Evaluation

Before creating my product I analysed current magazines which relates to the music genre of my choice which was alternative magazines. Alternative magazines are targeted at a wider audience as the music genre is of a wider level for example the magazine I produced was targeted at a audience who listen to hip-hop, rap- RnB etc. After looking at magazines like Billboard and Rolling Stones I came across many common conventions, I chose to develop these conventions instead of challenging them as these are the conventions which successfully target the audience and makes the magazine successful.

Some of the conventions which I followed are: -Masthead at the top of the page The audience look straight away at the top of the magazine cover so by

having the masthead there the audiences attention is grabbed instantly -Main cover line anchoring the image -Barcode/dateline -Spine on double page -House style by having a unique style audience will not really have to look at the magazines name to

know which magazine they are looking at. In the long run it build a identify for the magazine company, here is a example:

-The magazine has a slogan which is “ Bringing you closer to music” which follows the convention of Billboard magazine which also has a slogan which is “ Experience the buzz”. The reason I decided to include a slogan was so that if someone was to say “ Experience the buzz” people would straight away recognise that it is Central magazine. Slogans are very successful convention when it comes to many different media platforms for example “I’m loving it” is a McDonalds slogan which is used in TV adverts, it has been used for a several amounts of years and is now recognised by thousands of people around the world.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Even though these magazines have different colour schemes the layout of these magazines are similar, they all have the image in the middle which cover lines on both sides. Also parts of the masthead has been covered by the image, the reason for this is that the magazine is already recognisable so the audience don’t need to see what the masthead to recognise the magazine.

Since doing my preliminary task I have learnt a lot, I now know that analysing magazines before producing your own one is very important as you are able to see what conventions are included to make a magazine successful.

Also I have built my Photoshop skills from being very basic to highly complex, I am now able to edit images and add effects to my work.

My Photography skills have improved immensely as during the preliminary task I wasn’t to sure on how to take a successful image but know I know I have to consider certain elements which includes lighting, framing, the mise-en-scene and make-up.

I have learnt about how magazines are distributed online and the traditional way and how vital representation is when it comes to producing a magazine as I had to think about how I would represent each element in my magazine to attract the target audience.

Another thing I have learnt is different ways to present my media finding to make my work look more interesting.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

During my process of creating my music magazine I came across two key technological elements which were:

SLR camera- an SLR camera is used to take clear and professional images. It is important to be able to take a image which is in focus as this is the first part of the front cover the audience will look at and it will be the main focus of the other pages too. An SLR camera allows you to control how you would like the image to be for example if your image requires movement then the photographer can use shutter speed so that the final image isn't blurry or out of focus. I firstly had to learn what each function on a SLR does but after I was familiar with the functions I was able to take successful images.

Photoshop – when I first began to use Photoshop I found it challenging as I wasn’t able to manipulate image in the way I wanted them to look, but after carrying out the preliminary task I started to become more confident with the program. Photoshop allowed me to crop, cut, change the colour of the fonts; by being able to do this I was able to make my magazine look appealing to the audience. When creating my music magazine I was able to edit images and add text fonts which I visualised in my mind. Photoshop is a good program to create a magazine as you are able to use different tool to create a professional looking product in the end.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The way in which I attracted my target audience was:

Before producing my magazine I carried out a questionnaire to find out the likes and dislikes of different age groups. I made sure that the layout of my magazine was not to busy, which is one of the factors I discovered when carrying out my questionnaire.

The target audience for this magazine are young adults ages 15-23, the reason I chose this age group is because I fall into this category and so I would be able to identify the essentials required to make a music magazine successful.

The colours which appeal to young adults as if they are to see colours which they like they will peruse the product. The colours on the front cover are of a blue and red contrast this has been done to make the magazine more eye catching. The colour blue is seen to be more of a masculine colours as it represents stability and even though red is a neutral colour between the genders girls are known to like it more as it represents a more intense and passionate person. Also the colour red stands out, this is why it is often used for road signs. The colour white is used mostly for text as this is certainly a neutral colour between the gender and like red it appeals from a distance against the shade of blue.

Another way I attracted my audience was by the images used, the images are of young adults just like them which makes it easier for the audience to relate with the model of my magazine. The make-up used on the model on the front cover is different to what you would usually see on a person of her age wearing this is done to make the model look desirable to the audience. If I had to improve any of my images it would be the last image on the contents page as the black background doesn’t look natural compared to the other two images above it.

Also I have included a freebie which is 2 free posters of Rihanna who is a successful musician which will attract the audience towards purchasing the magazine even more; also it makes it feel like the magazine is worth the money as the audience get something free out of it.

I included a different media platform of accessing the magazine through the internet : www.Central.com, the popularity of the internet is increasing so it would be a effective way to build a wider audience.

I didn’t directly address my audience this is because the alternative music magazines which I analysed didn’t directly address the audience they just got straight to the point of informing the audience. Also I asked the audience questions, by doing this I am creating thoughts in the audience mind and to find out the answer they would purchase the magazine.

The price of £ 2.30 to me is reasonable and affordable as most of the people purchasing the magazine will be students and youngsters who are just starting their careers. Also by keeping a price at a decent price it will make the audience feel like there getting there moneys worth.

How did you attract/address your audience?

The type of media institutions which could distribute my magazine they are IPC or Wenner Media as these 2 companies distribute well know magazines like Billboard and Rolling Stones, these two magazine are similar to mine.

Also the internet is becoming more and more popular by day and now magazines like Billboard and Rolling Stones are available online so following the conventions of these magazines I would want my magazine to be distributed online. As the internet becomes more popular in the long run I think the main way magazines will target the audience is though the internet. Internet is now available on different media platforms for example Smartphone devices like the iPhone were there are applications of magazine. By having a online version of a magazine allows the audience to keep up to date with the latest music new instead of waiting for the next issue to come out, audience are also able to view videos which is also a benefit as my audience are young adults who prefer watch and listen rather then read.

The two ways to distribute magazines are by physical or digital distribution.

Physical way to distribute magazines is:

Publishing Institution distributer Retailer Audience

Example:

IPC/NME WWMO WHSmith Audience

The digital way to distribute magazines is:

Publishing Institution Digital Distribution Co. or publisher self distribute using software packages

Website/ New Media Audience

Example:

IPC/NME Specialist/ZMAGS Internet/Phone Audience

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

There a six groups which audience are separated into:

A- Upper middle class e.g. doctors, lawyers and bankersB – Middle class e.g. teachers, artist and designersC1 – Lower middle class e.g. supervisors, nurses and deputy managersC2 – Skilled working class e.g. trade peopleC – Working class e.g. labor workersD – Unemployed, students, pensioners (basically people who have a very low income)

The magazine I have created is for young adults, I have represented this in many different ways. The social group for my magazine falls into the category C1, C2 and D this includes the likes of nurses and students.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The way this has been displayed on the front cover is:

The main way I targeted the audience was through the mise-en-scene of the main image.

Heavy make-up has been used creating a edgy and rough look, a teardrop drawn on with make-up going down the models face is unusual to see.

The body language of the model shows her leaning forward with her hand on her hips tilting to the side. All of these factors represent the model to be bold and confident with her appearance as a whole.

The clothes worn by the model are dull so the main focus is the models face, her facial expression show a laid back young adult who isn't really bothered about what people may think of her.

Overall looking at the image of the model it represents what young adults are all about right now. They like to be different from everyone else, young adults like to have there own style which has been shown through the model as she is shown having her own unique style.

Front cover:

The contents page has three main image which all have there own unique style going back to young adults being different.

By doing this I am showing of the variety I have within my magazine, the reason this is so important is that my magazine is targeted at a much wider audience than magazines like Vibe; so by having variety I attract a audience with different music backgrounds.

The typeface used on the contents page is the same as I used on the front cover this creates continuity and a house style. The typeface is simple, I did this intentionally so that audience are easily able to read the text without any hesitation.

Also the colours used are similar to the ones used on the front cover, I kept the colours the same so that there would be a consistent house style used which in the long run creates a identity .

Contents page:

I have chosen to have a far amount of text which does slightly go against the results I got from my questionnaire but I think there needs to be a balance throughout the magazine with images and text; also as this is an interview a far amount of text is required. I have used images to break down the text.

I have made the layout of this page simple so that the audience are easily able to navigate around the page.

Once again I have stuck to the house style which I have created throughout the magazine. By having all the pages looking similar within the magazine it allows the audience to become familiar with the magazine they are reading.

I chose to have the model in two different outfits to show to personalities. The image of the model sitting down in dressed what a typical young female adults would wear jeans, top, cardigan and heels. This allows the audience to see how normal the artist is and the clothes in the second image of the model is the same as the front cover. I think this works successfully as the two outfits contrast with each other.

Double page spread: