Foundation Portfolio EvaluationSantana Stewart

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

My media product uses the same form and conventions of a real media product as I have created my own version of a music magazine.

First I created my own version of an Eccles college magazine, this helped as it gave me an idea of how to do a front cover for my music magazine, also helped me figure out the layout of a magazine, how much writing I could put on it without being to cramped.

I also analysed a contents page of the magazine kerrang, which gave me an idea of how a music magazine contents page would look like. I analysed the images, the background the type of font used as this varied with the style of the magazine.I found that with rock magazine that san serif font was sued and with other magazines suck as a r n b music magazine like VIBE serif font is used to create a posh look to the magazine.

Creating layouts for my products helped me conclude which layout I would prefer to use and which one is the better style that would help make my music magazine improve.

How does your media product represent particular social groups

I sent questionnaires to a range of people between the ages of 10 – 30. I asked a variety of questions like how much would they pay for a music magazine, what are their favourite genres of music and so on to help me see what type of music magazine fits into the age. I discovered indie magazine is the most popular magazine through out all the ages. I also asked what the public would prefer to see in a magazine and the most common answer was freebies such as Smartphone barcodes to download a track for free.

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

IPC would be a house that distributed my music magazine as they distribute NME and that is the music magazine that had influenced mine.

I also believe Bauer Media would distribute my music magazine as they distribute kerrang radio station, and that is rock.

I believe that IPC would be the house that would be most likely to distribute my music magazine as they distribute the music magazine NME. This is also a indie music magazine, they feature new and upcoming bands, likely to mine.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience of my music magazine would be anyone aged between 15-30 as they’re the average range of people that I interviewed.

My focus group helped me in deciding what I might change with my music magazine. My peers mentioned that my photography would've been better if the models in the pictures were looking at the camera, but if they’re looking away I believe it is more rock n roll like Jim Morrison.

Also I first called my band A.S but then my peers said it would look better if they had a longer name so it could travel across the page, so I changed the band name to the break ups.

They also agreed that my colours were Indie as they’re clashing, yellow and black, a bit like kerrang. Having contrasting colours makes the audience of the magazine instantly think of a rock or indie magazine as they’re clashing where as magazines like vibe use colo9urs like grey, black and white, which is classy and obviously a more calmer music as the colours match.

The font is very risky as Indie magazine isn’t formal and san serif font would usually be used but I decided to use serif and, it actually works. It makes the magazine have a bit more class.

Contrasting colours – rock magazine

Matching colours – r ‘n’ b magazine.

How did you attract/address your audience?

The content of the magazine would attract the audience as it’s indie and that is what they wanted to see. Also it’s an Indie magazine but I have added serif font for the masthead as I believe this will appeal to the older generation who will be reading the magazine.

I have also designed the front of the magazine so it is not packed full of information of what is inside the magazine making the people want to buy it and read more.

The Guttenberg design principle Image Taken from – http

://taspolytechnic.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/flow-and-gu tenberg-diagram.html

The x means, that part of the page is a weak fallow area and is hardly noticed by the eye. The arrow also shows the way the readers eye travels across the page.

Using the Guttenberg design principle as I was creating my magazine helped me arrange my magazine in a way that it would appeal to the reader as this is where they would be looking. x

x

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

Photoshop technologies- I edited this image on Photoshop. I changed the contrast to make the dark colours stand out from the white background. I also blurred the white sheet at the back of the photo as the creases where really overpowering and very noticeable.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression

from it to the full product?

Looking back on when I first made a magazine cover ( Eccles college magazine) and to the magazine I have made now ( I-NDIE UK) I have realised I have improved through out creating this.

First magazine edit Second edit