1. Evaluation
Chloe Bonner

2. In what ways does your Media product
use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
The magazine, across the 4 pages, ‘repeats’ (Steve Neale) codes and conventions from ‘Q
magazine’. I used the February 2014 issue of ‘Q magazine’ as my magazine of research. The front
cover of the February issue had a black and white main image, therefore I ‘repeated’ this
convention and made my image black and white on the front cover of my magazine. Additionally, I
‘repeated’ the way that the headlines were set out on the front cover. One of the headlines had a
box with text in it, therefore I ‘repeated’ that and made it the headline for my ‘top indie tunes’
story. Then, my main headline which links with the main image was also spread out big across the
page, like the ‘The Smiths’ main headline that is on my magazine of inspiration.
Here is my magazine ‘ZONE’ and my magazine of
inspiration ‘Q’ this constructs how I have used
conventions from a real media product and put it
into my own media product. However, my
magazine may ‘challenge’ some conventions that
would be in a ‘pop’ music magazine as they
would use a lot more bright and random colours,
whereas I have used more subtle colours, yet
they are still bright so that they can catch the
audiences eye.

3. In my contents page which I have created for my magazine, I have also ‘repeated’
conventions from my magazine of inspiration. For example, I added a screenshot of my
front cover and placed it where ‘Q magazine’ had placed their front cover. Also , I
‘repeated’ the banner across the top of the page with the issue number so that my
audience were aware that this was the first issue of the magazine. The way that I have set
out all of the page numbers, headlines and cover lines has also been ‘repeated’ from my
magazine of inspiration. However, it ‘challenges’ my magazine of inspiration as ‘Q
magazine’ doesn’t include an editors letter, whereas I have added an editors letter with
In what ways does your Media product
use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
an editors picture, signature and contact details at
the bottom of the page. On this page I have
included a picture of the magazine of inspiration
that I used and also a picture of my contents page
that I have created for ‘ZONE’. They are very similar
as I have used many of the conventions that ‘Q
magazine’ have used on their front cover so that
my magazine looks professional.

4. In what ways does your Media product
use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
For my double page spread, I also used conventions that was on ‘The 1975’ double page spread in my
magazine of inspiration. At the top of the page, I added all of Katie Melua’s previous albums and wrote
what year they came out. On ‘the 1975’ double page spread, they have a box at the top like the one I’ve
created, which has each band member describing each other. This can show the audience how many
albums she’s previously had and whether they know any of the albums. Additionally, another
convention that I added to my double page spread that was similar to the real media product was my
main image. I positioned it in the same place as the one in ‘Q magazine’ and added text overlapping the
image. The main image allows the audience to see who the article is about. Another convention that I
‘repeated’ from my magazine of inspiration was Katie Melua’s new album, like Q have added ‘The 1975’
new album. I also positioned my quote from the text in the same place as where Q have placed their
quote. My drop capital is in the same
format as my magazine of
inspiration. However, I have
challenged my real media product by
making the questions from my
interview red and making my
answers black. This relates to the
main colour of the magazine which
creates brand identity for the
audience and brand awareness.

5. How does your media product
represent particular social groups?
The denotation of the representation is the ‘E’ section of the socio-
economic needs table; unemployed, students, pensioners and casual
workers. This is because my magazine is target towards young people of
the ages 15-20, therefore they would stereotypically be students,
unemployed or casual workers. This means that my magazine appeals to
my audience profile as the target audience that I created was between the
ages of 15-20. The magazine, across the 4 pages helps to represent this
social group as the price is only £1.20, therefore people of these age
ranges will be able to afford the magazine. Additionally, it helps to
represent the ‘E’ section as the colours are very bright and will therefore
catch the audiences eye and make them want to buy the magazine if it
stands out to them. My audience can ‘personally identify’ (Katz)
themselves with the character as they are ‘social climbers’ (Maslow).

6. What kind of media institution
(Publisher) might distribute your
media product and why?
From the research that was completed pre-production, I would envisage
that ‘Bauer Media Group’ may publish ‘ZONE’ because they publish many
Indie style magazines like the one I have created, such as; Q, kerrang and
mojo. This means that they are looking to publish magazines that are
revolved around this genre of music. I have done a lot of research on this
publisher throughout my planning and research as my magazine of
inspiration was ‘Q magazine’ and ‘Bauer Media Group’ are the publishers
for this magazine. The similarities of my magazine to ‘Q magazine’ also
‘signifies’ (De Saussure) that the genre of my magazine will appeal to this
publisher as this is the kind of magazine that they’re looking to
publish, considering they already have a magazine that is like ‘ZONE’.

7. Who would be the audience for your
media product and why?
Hartley’s Seven Subjectivities
According to Hartley’s Seven Subjectivities the age of my audience are 15-20. This is shown
through the pricing of the magazine as it is very cheap so people of these ages will be able to
afford the magazine. The target gender for this magazine is both males and females as there
are things that will relate to both genders. The stereotypical ethnicity is White British male
and females for my magazine.
Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory
According to Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory, the audience can ‘personally identify’
themselves with the articles and the people within the magazine as this will be the kind of
music that they’re also interested in. The magazine also has a ‘personal relationship’ with the
audience through the presence of an editorial on my contents page. This editorial engages the
audience and welcomes them to the magazine.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, my audience are ‘social climbers’. This means that
they will want to read my magazine as they aspire to be like the characters within the
magazine. Therefore, they will read what the characters within the text are getting up to so
that they can try to be like them.

8. How did you attract/address your
audience?
The inclusion of codes and conventions such as the bright masthead
helped to appeal to the target audience because the bright colours would
attract the young audience that I am aiming my magazine at. As there is a
bright red colour that has been used, this means that it will stand out and
attract the audience as it will catch their eye. Here is my masthead:
Another code and convention that I have included in my magazine to
attract my target audience is the images that I have included within all of
the pages. These images relate to my stories, therefore my stories attract
my target audience as they are about topics that people of those ages
would be interested in.

9. What have you learnt about technologies
from the process of constructing this
product?
The denotation of the software used to construct the media product entitled
‘ZONE’ was Adobe Photoshop CS4. One of the tools I used through this piece of
software was the hue/saturation tool. I inserted the main image onto my front
cover and then desaturated it to make it look black and white. This gives the
magazine more of a retro/indie feel, therefore it will help to attract my intended
audience as they will like the image that is on my front cover. To the right is the
hue/saturation tool which I used on photoshop:
This picture shows
my front cover. It
includes the
desaturated image
that I created using
the hue/saturation
tool. It also includes
some of the boxes
that I created using
the shape tool.
Another tool which I used through this piece of software
was the shape tool. I created many boxes throughout all of
my pages in my magazine to outline the main areas. The
box tool also makes things stand out on the page, so
therefore will attract the audience. Additionally, through
putting certain pieces of texts in boxes it looks more
professional than just leaving the text:

10. What have you learnt about technologies from the
process of constructing this product?
Additionally, a tool which I used on my double page
spread was the pen tool. I used my pen tool for the
columns to separate them all out and to make sure
that they were in a neat order so that it was clearer to
read the interview. This can help my double page
spread to look more organised and to make it easier
to read as the pen tool helps to separate the text. Here
is an image of the tool which I used and an example of
where I have used this tool:
Another technology which I have learnt from the
process of constructing this product was how to
duplicate layers. This made my process of creating my
magazine a lot faster and made it more convenient for
me to add certain conventions to the magazine just by
duplicating them. This is also helped my magazine to
be consistent as there would be some of the same
conventions. An example of where I have duplicated a
layer is on my double page spread as I have duplicated
my logo at the bottom of the page. This helps to create
brand awareness and can help leave an image in the
readers head of the magazine:
Another tool which I have used is the swatch/eyedropper
tool. This has been used to make sure that I use the same
colours so that my magazine is kept consistent and the
colours don’t look too different. Also, as the main colour
which I have used for my magazine is red, it has helped
me to keep the same colour of red throughout my
magazine pages. This can help to create brand awareness
for the audience and they will associate the colour red to
my magazine. An example of where I have used this
technology is on my double page spread for my questions
and answers. My questions are all in the same red colour
and my answers are in black.

11. Photography Planning – Front Cover
The photo that I have used for my front cover is a photo of my friend Abbie. I
asked her at college if I would be able to take pictures of her for my media
coursework and she agreed. Therefore, I asked her to wear indie clothing, such
as the hat that she is wearing in the front cover
main image. I decided to use my friend Abbie as
she has the indie look, therefore she would fit
in with the genre of my magazine, which would
also allow the audience to ‘personally identify’
(Katz) themselves with the character within the
picture. Here is the main picture which I used for my
front cover:

12. Photography Planning - Contents
The shot type that I used for my editors photo was a medium close up. This is
because I had seen this shot type being used in many different magazines editors
letters, so I ‘repeated’ (Steve Neale) what they had done for their editors letter to
make my magazine look more professional and like a very popular magazine that is
already famous.
For my editors letter, the main image that I have used was of my friend Abbie again.
When we were taking pictures for my magazine we took
many, therefore the one that I have used for my contents
page was one of the pictures that we took then. This means
that I have kept the person in my images consistent as she
relates to my main story within the magazine. Also, she
has the indie look and therefore fits in with the magazines
genre. However, she took off the furry coat which she is
wearing in the front cover picture and is wearing a vest top
instead, although she still has the hat on to keep the indie effect.
Here is the picture which I used for my contents page:

13. Photography Planning - Interview
I took the pictures that are presented in the double page spread because they allow
the audience to see who the interview is about as the pictures are just of her. This
is ‘repeated’ (Steve Neale) from other magazines as they use images of just that
person to make it the main focus. There are two main images within this page to
show the main person in this article. I integrated text and imagery together
through overlapping the text on the image. My main headline on my double page
spread is overlapping the main image so that it stands out more and people can
relate the picture to the fact that it is ‘Katie Melua’.

14. Analysing my Front Cover
Main Image
Main Headline
Headlines
Masthead
Social Media links

15. Analysing my Contents Page
Front Cover
Main Stories
Coverlines
Main Image
Editors Letter

16. Analysing my Double Page Spread
Main Image
Drop Capital
Questions
Answers
Headline

17. Audience Feedback
Person 1:
What is a strength of my front cover?
Large, bold font catches the readers attention
What could be done to improve my front
cover?
Add more colour
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my contents page?
The contents are listed clearly
What could be done to improve my contents
page?
More colour
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my double page spread?
Used many pictures and a very detailed
interview
What can be done to improve my double page
spread?
Nothing
Do you think my double page spread will
appeal to my audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What magazine does my magazine look like or
‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) conventions from?
Q magazine
Person 2:
What is a strength of my front cover?
Clear and easy to read
What could be done to improve my front cover?
Add a better quality picture
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my contents page?
It’s very informative for the reader
What could be done to improve my contents
page?
More colour
Do you think my contents page will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my double page spread?
Detailed interview
What can be done to improve my double page
spread?
Make it clearer to read
Do you think my double page spread will appeal
to my audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What magazine does my magazine look like or
‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) conventions from?
Q magazine
Person 3:
What is a strength of my front cover?
Simple and colourful
What could be done to improve my front cover?
Make the photo less blurry
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my contents page?
In a clear order
What could be done to improve my contents
page?
Add a better title than just ‘Issue One’
Do you think my contents page will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my double page spread?
Looks professional
What can be done to improve my double page
spread?
Nothing
Do you think my double page spread will appeal
to my audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What magazine does my magazine look like or
‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) conventions from?
Q magazine

18. Audience Feedback
Person 4:
What is a strength of my front cover?
Bright
What could be done to improve my front
cover?
Add more thumbnail images related to the
other stories
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my contents page?
Looks professional
What could be done to improve my contents
page?
More detail
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my double page spread?
A lot of detailed information
What can be done to improve my double page
spread?
More colour
Do you think my double page spread will
appeal to my audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What magazine does my magazine look like or
‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) conventions from?
Q magazine
Person 5:
What is a strength of my front cover?
The colours
What could be done to improve my front cover?
Make the picture less blurry
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my contents page?
The layout
What could be done to improve my contents
page?
More colour
Do you think my contents page will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my double page spread?
A lot of pictures
What can be done to improve my double page
spread?
Make it more exciting
Do you think my double page spread will appeal
to my audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What magazine does my magazine look like or
‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) conventions from?
Q magazine
Person 6:
What is a strength of my front cover?
The colours
What could be done to improve my front cover?
Make the photo less blurry
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my contents page?
In a clear order
What could be done to improve my contents
page?
Add a better title than just ‘Issue One’
Do you think my contents page will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my double page spread?
Well presented and looks professional
What can be done to improve my double page
spread?
Nothing
Do you think my double page spread will appeal
to my audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What magazine does my magazine look like or
‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) conventions from?
Q magazine

19. Person 7:
What is a strength of my front cover?
Main image
What could be done to improve my front
cover?
Free space
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my contents page?
The layout
What could be done to improve my contents
page?
More stories
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my double page spread?
A lot of detailed information in the story
What can be done to improve my double page
spread?
More images
Do you think my double page spread will
appeal to my audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What magazine does my magazine look like or
‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) conventions from?
Q magazine
Audience Feedback
Person 8:
What is a strength of my front cover?
The colours are good and eye catching
What could be done to improve my front
cover?
Make the social network names clearer
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my contents page?
The arrangement of the photos
What could be done to improve my contents
page?
Less writing
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my double page spread?
A lot of detailed information
What can be done to improve my double page
spread?
Add more space so it doesn’t look cramped
together
Do you think my double page spread will
appeal to my audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What magazine does my magazine look like or
‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) conventions from?
Q magazine
Person 9:
What is a strength of my front cover?
Looks very professional and has used a good
colour scheme
What could be done to improve my front
cover?
Tilt the Z straight in the masthead
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my contents page?
The amount of information
What could be done to improve my contents
page?
N/A
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my double page spread?
Looks professional and like a real magazine
What can be done to improve my double page
spread?
N/A
Do you think my double page spread will
appeal to my audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What magazine does my magazine look like or
‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) conventions from?
Kerrang

20. Audience Feedback
Person 10:
What is a strength of my front cover?
Good bold masthead, simple colour scheme
and a great layout
What could be done to improve my front
cover?
A better main image
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my contents page?
Good layout, great original images and all of
the cover lines are easy to understand
What could be done to improve my contents
page?
Nothing
Do you think my front cover will appeal to my
target audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What is a strength of my double page spread?
Nice layout and questions are differentiated
from answers
What can be done to improve my double page
spread?
Nothing
Do you think my double page spread will
appeal to my audience of 15-20 year olds?
Yes
What magazine does my magazine look like or
‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) conventions from?
Kerrang
For my audience feedback I created a
questionnaire and handed them out to 10
different people to ask them what they thought
about my magazine. There were 4 different
sections, one for my front cover, one for my
contents page, one for my double page spread and
one for my magazine overall. Everyone that I
asked said that all of the pages that I have created
are suitable and will attract my aimed target
audience. What I have found out through this
questionnaire is that there are very little
improvements that I have to make to my
magazine and that I have ‘repeated’ (Steve Neale)
many conventions from Q magazine and my
magazine looks a lot like it. However, some people
have said that my magazine also looks like
Kerrang. It is good that they have said that my
magazine looks like Q magazine as that was my
magazine of inspiration. Most people thought that
my double page spread was very detailed and
gave a good interview.

21. Looking back at your Preliminary
task, what do you feel you have learnt in
the progression from it to the full
product?
I feel that, having completed the preliminary task and learning about the
demands of this production process, I have learnt that I need to be
organised so that I can get everything in on time and at a high quality
standard so that everything looks good and professional, like a magazine
should. I have learnt how to use tools that I never would have known how
to use before through photoshop to help to make my magazine look a lot
better and more professional and to add the codes and conventions that
were needed and that I wanted to make my magazine fit in and appeal to
my target audience.