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Music magazine evaluation
1.
2. FRONT COVER
IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR
CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
I added the date and issue number as it is something
My masthead is easily readable essential to any magazine. This allows readers to
whilst keeping within the theme of remain update and also look specifically at this
the 1960s Mod and 1990s Britpop magazine if required in the future. Both of these are also
The border of my front
scenes. This allows readers to added to the contents page. In addition to this I also
cover adds a professional Firstly, my main image is in
associate this font with the said added the magazines website address, allowing for
look, whilst adding an direct mode of address,
genres and subcultures and in readers to stay up to date with the latest news and
overall frame to the appealing directly to the reader
particular, uniquely with my information as well as the magazines history and
images and texts. and focusing their attention
magazine. information.
Secondly, the border is solely to the image and then
red as not only does it link subsequently the surrounding
in with the masthead, text. This coincides well with
main story and other the fact the image is in the
features, but will also centre of the page, allowing for
appeal to any consumers text and other images to be
browsing the selection of placed accordingly.
magazines. Incentives entice
the consumer into
buying the
The strapline is a secondary line
magazine. This
commonly underneath or above the
can be done in a
masthead. This is a basic message
variety of ways,
or motto of the magazine used as a
such as free
selling line to the consumer. Often
posters (as
relating directly to the ethos of the
included on my
genre or subculture, this further
front cover),
gives the reader something to
competitions
associate themselves and their My cover lines (included on my
subculture with. For example the are all based on contents page) and
strapline featured on my magazine the same text discount vouchers.
focuses on the past traditions of the design and
subcultures of Britpop and Mod, colour, whilst
whilst indicating that there is still adjusting the
and will be for a long time, people size depending
with a passion for this scene. It on its appeal,
also indicates that readers should giving my front
take inspiration from previous cover a
years. Underneath the subtitles I added a brief appealing professional
description of the article featured, which gives the look. This adds
reader further incite prior to reading the article. to the fact it
These must be appealing along with the cover lines allows for easy
as it is a major selling point. reading.
3. CONTENTS
The images on my contents
page are centred in order to
give a column affect, resulting
in an appealing look and easy I added the date and issue number as it is
reading and navigation. This something essential to any magazine. This allows
clearly sets the layout in a well readers to remain update and also look specifically
organised manner, allowing at this magazine if required in the future. Both of
for other information to be these are also added to the front cover.
This logo adds consistent house placed either side.
style to the magazine and in
particular this page. Again, this
allows for easy viewing for the
reader.
I further added a band
index which allows the
reader to easily identify if
Continuing with the and what page a particular
organised theme , this band is mentioned on.
column (detailing the This is common in many
page numbers articles music magazines and
are on) is also structured further allows for easier
and organised with the navigation of the magazine
main focus being on as a whole for the reader.
easy navigation and Also, note the consistent
reading, whilst also being text style of the main titles.
aesthetically appealing
(the very ethos of the
mod subculture). This is
addressed by a vertical I added this self-made
line running down the symbol as it keeps the
side, along with simple house style from the
but effective titling. cover, as previously
stated. This add
consistency and a
more professional look.
This symbol is featured
Underneath the subtitles I on the front cover, here
added a brief appealing and at the top of the
description of the article contents page
featured, which gives the
reader further incite prior
to reading the article.
4. DOUBLE PAGE Imagery is crucial on a double page article as it can be
used in many varieties. The main image must be
ARTICLE title is bold, straight to the point and quite
This appealing, interesting or inspirational for example,
dramatic, giving the reader almost no option but to whilst also being practical to place text around. Here I
look at the article. This is decisive as the key to any used the right hand side of the page solely for a clear
good article and subsequently magazine, is to keep image of the artist and also the title. The image of the
the reader interested. Furthermore, I applied this font figure of the artist is framed within the wall in the
and text size to focus the reader firstly onto this background, and the wall to the right is effectively used
point, then the subsequent article and photography. for a background to the text. I added this translucent
frame to give the overall
page a more professional
look and allowing for easier
reading. Furthermore,
instead of the box being
full colour I added a slight
translucent effect to allow
for the brickwork in the
Continuing from background to still partly
the contents page, show through. This gives
this vertical line quite an urban, industrial
keeps the feel, whilst still remaining
consistency and easy to read. Lastly, this
house style. This border and box clearly
allows for readers defines the text from the
to associate this rest of the image,
layout specifically something which may have
with this been difficult to distinguish
magazine, even at if it hadn't have been
just a glance of added.
the article.
This Pull Quote is use d to
Here is the basic info of The text itself related heavily to my genre/subculture I draw attention to a dramatic,
the page – the page aimed to appeal to. The article precisely talks about the interesting or important
number and specific to this bands past, present and future, as well as other notable piece of text. While a reader
page, who the article is bands from the genre, and lastly the bands fans and is skipping through the
about. Again,. This is done audience. Throughout the article I retain the readers pages, they will see this
in the same colours as all interest by asking questions the public wants to hear, as quote even at just a glance,
titling throughout the well as language followers would be accustomed to. as a result drawing them to
magazine, again adding the article and page,
consistent house style. subsequently making them
read the it.
5. HOUSE STYLE
Throughout the magazine I aimed to keep a
consistent house style associated with my
subculture. In order to achieve I used many
shapes, borders, images and symbols.
Firstly, I chose a specific text for the name of my
magazine; „My Generation‟. This was used on
both the front cover, and contents page. this will
allow for the magazine and font to be recognised
with the magazine and genre in particular, even at
a glance.
Secondly, I created a remake of the symbol which
is commonly associated with the „Mod‟ subculture.
This was almost an addition to the text logo and
again appeared on both the front cover and the
contents page a number of times. Similar to the
first point, this symbol will be associated with the
scene and the magazine in particular.
Furthermore, I predominantly used 3 set colours
(red, white and blue) for the whole of the
magazine. This gave a professional and appealing
look, whilst also allowing for a recognisable
theme, combining with the text and symbol. These
colours were used on all pages in some form.
On the contents and double page spread I used a
blue vertical stripe which would appear on the vast
majority of pages throughout the magazine. This
combines well with the „Mod‟ subculture as it has
a keen association with stripes, circles and
symbols. This stripe added an overall more „Mod‟
look, whilst also adding a professional edge.
This title text is repeatedly used to add a
consistent feel and look to the pages, whilst also
being a simple, easily readable font.
Lastly, I used the appearance of a simple but
effective red box to add titles and basic
information to pages. This was done on the
contents page and double page spread to further
add a more professional yet still relating to my
subculture‟s look. It also linked in with the earlier
said 3 main colours I used.
6. HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?
My magazine is aimed at people of all ages (specifically young adults 16-21) who have an interest in the Mod and Britpop subcultures. I addressed this by
using a variety of related techniques and conventions. Mod roundel
badge made
Firstly, I used a specific range of colours – red, white and blue. This directly relates to both scenes with the commonly associated „Roundel‟ famous by
being of the same colours as well as the often used „Union Jack‟ and the common links with patriotism. As a result, I combined these colours on allWho’s
The the
pages created in order for the audience to further relate the said colours to the subculture and ultimately the magazine. logo.
Furthermore, I used specific fonts in order to relate to the overall „Mod‟ theme . This involved a 60s looking font for the title and logo, as
well as a more simple, smart and easily readable subtitle font which was also used in part on the contents page. This combines the mood of
the 60s with the more practical yet stylish subtitle font. Lastly, the font used on the double paged
article is bold and basic, very much like the title; “THE HOPES OF A GENERATION”.
This gives the readers something to aspire, relate and look up to.
At the forefront 60s Mod
of Britpop, the associate
Gallagher d band,
Brothers of The Who.
Oasis.
In addition , imagery used has a key part in relating specifically to the subcultures
aimed at. Firstly, my front cover is a simple shot made effective by the brick background as
well as the black and white affects, giving the style of a inner-city 60s-70s photo-
shoot. Moreover, the person is in direct mode of address allowing for a direct link with the
reader. Lastly, in all photos the person is dressed in Mod/Britpop style clothing,
weather it be consisting of a parka, slim jeans and desert boots or a polo shirt and dark
sunglasses - these combine to portray a well organised and easily recognisable
Mod look and feel, without feeling too staged or plastic. Readers will easily be able to
relate to this specific look and feel, something not available with any other music magazine,
not only as previously stated relating to the said scenes, but also creating a niche
market.
Steve
Marriot of
60s Mod
band the
Small
Faces.
7. WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT AND
WHY?
The media institution that would be most interest in my magazine would be that of Dennis Publishing. This is due to a number of reasons.
Opening in 1974, Dennis Publishing went from being a small , non profit, single office based business, into one of the worlds leading
producers and circulators of magazines. Being well known for the creation of Kung-Fu monthly as a result of the Bruce Lee boom in the
1970s, Dennis Publishing now revolutionises magazine production in traditional hardcopy, website version, mobile apps and even visual
online based magazines, with media products such as „Auto Express‟, „PC Pro‟, „Men‟s Fitness‟ and „Viz‟. With a turnover of £95 million, I
believe it would be an ideal publisher to develop my magazine. Not only would Dennis Publishing be able to use its expertise and experience
for my hardcopy versions , but also online versions, mobile apps and websites could be created specifically for my magazine. Interestingly,
Dennis Publishing does not currently own any music based magazine, therefore this would be a good addition to its company. Furthermore,
Dennis Publishing runs over 30 media websites, allowing for added advertising on these sites. Lastly, Dennis Publishing posts 25 million
subscription copies internationally alone every year. Within these subscriptions would be information on my product as well as Dennis
Publishing‟s over owned companies.
8. WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT AND
WHY?
Apart from my chosen media publisher (Dennis Publishing) there are also a number of publishers who produce other well known
magazines. For example;
- IPC Media - produces over 60 iconic media brands, with print alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK
men – almost 26 million UK adults, while their websites collectively reach over 20 million users every month. IPC divide their
magazines into 3 main categories; Men's (IPC Inspire), Mass market women‟s (IPC Connect) and Upmarket women‟s (IPC
Southbank).
IPC Inspire comprises of men‟s leisure brands including Country Life, Horse & Hound, Rugby World and Decanter, as well as
lifestyle brands including Nuts, Mousebreaker and NME.
IPC Connect comprises of women's weeklies including Look, Now, Chat and Woman; TV entertainment brands including What's
on TV, TVTimes and TV & Satellite Week and, online, the goodtoknow network.
IPC Southbank comprises of luxury fashion brands including Marie Claire and InStyle, lifestyle brands including woman&home and
essentials and home interest brands including Ideal Home, Livingetc and housetohome.
My magazine may suit this company, however as it already owns NME, it would be unlike they would want to own another similar music
magazine.
9. Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Media Group, Europe‟s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a
worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations. Bauer Media is a
multi-platform UK-based media Group consisting of many companies collected around two main divisions – Magazines and Radio
- widely recognised and rewarded as being industry innovators.
Bauer Media offers a wide range of magazines in a number of categories;
Women‟s – Heat, Closer, GRAZIA and others.
Men‟s Entertainment – Empire, Kerrang!, Q and Mojo.
Men‟s Lifestyle – FHM, Zoo and others
Sport – Match!, Golf World, Today‟s Golfer, What Bike, RiDE and others.
Motoring – Car, Classic Cars and others.
There are also a number of other magazines and media, such as Magic TV and Radio and Smash Hits. My magazine would
probably not be suited to this company as it already owns a number of high profile music magazines.
Hearst is a US based corporation who own a number of media products such as newspapers (San Francisco Chronicle, Houston
Chronicle and others) , magazines (US versions of Cosmopolitan, ELLE and Good Housekeeping and others) and broadcasting
(WCVB-TV, WMOR-TV and others). This company would not be suitable for my magazine as it is predominantly US based
whereas my magazine appeals strongly to a more UK based audience. However, this may be a good option if I wanted to expand
the magazine into America.
10. Future PLC is an international special-interest media group that was founded in 1985 with one magazine, today they have
operations in the UK, US and Australia creating over 180 special-interest publications, websites and events for people
who are passionate about their interests.
Their best-selling magazines include T3, Total Film, Classic Rock, Guitar World, and Official Xbox Magazine.
Future Media also control and maintain websites including GamesRadar.com, BikeRadar.com, TechRadar.com,
MusicRadar.com, PhotoRadar.com and Cyclingnews.com
Future sells 3.2 million magazines each month - attracting more than 23 million unique visitors to their websites, whilst
hosting 27 annual live events that attract hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts.
Future Media are a good online Media group, however they are quite a small group in terms of selling hard copies. This is
why my magazine may not be suitable as I am looking for a good balance between both. Furthermore, Future already
sells a rock music magazine, (Classic Rock) as well as a Guitar magazine (Guitar World).
11. WHO WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT?
Unlike many magazines that cater for the demands of the wider public, my magazine is aimed at people with a specific interest,
association and mind set of the Mod and Britpop subcultures. This is quite a niche market and as the magazine would be the only one
of its kind, it would have a monopoly on the market.
Specifically, my magazine would be aimed at the youth of Britain (16-21), both working-class/lower middle-class males and females
living in urban areas. Similarly, people older may also have an interest in the magazine, especially if they were a part of the original
Mod or Britpop scenes. This would lead to a very unique audience as Fathers and Sons or even Mothers and Daughters may read it!
People who are outside of these subcultures may still read this magazine, especially if they have an interest in the bands featured
even if they wouldn‟t say they belong to a particular scene of people. This could cover people who may not necessarily be a follower of
a specific magazine or subculture and instead flirt between a range of similar magazines such as My Generation (mine), Q, Mojo or
NME.
Here is a readership profile of my magazine, detailing who reads the magazine, their interests, traits, internet use and what they spend
their income on.
12. HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS YOUR AUDIENCE?
Firstly, my magazine is named after a popular 60s song synonymous with the mod scene by British band, The Who. Immediately, followers of
the subculture will be attracted to this magazine simply because of its title. The title could also relate to anyone as it is seen as „their‟ generation,
thus engaging the reader. Furthermore, the „motto‟ of the magazine is „The future is in the past‟ – directly relating to years gone by of the Mod and
Britpop scene, whilst also inferring that there is potential for a rival of these subcultures.
In addition, as stated on a previous slide, the three main colours used were that of the often associated „Roundel‟, which was also used on the
magazine on a number of occasions. These allowed for a professional looking magazine while at the same time being immediately appealing to the
target audience.
Moreover, the mise-en-scene used throughout the images gives an overall outlook that the audience can easily relate to. For example, the photo for
the double page article contains the person wearing a parka, slim jeans and desert boots – iconic with the Mod/Britpop look, and something that the
audience are also likely to be wearing. This links in with the cover page and the photo of the same artist. Here the person is in direct mode of
address, looking directly at the reader or possible reader, consequently making them feel involved and connected to the act and
subsequently the magazine. This is unique with both subcultures because it easy to distinguish as no-one else from any other scene dresses
similar. Similarly, the feature on the contents page of the band „The Draytones‟ also features mise-en-scene specific to the two scenes. Here a
person can be seen wearing a 60‟s style polo shirt along with sunglasses and a haircut commonly associated with Liam Gallagher of Britpop band
Oasis.
Along with the title of the magazine the other specific text to the audience comes on the double page spread. Here, the person the article is
focused on is quoted as saying; “Someone must take action” – this is appealing to the reader as it is almost a statement of things to come, a time
for people to look forward to and be apart of.
Another notable inclusion to attract readers is that of „Free Posters‟. Competitions and Freebies always attract extra interest to the magazine as
readers know they are either getting something along with their magazine or have the chance to win something special.
Lastly, on the front cover page it appeals directly to the „Mod‟ subculture as it states there‟s a specific article on the scene. Consequently, out of
everything included this is arguably the most influential on the readers.
13. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE PROCESS OF
CONSTRUCTING THIS PRODUCT?
Throughout the construction of my magazine I used a variety of new techniques, programmes , internet
services and software to develop and publish my magazine. Firstly I used the basics of Photoshop to edit
photos taken on digital cameras and texts, whilst combining this with InDesign which allowed me to develop
and publish the magazine itself. I found this quite interesting and easy to use, given that it was the first real
time I had used this software. However I did only use the more basics of each software, such as magic eraser,
text, shapes and colour effects, but still I would like to think this added a professional, appealing and
organised feel. Apart from this software based programmes I also used internet services such as Blogger and
SlideShare. These useful services allowed me to display my background information, work and ideas, easily,
clearly and effectively.
Furthermore, in the future I could work closely with my selected publisher (Dennis Publishing) who specialise
in online media. This would result in online versions of the magazine being available as well as a specific
website designed to cater the readers and followers of my magazine. In addition to this, I would also set up
Facebook and Twitter accounts for the magazine, whilst also having Blogs which could be run and maintained
by editors and writers involved in the magazine, allowing for readers to follower specific writers who they may
have a preference over.
14. LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK (THE COLLEGE MAGAZINE), WHAT DO
YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO FULL PRODUCT?
I believe I have learnt a lot since my college magazine, in particularly the development of skills on software such as Photoshop and InDesign, such as
colour shading, fading, text edit and other tools. Originally, my college magazine was quite basic and bare, however since then I believe I've developed
my skills and understanding of what makes a good magazine and in particular a good music magazine.
On the other hand, it certainly helped to be making a magazine that I had an interest in, instead of a basic college magazine . Furthermore, I think the
quality and quantity of my photography has drastically improved, however this is only natural as prior I had never done any such photo-shoot.
Another thing I have learnt is how to address and attract particular social groups and cultures, through selective use of language, imagery and layout.