and was most likely used for this reason.
The bar code in this product is
located nearer the bottom of
the magazine in the bottom
right-handcorner. It also
comes accompanied with a
logo for a different product
entirely which is most likely to
be the magazines sponsor.
The blobs on the front cover of this magazine seem to be about
the content of the magazine but, used in a way to advertise the
magazine even more. In a gaming magazines case it tends to be
along the lines of Easter eggs, tips for new games and interviews
with games and the like. These usually state the title of the game
first so, the audience know what game it is before even reading
the details behind the contents of the magazine.

4. Product 1: Double Page Spread
The text on this double page spread is rather
spaced out and sorted into relatively small
paragraphs so, the audience has an easier time
reading and understanding the text and is also
not overwhelmed by it. The text uses a black
font to make it very easy to read against the
white background and with the other point, you
can tell that Sony made this for the viewers
pleasure and to try and make it as easy as
possible to read. There is also a yellow section
on the left which is which is titled as info
patches; an information page for some of the
new products out on the gaming market or some
quick news regarding latest updates to games
that are not currently out yet. There is some
bigger text labelled “Amplitude gets kicked into
life” and when paired with the image, it is used
as a way to advertise not only the product but
also to draw the reader in and get them to read
the text below. The font used has this sort of
techno feel that perfectly matches the game
being discussed which seems to heavily revolve
around the sci-fi genre and even uses neon
colours to show to give it a more classic like feel
hence the use of this particularfont. The sub-
title which complements the games music is
also used as a way to briefly explain what the
game is about to try to entice the audience into
continuing. By mentioning music the magazine
has already told the audience that the game is
heavily music based which already draws in
people that enjoy heavily enjoy music and
entices them to read on. They also include a
statistic essentially showing off how much
money the game made from bankers to try to
impress the audience and give them the idea
that the game is unique and fun. The text also
mentions “The Big 10” which is 10 different
stories that ‘everyone is talking about’ regarding
gaming. This brings the reader in as they would
check this page more out of curiosity then
anything else.
There is quite a variety of images the Double Page Spread uses here. The main image that stands out the most here is the image in the centre of the 1st
page and crosses over to the 2nd page. The image is of a game called Amplitude which is a music game that has the player try to recreate a chosen song
by successfully hitting notes as the ship passes over it. After the end of the session, the player is graded on how many notes they got as well as the
difficulty they played and this is added up to create a score for the player as well as a grade. The image really draws you in as the scenery looks really
interesting and often, the latest Sci-Fi game can draw the audience in for that reason; its creative, amazing to look at and mind-blowing. There aren’t
really a lot of images that stand out that much after the main image. There is an image of a man playing a guitar under the main image on the left page
but, this image lacks the same effect and it seems to make up for it by using text underneath the image, explaining who the person is and the type of
feet's he has accomplished and it is that part that draws he reader in rather than the actual image. I suppose it does draw the reader in enough to read
what it is all about but, it still does not have the same effect the main image has. The other images include an image of the old ship from the classic
Amplitude game that came out on the PS2. This image uses the previous image as a way to draw the reader in, especially to the text just underneath
which explains exactly what it is briefly. Using this method is similar to the way company’s advertise classic versions of the food alongside the new
version of that particularfood that is coming out; its suggesting that players will be more likely to pick up the classic game as well now that the new one
has just come out. The next image is another image of the new Amplitudegame but, a different section of the game which appears lighter, as if it were
day time in the game. There also seem to be some completely different imagery as well in the form of massive red cubes that seem to float around the
track. This image again tries to pull the audience in and proves to the audience that the main image isn’t the only scenery that is available. This also tells
the reader that there is going to be a variety of content in this game which will influence them further in their decision to buy the game.
There are other images
about naughty dog which is
a famous company that is
responsible for the
development of games like
The Last of Us, Uncharted
series and Crash Bandicoot.
Because of this popularity,
the reader will be drawn in
to read the text due to the
image being of the
companies name. There is
also an image of a character
called Fetch from the
Infamous series and this
only draws the reader in if
they are a fan of the new
infamous game and are
waiting for the
downloadable content
where you play as fetch. The
last image would only
interest the reader if they
owned a PSP or were
interested in getting a PSP
as they are giving some tips
or perhaps are selling it on a
sale.

5. Product 1:Website
The main image that this website uses seems to be
of a multitude of games ranging from Naughty
Dogs Uncharted games and The Last of Us as well
as Red Dead Redemption in the corner. Because
the images seem to be split into games that were
made by certain developers, it makes sense for
Naughty Dogs games to be in the same section.
Considering the fact that Red Dead Redemption
seems to be off the screen to the left; there seems
to be a system on this website that allows the user
to go over topics that would be interesting to the
reader such as, the fact that a third Red Dead game
is coming out later this year and a new NBA game
which is to the right may be as to why these topics
are on the latest version of the PlayStation website.
The main point of these images seems to be the
fact that they come available with PlayStation Plus
which is a streaming app available for the PS4 that
allows its users to play games from the PS3 and PS2
generations and it seems that this website is trying
to advertise it. Probably because its membership
based and they want more money most likely. This
home page also seems to lack other images but,
they most likely wanted to keep the site simple and
easy to read as well as not scare people with a huge
amount of text or images.
There isn’t really a lot of text on this
website page as the images seems to
draw out a lot of attention in the texts
stead so, a lot of the text just gives out
some of the small details so the audience
understands what the images mean as
well as information on the website. At
the very bottom of the page the text
tries to advertise certain facilities to the
user. The first of which gives the user the
option to see the latest games, most
recent deals and what’s free for the
monthly games. The second of which
tries to get the user to join the
PlayStation Network by adding a link
that will take the user to a site that gives
them the option to join/sign-up their. The
third option just simply asks if the user is
already a member and also asks if they
want to sign in. The text just over the
image says ‘Start your PS Now free trial’
which once again, tries to promote a part
of the PlayStation experience to the user
which gives me the impression that this
home page seems to focus solely on
advertising their products which I
suppose is its primary purpose but the
lack of information can be considered a
problem unless more detail is provided in
another area. The text just below the
heading gives some slight explanation as
to what PS Now includes and what it can
do which is good but the lack of detail
does raise some questions as to some of
the more complicated parts of it. The
navigation bar which is just above the
home page heading shows what content
is on what pages. A page for the PS4
which is most likely used to show the
games or the prices for the console at this
current time.
The PS VR page is to show the latest games for the VR along with the current price for the VR as well. The Games section is solely for
games but, may also go over sales that are ongoing along with DLC’s as well. Next is the PS Plus which would probably discuss the
free games for this month and other PS Plus exclusive sales but, they may go over other sales as well. The news section is most likely
going to go over games that are coming out and sales that are coming up followed by the PS Store so, users can purchase games as
long as they are logged in to the site with their PlayStation credentials. The last tab is called Help which is used to help the user if they
are struggling with the site or even if they are encountering errors on their PlayStation as well. The colour scheme that this website
uses is blue and dark greys which is used because these colours are used most of the time with the PS4 however, this leans more
towards the blue then the grey. The darker grey is used to further exaggerate the lighter blue as darker colours are useful for this
purpose. There also seems to be more white colours as well nearer the bottom which is most likely used to make some of the text
easier to read.

6. Film

7. Product 2: Front Page Spread
The masthead and the main title of
the magazine is red which stands
out more than any other colour in
the spectrum. The use of the bold
text also helps to make it stand out
more and the font makes it very
easy to read. Having a popular new
film as the focus of the magazine
also helps to draw more people in.
The dark background also helps the
masthead and main title stand out
more as well as make it easier to
read. The big text also makes the
magazine brand more recognisable.
The size of the text also makes it
easier for the audience to read and
places both the mast head and the
title of the film to the foreground
which makes them the centre of
attention for the audience. If you
look at the image now, you will
notice that you cant take your eyes
off of them.
The image on the front cover is of Leonardo
Dicaprio, an actor who plays the main lead in
Inception. His role in the film would help to
advertise this magazine as he is quite a
famous actor and would have no problem
intriguing audiences on looks alone. This
would also be more useful for audiences who
had not heard of the film before but, know
the actor so, they would pick the magazine up
on that information alone. The background
image that has been used does not seem to
have any details that stand out other then the
fact that it uses dark and light colours at the
same time. This is most likely done to give
Leonardo the chance to stand out and bring
his image to the forefront. The background
image also uses lighter colours that look like
rays of light to add more emphasis to the
actor. The background image probably
belongs to the film anyway and hasn’t being
added in during editing but, the rays of light
could have been.
The Cover lines for the front cover use both black
and white colours depending on where they are
located on the magazine. Over the actors black
suit they are white where as over the white rays of
light they are black. These colours are used to
make the text easier to read for the audience and
are used to prevent some of the text getting lost
in some of the background images. The black text
that appears on the rays of light is shown to
almost be riding the rays for enhanced effect. The
cover lines go over some of the other films that
will be discussed in the magazine and these are
usually new releases that are already popular for
instance, sequels or reboots.
This magazine also uses a small
amount of blobs and the one that
stands out the most is the one at
the bottom left with text that says
“The Complete Hitchcock” which I
imagine is some kind of TV series
that is gaining popularity, at the
time that is. It also uses red to help
the blob stand out more to the
viewer and the white text to make it
easy to read.
The second blob is nearer the centre of the page to
the right and advertises the possibility of the reader
being able to go to a movie event in 2010. This blob
uses a dark brown as well as black and white text.
These choices were most likely made because both
white and black are colours that are easy to read and
brown allows both colours to stand out just as well as
each other. There is also a bar code to the bottom
right of the magazine so, the magazine can e sold in
stores.

8. Product 2: Double Page Cover Spread
The DPS of the magazine doesn’t
use a whole lot of images as the
biggest one that is immediately
visible cover the first page in its
entirety. This image is of the
character Perseus from the film
‘Clash of the Titans’ an action film
set during the time of the ancient
Greeks with a bit of their rich
mythos included. The full-body
shot of the character is great at
getting the reader to properly
analyse the image and the
landscape he is currently stood on.
The audience can be further drawn
in by the fact that Perseus is
holding in his right-hand which
makes the reader curious as to
what it is. This curiosity can get
the reader to watch the film just to
find out what is in the sack. The
image that acts as a backdrop to
the text on the second page can’t
really be seen that well due to the
white filter that has been placed
over it to make the text more
readable however, the image
appears to be some kind of pillar in
some room which definitely reeks
of Greek architecture; fitting for
this film. There is also a smaller
image in the centre of the DPS
which is Perseus with another
character that is also integral to
the plot but the image is till
relatively random in this case as
nothing really important happens
during it
The text that can be seen in this to
the left is in various sizes and
shapes. The biggest text that
stands out the most it the text that
reads ‘Gods and Monsters’ and is
even using a gold colour to help
make the text stand out more. The
second text is just above the main
text and talks about who directed
the film and the actors that starred
in other films which means that
this part of the DPS is used to
advertise the actors and even other
films that the director has directed
and the cast have been in but, its
also possible that they want to buy
into the credit of the other films to
try to sell this film. The smaller text
at the bottom just simply goes
over some of the plot and back
story on the characters but, in
great detail. The text overall is easy
to read thanks to the colours used
and type of font that was selected
as well. It also tries its best to
explain as much as possible with
out taking up too much room.
The colours that are shown are simple colours that don’t try anything
creative but also don’t counter each other either. White and black go well
with each other quite nicely whether they are used for the text or the
background. The gold on the other hand works quite nicely with the DPS
but, also tries to add in an ancient feel to the magazine like the film it is
trying to read into. The darker colours of the background to the right give
Perseus the chance to stand out and really be at the foreground of the
image without using any filter or effects. This also helps to portray
Perseus as more of a hero as the light tone of his character makes it feel
like he is the light in the darkness whereas a more villainous character
would blend in with his environment more and seemingly feel natural
with it.

9. Product 2:Website
The website doesn’t
really use that many
images as I can only see
three here and these 3
are from different TV
shows. The first image is
from the X-files season
11 and it shows an image
of two characters who
are most likely the main
characters of the show.
The scene appears to be
tense and it gives the
impression that they are
detectives of some kind.
The second image is of a
show called Altered
Cartoon and the image
looks like a city of some
kind however, I don’t
that much about this
show to be able to
discuss it but from the
looks of it, it might be a
animated series about
something that I’m not
too sure of. The third
images is of the 1st
season of Britannia
which has an image of
the roman emperor
Nero. The show is about
the time when the
Romans invaded Britain
so, it makes for a good
historical show for some.
The website is set-up in a basic way that allows the audience to navigate the page easily and without any struggle. The
navigation bar keeps the topics simple with the website starting with a page for movies, a page for news, reviews and
features, a page for gaming, one for TV shows, one for Empire Live, another for Awards, one for Shop and two more for
Subscriptions and rewards. The site uses one word and sometimes two word phrases for the navigation bar which allows the
viewer to instantly understand where each click will take them and it shows the audience that the page is very well organised
and thought out. The colour scheme is also very basic with mostly white and only a little bit of red after that. The red is only
really seen in the Santander advert, the name of the company and the line that separates the navigation bar and advert from
the rest of the page.
There isn’t a lot of text on this page either
as it seems to only be used for the
headings and for the brief summaries of
TV shows down below. The fonts that
were used however are simple and easy to
read and the colours were black white and
red which again are colours that easy to
read and colours that wouldn’t make
viewers squint just to read them.

10. Music

11. Product 3: Front Page Spread
This front cover only has one
image and it is an image of a
singer called Drake. The image
is in black and white which is
most likely just for a fashion
statement. The close-up shot on
his face is most likely used to
place emphasis on it as they did
not use a full-body shot image
which may have something to
do with the fact that the photo
shoot didn’t even take pictures
of full-body shots or found that
the close-up was more
acceptable; perhaps it has
something to do with his outfit
being too bland or just wanting
to draw attention to his face.
The text that this front cover uses is scattered around but, still organised into rows. The text also uses a lot of colour but, nothing too eye catching
and nothing that stands out a fair deal to the viewer. The fonts that are used are simple fonts that are easy to read and the wording is pretty basic
as well as only using 5 words to explain drake in a way that advertises him. The text states that this magazine will contain an exclusive QaA with
certain people which, again, is used to advertise the magazine and get the viewer to buy the magazine. The text also mentions the world cup which
has nothing to do with singing at all but, it helps to get people interested in football into this magazine as well so, they can get more sales and then
make more money. The smaller text to the left-hand side mentions the American idol and how there ratings could have declined which again
piques the interest in the reader and tries to get them to buy the product.
The Mast head for this front cover covers quite
a lot of the top part of the page to help it stand
out. The simple fonts and colours used further
help to exaggerate this effect as it becomes
easy to read and easy to understand the mast
head uses red, yellow, blue and green for a
reason that I can’t quite describe but its most
likely used to try and add more colour to the
magazine as a whole as there is a lack of it due
to the vast amount of yellow and white.
This front cover doesn’t seem to use a lot of
blobs with the exception of one just below the
masthead which is in a blue circle. The blob
mentions Martina McBride who I believe to be a
singer. It also makes mention of a Country
Summit Keynote which probably is some kind
of film festival do believe. There is also a bar
code located at the bottom left of the page so,
people can purchase it.

12. Product 3: Double Page Spread
The images on the DPS are again only
one and this image takes up the entirety
of the left page.With some text of
course.The image is of an American
rapper called Jay-Z and it is a close-up
shot of his face just like the image on the
front cover of the magazine.This is most
likely used to draw attention to the
musicians facial features so, his fans
recognise him straight away.The image
also uses red and blue which may
represent the police as rappers tend to
make the references to the law and how
the police work, almost as if they are
pretending to be criminals .The rapper is
also wearing shades which may coincide
with the representation of the law in this
image but it could also just be a fashion
statement.This go’s alongside the
jewellery he is wearing around his neck
as well; most likely just a fashion
statement.
The text on the DPS is definitely irregular compared to all the other DPS’s I have done on this
PowerPoint as oddly enough, there seems to be a massive red J in the centre of the page.
While it is definitely eye-catching and unique, it does have a major flaw which is the relevance
of it alongside the fact that it makes the text underneath the J fairly difficult to read. The J is
supposed to represent Jay-Z but in my mind it just comes off as random and unneeded. The
smaller text also uses some distinct changes which is the classic use of enlarging the first letter
of each paragraph which isn’t really needed and can disturb the flow of the text for the reader.
The text itself is fairly small which is most likely because of how much information is present in
one page and how detailed this biography is. The text on the right uses simple fonts and red to
draw peoples attention to the quote and get people to read it.
The DPS uses a white
background to make
reading the black text
easier as this makes it
stand out more. The
general layout of the DPS
was also thought out
petty well as having the
text strictly in one section
and having it sorted into
paragraphs makes it very
easy for the audience to
read it.

13. Product 3:Website
There are only 2 images on this
website; one is of a beach on some
tropical island somewhere and the
other is of Barack Obama with two
actors. The beach image is very sunny
which draws the viewer in and gets
them interested in the holiday deal to
the left. The second image that I
mentioned is also used to pique the
users interest as having multiple
famous people that aren’t necessarily
related in one place definitely raises
one or two eyebrows. There is also
another image at the bottom of the
page showing an image of another
celebrity however, I do not know the
context of the image as the text is not
visible but, it may just be another top
10 celebrities thing. There are other
images to the right which are simply
images used to represent the 4
subjects that are mentioned. An image
of Drake for the hot 100 which is the
biggest 100 singers or songs. The
billboard 200 is most likely about the
top 200 songs with an image of Justin
Timberlake. Radio Songs which has an
image of Ed Sheeran and Latin Pop
Albums which has an image of Shakira.
It seems that these images are used
because they represent that category
better than the others.
The navigation bar
at the top of the
page has sections
for the charts,
news, video and
business. There
seem to also be sub
sections for the
navigation bar as
well and these are
Bills?, festivals, hot
100, billboard 200,
podcasts, pop,
rap/hip-hop, chart
board and artists.
The way it is set
out is organised
and easy for the
viewer to navigate
through the
website thanks to
the use of one word
phrases to help the
viewer to instantly
understand what
each page has. The setup of the website overall is simple and easy for the viewer to
understand. The colours are mostly white and black which are extremely simple
colours that don’t cause some ones eyes to strain the way yellow does. There is
also a small use of blue and orange to help spice up the colour palette for the
website. The fonts are all simple fonts to help the readers understand the
website easily and the colours that are used to also help with this effect.

14. Summary
All of the products that were analysed do have certain parts that are similar to
each other.The first of these being the use of fonts which are all simple and
easy to understand.The second of which is the colour schemes which tend to
stick to primary colours and use a lot of black and white.The mastheads are all
big and cover the top part of the front cover.The DPS’s tend to have the image
on one page and all the text on the other.The products use short sentences to
advertise certain products or even the magazine itself.The front covers use one
massive image as a focus point and small bits of text explaining some of the
stuff that this magazine has, they even have blobs to make little points that
pique the readers interest; this usually involves interviews, Easter eggs and/or
discussion about films, music or games.Websites keep a simple and reliable
navigation system along with use of images, short sentences to advertise
products as well as extra information regarding the media they are advertising.
This information includes new releases, subscription based content and top
10’s.
This research has helped me greatly as I can see what a lot of other work looks
like so, I can now develop my products keeping some of these tips in mind to
make it look as professional as possible.

15. Bibliography
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