Evaluation Question 7

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

When comparing my preliminary task to my main task, I think I have improved greatly in terms of my understanding of how to appeal to your target audience. Personally, I think that my music magazine looks a lot more professional, compared to my school magazine that looks very basic and undeveloped. In my opinion, I think that this is mainly down to my extensive research for my music magazine and also the fact that when I was creating my school magazine, I was only just learning how to use the software, and therefore had a very basic understanding of what it was capable of doing. Through practice in my preliminary task, I was able to improve my skills and widen my understanding of how important every single component of a magazine is, such as the font you use or the colour scheme included. In my preliminary task, I used the same font throughout the front cover and contents page, just in different sizes. Through research and comparison, I quickly learnt that by using a few different fonts, it can give you an effective and pleasing outcome. I used this knowledge when creating my music magazine, and experimented with different techniques to find out which looked the best. I didn’t know this when doing my school magazine, therefore it didn’t look as good as it could of done, but I think my music magazine looks very impressive considering the facilities and technology I had available to me.

            Through careful planning, I was able to create an exact idea of what I wanted my final outcome to look like, and I am very pleased with the result. I learn from my preliminary task that you can’t just sit down and create the perfect magazine- you have to do extensive research and careful planning to ensure that you have everything you need and have taken into consideration what is actually possible.

Overall, I am very pleased with my final result, as I think it is evident that my skills have grown throughout the project and I have used them to the best of my ability. I put my new-found skills down to plenty of research and planning, and I hope that this is obvious in my finished product.

Evaluation Question 6

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

In order to successfully create my magazine, I had to learn how to use various new computer programmes such as PhotoShop, CorelDraw and Prezi. These all contributed towards my creation of my front cover, double page spread and contents page.

For my photoshoot, I used a digital camera with a standard lens to ensure that I got professional results. Because I took my photos during the evening, I had to use 2 lamps to correctly light the camera shot. After taking the photos, I uploaded my favourite ones to Adobe PhotoShop to adjust colours and lighting. Ideally, I would of liked a different background for my photos- maybe just plain white?- and less shadows. Unfortunately this was not possible due to the facilities that were available to me, so I edited the photos to the best of my ability to make them look as professional as possible. I have experience with PhotoShop due to Art GCSE, so I was pretty comfortable with using it to enhance my photography.

            I used CorelDraw to create my preliminary task and main tasks. This was my first time using the programme, and I found it very difficult at first, but after learning the basics, my understanding of the programme became clearer, and it was therefore easier to create a product that I was happier with. However, I would of liked to of learnt more about what CorelDraw can do, as I feel that if I did have fuller knowledge of how to use it, then my final product would have been of a much higher standard.

            This project also introduced Blogger to me, which I have used to present all my work on. Although it was my first time using it, I felt that I grasped the concept of how to use Blogger fairly quickly, therefore ensuring I was able to successfully document my work clearly and efficiently. I really liked working on Blogger, as it was easy to upload photos and write about them. I also learnt how to create labels for each of my posts. These tell you what each post is about so it is easier to find what you are looking for. I would probably use Blogger again as it wasn’t difficult to understand, and it was very simple to use.

            During the creation of my magazine, I also tried using Prezi. Honestly, I didn’t really like using this website as I had no clue how to work it and there wasn’t clear instructions. I managed to make one prezi and post it up to my blog, but I decided not to use it again as it took up way too much time by just trying to figure out how to work it. I decided I liked the simple way of just typing up my work and posting it onto Blogger, it was much more efficient and I wasn’t wasting time trying learn how to use various programmes.

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

By keeping in mind the ages and gender of my target audience (females aged 15-25) throughout the creation of my magazine, I was able to adapt everything to attract them, such as the colours used, the model and the poses she did, the content of the magazine and the language used.

            I always liked the idea of using bright colours to capture the attention of the target audience, and even though some people may say that it’s nothing new- the majority of magazines use the technique of bright colours- it is obviously proven to work otherwise no one would do it! They make the magazine look fun-filled and exciting to read, therefore attracting the attention of fun-seekers and young people.

            I chose my model very carefully as I had a specific idea of what I wanted her to look like. I specifically wanted a blonde female, as her blonde hair would enable any bright clothing or makeup to stand out. I then did her makeup using glitter and bold colours, meaning that it would draw potential readers’ eyes to the centre of the front cover. I then told my model to pose as if she was having loads of fun with her friends, and was care-free. I told her that I didn’t want the photos to be too ‘sexy’ as I wanted the character of the popstar to be loved by everyone and ‘squeaky clean’, so she did a variety of innocent poses such as her laughing and joking around with props such as a tiara and cat ears.

            When writing the coverlines on the front cover, I felt that it was important to keep in mind that it was a chart music magazine specifically for 15-25 year old females. Because I am personally in that group of being a female aged 17, I found it pretty easy to  identify what my target audience would be interested in, such as going to concerts and festivals during summer, a strong interest in current boy bands such as One Direction, and wanting to look like your favourite celebrity. I used this knowledge to my advantage and created a front cover perfectly suited to my target audience.

            Lastly, I also focused on the language I used. Personally, I know I prefer it when magazines are quite ‘chatty’ and write in a friendly, causal style, so that is what I aimed to do. I tried to use colloquial and informal language where possible, so that readers perceive the magazine as a type of friend, and find it enjoyable and pleasurable to read.

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my magazine is females aged 16-25. I chose this target audience to base the creation of my magazine around because not only are they interested in music, but they are also interested in the fashion, the gossip, the scandal and the lifestyle that surrounds it. I aimed my magazine at people who prefer chart music in particular because it is the most popular genre of music, so there is a lot of other things included in it, such as fashion trends and reality TV such as The X Factor and The Voice, which focus on finding the next up and coming popstar who has the potential to  dominate the charts.

This is my Lifestyle Profile of an average person included in my target audience:

 Female ages 16-24

 clothes shopping, interested in fashion,  music, goes to nightclubs, gym member, busy social life.

Social status: B, C1, C2.

Interested in chart music, downloads music

Smartphone

Uses twitter,facebook,instagram.

Attends music festivals/concerts 3-4 times a year

Influenced by musicians image

Evaluation Question 3

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

It is well known that the most common way of advertising and distributing magazines are in shops such as WHSmith, which have proven very successful for many different varieties of magazines. However, the only way potential readers would be able to see the various magazines is if they actually walk into the shop, and with internet shopping becoming a very rapidly growing industry, I have decided that the internet and social networking sites in particular is the way to go. If I was to advertise my magazine on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram, then the amount of people who see it would be much more than if my magazine was just on a shop shelf, especially as recent studies have shown that more than 250 million tweets are made per day, and over 800 million updates on Facebook! It was also shown that 18-25 year olds spent up to 8 hours a day on the social networking sites, and considering this is very close to my target audience, I think it’s safe to say that they would definitely come across an advertisement for my magazine! The fact that I have included a ‘hashtag’ in the name of my magazine ties in perfectly with the idea of mainly advertising my magazine on the internet, as it has the potential to become a ‘Trending Topic’ on Twitter, meaning that millions of people would see it. Another advantage of using a hashtag and advertising on the internet, means that it has the potential to turn into a brand, as people would simply see the name ‘#beat.’ And want to find out more. During my research, I also found out that many magazines are also starting to put additional content onto their social networking profiles for each issue, therefore encouraging readers to visit their page, which could lead to their friends seeing it and so on. Obviously I would still need to actually sell my magazines in shops, but I love the idea of doing all the advertising and branding on the internet.

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The target audience for my magazine is females ages 16-25, interested in chart music and all the gossip, fashion and scandals surrounding it. I wanted to incorporate all these elements into magazine but wasn’t quite sure how to do that, so I looked into a variety of different magazines such as Billboard, Rolling Stone and Q. In addition to this, I also researched non-music magazines that were aimed at a similar target audience as mine, but focused on things such as fashion, lifestyle and gossip, so I looked at Cosmopolitan, Sugar and Glamour. After looking at both types of magazines, I attempted to bring them all together to create one unique magazine that my target audience would love. I feel that I did this successfully, as I took inspiration from the non-music magazines for the house style and general ‘look’ of my magazine, as well as taking inspiration from the music magazines for the content of ‘#beat.’ The outcome is an exciting, upbeat appearance with all the essential musical related content that my target audience would be prepared to pay for.

The model included in the magazine is wearing trendy clothing which my target audience is likely to wear- the brand Boy London is a known favourite throughout young people at the moment. The fact that the model is wearing this popular brand makes her desirable as a role model. Her makeup also plays a big part in the final image, as it is very vibrant, glittery and unique- something which young females aspire to be. I also asked my model to pose in a way that connotes a fun, care-free personality, which I think she did very well. For example, the front cover image, in which she is posing with her hand partially covering her face is unusual, as in most magazines you would expect to be able to see the models whole face, but I quite like the way she is hiding behind her hand- it suggests that she has a secret, and if you read the magazine, you will find out what she is hiding. However, the image is still playful and quite innocent looking, therefore reinforcing the idea that she could be a potential role model for readers. The image used in the double page spread is very much the same, as she is posing with her tongue out- again, something you wouldn’t expect to see in a magazine. This emphasises the whole suggested personality of the model – carefree, excitable, and constantly seeking fun. This gives the magazine a slightly informal feel, which I like because my target audience of teenage females would prefer the idea of a casual, relaxed feel to a magazine.

Evaluation Question 1

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

Through plenty of research and planning, I discovered that to create a successful and memorable media product, the use of forms and conventions is essential. Whether you follow the typical conventions, or challenge them- it all contributes to the outcome of your final product. For my magazine, I decided to generally follow the typical conventions of other magazines- this is where my extensive research helped me. Throughout my whole project I included the use of very bright, fun and eye-catching colours, as I found evidence that this would attract my target audience. During my research, I also found out that the majority of people thought that a music magazine aimed at females aged 16-25 should be very fun and quite informal as it suggests a ‘friendly’ atmosphere when reading the content of the magazine. I really liked the idea of my magazine having a companionable and sociable feel to it, so that people would actually enjoy reading it, and feel that they could interact with it. The use of a ‘hashtag’ in my masthead reinforces the idea of an interactive media product, as readers could get involved with the social networking side of my magazine, but this actually challenges the typical forms and conventions of most magazines, as social networking sites such as twitter are relatively new and exciting, therefore not many magazines include conventions that appear on websites like that. In addition to this, the hashtag masthead is my unique selling point, as there isn’t anything else like that in the magazine industry at the moment.

          The actual layout of my front cover uses the typical forms and conventions of a magazine to its  advantage- the bright colours, eye-catching images and busy lay out all contribute to attracting the target audience.

Final Contents Page

This is my final contents page for my magazine. Just like the ones that I researched, I kept it bright but simple, so it focuses on the actual content of the magazine. I'm happy with my finished result as it looks exactly how I wanted it to, and it fits in with the general house style of my front cover and double page spread.

Contents Page Research

This is another contents page I really like- it's so bright and colourful, and looks as if it is aimed at a similar target audience to my magazine. I will use this contents page as inspiration for my own, for example the simple layout and eye catching picture. 

Contents Page Research

This is a contents page from Glamour magazine. I like this contents page because it is so simple and straight to the point. It is clearly set out with one simple, big picture. The masthead is also very large, therefore reinforcing the name of the magazine.

Final Double Page Spread

This is my final Double Page Spread, which I am very happy with. It portrays the whole 'bright, fun, crazy' vibe which is my general house style of the magazine. I think the style of the double page spread matches the style of my front cover, so it is relatively clear that they belong to the same magazine. :)

Double Page Spread Mock-Up

This is my mock-up of my double page spread. This will give me a clear idea of how I want my double page spread to look and everything I will need to include. I decided on this layout by taking inspiration from Cosmopolitans double page spread. I think this is a very clear layout and will give me the opportunity to use a large picture. I like the idea of that because I've always wanted my magazine to be very visually exciting through the use of bold colours and iconic poses. 

Double Page Spread Research

This is a double page spread from Cosmopolitan magazine. I like this because it is simple yet effective with the use of bright orange. Even though there isn't much writing, the big picture that takes up a whole page adds to the effectiveness of the article. I will use this double page spread as inspiration for my own magazine as it matches the house style of my magazine '#beat.'

Final Front Cover

This is my final version of my front cover. After listening to what my friends thought about my first draft I was easily able to make improvements to my magazine to make it more appealing to my target audience. I'm very happy with the final outcome as I have achieved exactly what I wanted- bright, bold colours; an interesting main image and a professional finish. I went back and asked the same people what they thought of the final version:

Lucy: I really like this version as it looks a lot more professional and I would definitely buy this if it was on a shelf with various other magazines, as it instantly stands out and is very eye-catching.

Anna: I prefer this version so much more as it looks a lot busier- but in a good way. It  is covered in exciting articles that would persuade me to buy for the magazine.

Demographics and Rate Cards

As part of my research I looked into various magazine rate cards. These show the demographics of the specific magazine clearly.From researching existing rate cards I created my own one for my magazine.

Lifestyle Questionnaire

For my lifestyle questionnaire, I asked 5 16-25 year old females about their general thoughts on music magazines and what they expect when buying one. I asked this group of people because they match my target audience, therefore I would receive more accurate feedback when asking about improvements for my magazine. When asked how much they would be willing to pay for a music magazine, 3 people said £2.00-£3.99, 1 person said £4.00-£5.00 and 1 person said £5.00+. Unsurprisingly, the majority favoured the £2.00-£3.99 price bracket, which is what I expected. These results show that people are generally willing to pay various prices for magazines, probably due to the fact that people have different price budgets or different expectations when it comes to magazines. I also asked the group about the content of a music magazine and how many pages they would expect it to include. 1 person said 50-69 pages, 1 person said 70-89 pages and 3 people said 90+ pages. Again, this result does not surprise me, as i have thoroughly researched music magazines and found that they had between 90 and 160 pages in them.When asked about advertisements in music magazines, the whole group said they would expect to see advertisements relevant to them, for example, concert tickets, festivals and music events or the latest song by their favourite artists. Finally, I asked them about  their music genre preference. 4 people selected 'chart music' as their favourite to listen to, and 1 person selected 'indie rock'. Considering my magazine is a chart music magazine, I was happy with this result as I can rely on the groups' answers to assist me with improvements to my magazine. 
To expand on this information, I asked 2 females to evaluate my front cover in more detail:

Lucy: "The thing that catches my eye mostly on the front cover is the interesting name. '#beat.' I like this because it instantly makes me feel that the magazine is relevant to today and all the things that teenagers are generally interested in- social networking sites like twitter. The bold colours used also draw me in as they are fun and playful - i don't like it when a magazine is too serious and formal. However, I think the front cover looks a bit empty, there needs to be more content to make the magazine look more interesting."

Anna: "This front cover would instantly catch my eye on a shelf full of other magazines due to the name of it and the bright colours. I love the main image as it is quite unusual how the model is partly covering her face, but I see that as a positive thing because it would make me curious and want to read on. It also draws attention to her eyes, which are covered in glitter. I really like the colourful, glittery make-up as it is very girly and powerful, but I do think the spacing of the writing is a bit odd, and it doesn't look like there is much included in the actual magazine- this would put me off reading it."

After reading the evaluation's of my friends, I now know that I need to add more to my front cover to make it more enticing to potential readers. :)

Front Cover

 This is the first draft of my front cover. I think this fits the specification of colourful and fun, but I think a few improvements could be made, so I will ask three fellow students what they think of it then use their comments to improve the cover.

http://prezi.com/n3retl3lnqqf/title-choices/

Selection process of front cover image

These are my favourite photos from the photoshoot, as I think they represent everything I wanted my magazine to be: fun, colourful, inviting and eye-catching. I made sure the model I used was of similar age to my target audience: 16-25. 

Photoshoot Planning

Photoshoot Planning Sheet

Photoshoot Title:

 Front Cover Main Image, Double Page Spread photos.

Photoshoot Concept:

My magazine focuses on pop and chart music, aimed at females aged 16-25, so the photos I take will have to appeal to that target audience. I will mainly focus on bright colours to create a loud and eye catching front cover.

Aims:

I want to achieve very bright and colourful images, using one of my friends to pose as a famous pop star. I want her to look like she could be a role model to the readers of the magazine by looking cool and fashionable. After taking the photos, I will use Photoshop to adapt the colours and brightness of them- I want them to be seriously eye catching and bright.

Date & Timings:

I will take the photos during the half term( 18^th- 25^th February)and make sure I take them during the day to ensure I have natural light. I only want a white background in the photos to make the colours on the model stand out even more, so I will not need to book a venue or location.

Location:

I will take the photos against a plain white wall in my house or in school.

Props:

As I want the photos to be as bright and colourful as possible, the only props/costumes I will need are makeup, face paint, glitter etc. I will use items of my own clothing in the photos.

Models:

My friend Lucy will pose as the famous pop star featured in my magazine, as she has blonde hair and I wanted to use the light colour to my advantage.

Team:

My friend Anna will assist me with taking the photos as she does Photography A level and has the right camera. I will do the styling and make up on the model as I have a specific idea of what I want her to look like. (bright makeup, draw on her body with face paint and glitter etc)

Who will help you with the photoshoot - stylist, make-up artist, etc.?

Equipment & Preparation:

I will use my friends camera (Canon 550d) for the photos, however I will not need to use a tripod as I want the pictures taken from various angles. I am taking them during the day so I will probably not need additional lighting either.

Desired Shots (Draw sketches)

Here you should think about the shots you want to capture; think about the camera angles you could use, how you could arrange the lighting, some ideas for compositions, vantage points, use of colour etc. Pre-visualisation of the shoot is key to getting successful images and ensures you have considered the potential of your photoshoot. You may wish to do a storyboard if you want your images to tell a story. What visual communication tricks will you use to ensure your image is strong and your message is clear?

Reference images:

  

Mock-up Magazine cover

This is my mock-up of my magazine front cover. This gives me a basic idea of how I want my front cover laid out,and therefore will help me with my ideas for my photoshoot. This layout focuses largely on the main image, as I love the idea of having an iconic picture that stands out.

LifeStyle Profile

 Female ages 15-24

 clothes shopping, interested in fashion,  music, goes to nightclubs, gym member, busy social life.

Social status: B, C1, C2.

Interested in chart music, downloads music

Smartphone

Uses twitter,facebook,intstagram.

Attends music festivals/concerts 3-4 times a year

Influenced by musicians image

This is my contents page for the preliminary task, and similar to the front cover, i tried to make the colours bright and interesting so that the magazine would appeal to my target audience of students at school. Again, i think that this is eye-catching and successful at grabbing potential readers' attention.

School Magazine Front Cover

This is my final front cover for my School Magazine preliminary task. I made sure that I kept reffering back to my mock-up to make sure that the layout ended up how I initially wanted it to. I'm happy with mthe end result as it is eye-catching due to the bright colours I used, yet it stays with the theme of a school magazine.

Mock-Up of School Magazine Cover

This is my mock-up for my school magazine cover. I have done this so that I clearly know where everything on my front cover will be positioned, so that I have a good idea of what will look good and whether it will be appealing to my target audience or not. I like this layout because it is simple but still shows off each feature clearly. For example, the way the kickers or coverlines are postioned around the sides of the front cover make sure that the main image is still prominent enough to catch potential readers' attention.

Billboard Music Magazine Analysis

Masthead- The house style of Billboard magazine is centred on the masthead – sans serif font, with colours circles filling in the spaces of the letters. Similar to most magazines, the masthead doesn’t actually have to be seen completely for potential readers to know what magazine it is, due to the iconic masthead.

The covers are colourful and striking, and although the font and placement of the various cover lines changes throughout the different issues, the reader can clearly see that they are reading Billboard Magazine.

The main images that Billboard use of their covers often compliment the colour scheme used in that issue, or they match up to the font colour. For example on the Carly Rae Jepson cover, she is wearing red lipstick, which matches up to the red font used. Alternatively, on the Drake front cover, the photo is in black and white so the font matches this.

Rolling Stone Music Magazine Analysis

Masthead: Even though the mast head is party covered by the main image, you can still tell it is “Rolling Stone” magazine, as the house style of the magazine is very iconic, therefore you do not need to see the whole masthead to know what magazine it is. The font of the masthead is punchy and eye catching, as the bright red contrasts against the white background.

Main Cover line: “Justin Bieber Super boy” connotes that Justin is not an ordinary teenager in the sense that he is ‘super’ and capable of huge amounts of success. The font of the main cover line, and all the other cover lines, is sans serif, and in very bold colours of red and black, matching the masthead and keeping a theme running throughout the cover.

Cover line: “The clash: the secret history of punks greatest band” implies that there is something scandalous that the public do not know about a band they have been fans of for a long time. This cover line is intriguing and would probably encourage potential readers to buy the magazine.

Main image: The main image of Justin Bieber is made to make him look quite rough and edgy, as if he is care-free and shows an unusually rebellious side to the teen singer.

The house style of Rolling Stone magazine is generally kept the same through out the different issues of the magazine, for example the Mast head is always the same font, however the colours sometimes vary. In addition to this, the layout of the covers are generally the same, with a main image in the middle and various cover lines and plugs placed around them, occasionally overlapping the image and masthead.