2. Use
• Throughout my magazine I have used a number of conventions to express my chosen
genre that include predominantly dark colours for the background this worked very well
because my red and white text and sub-headings I used contrasted with the Blacks and
greys and made it stand out a great deal. I decided on these colours due to the research I
had previously done, when creating the actual magazine I decided to use the copy tool to
edit out the logo on a T-shirt on the lead person in my main image this allowed me to
reduce the attention on the T-shirt logo bring the audience’s attention back on the main
title as opposed to the logo. After using the copy tool I used the heal tool which made the
editing on the Logo look much cleaner and more professional which made the magazine
much more effective. I employed the convention of having an incredibly large main
image that covers a section of the mast head this draws the focal point of the magazine to
the image which makes it appeal to my younger target audience. After using my research
I identified that all the Rock magazines used plugs and puffs in order to persuade the
audience to buy the magazine as I included bonuses in the form of puffs that advertised
free things included with the magazine, I also used Plugs as this is a convention of
magazines and helps to advertise other bands that are linked to my specific genre.
3. The large white magazine
title stands out and draws
the audiences attention.
The lack of a logo on the
t-shirt was removed so it
no longer detracts from
the mast head and
therefore the focal point
of the magazine
In order to make my
subtitles stand out
from the background
because it is red but
it also is
differentiated from
the white text
beneath.
I also used plugs and puffs in
order to make my magazine
look more like a magazine and
attract my readers with deals. I
also came up with this because
of the research I had done.
The text I have decided to use I feel is appropriate to
my chosen genre because it has quite a classical look
especially in white.
After doing research I found that I
needed to use mid-shots throughout
my magazine as this allowed me to
use more body language and
express the indie kind of attitude
4. I have used the eraser and
feather tool to make my
pictures look more
professional. The image is
also set at a mid-shot this
allows me to show the body
language of the individual
but also we can see their
facial expressions.
The house style I chose to use
continues through the whole
magazine, this means that my
magazine looks a lot more like
a real magazine and generally
make the magazine more
orderly.
I have decided to split my text
into 2 columns so that it is clearly
set out for my readers to be able
to distinguish what they are
looking for.
I have also decided to put
page numbers to my
magazine as this would
allow any readers of my
magazine to identify what
they wish to read in a clear
way.
I have put subheadings across
my contents page in order to
make it obvious to the
audience as to what they are
looking at and looking for
5. I have chosen to put this section into a
red box to make this section of text
stand out above the rest of the text on
this page.
I have used informal language throughout this
article in order to express my Bands indie
nature. It also appeals more to my target
audience.
By using quotes
and previews I am
able to make my
audience more
interested in what
they are reading by
giving them only a
small taste of it so
they continue to
read.
I also decided to
split my text into 3
columns with the
questions clearly
set out into each
one therefore the
audience can see
the article in an
entirely clear way.
I have used an image in this
section so the audience can see
what they are reading about, I have
decided to put the picture on it’s
own to emphasize it to the
audience.
6. Development
• For my design structure I researched Classic Rock magazine and decided to
integrate a similar style of structure to my front cover such as the white text and
light background you would expect to see in a rock magazine, but I felt that to
further attract the reader’s attention. I have also chosen to put my subtitles in a
different colour so that it is able to stand out from the rest of the magazine. I also
decided to use a slightly lighter shade of grey for my background because this make
my main image and all forms of text stand out from the background much more. I
decided to change my image from black and white to full colour because it didn’t
stand out from the already dark back ground making it look quite dull, so I changed
it so it was in full colour so the contrast is much more obvious and attractive.
7. Challenge
• To challenge convention of the classic rock genre I used a great deal more of red in
the text I used for puffs, plugs and subheadings on my front cover, I chose this
because red is naturally an attractive colour that would draw the reader’s attention
in conjunction the presence of bright colours in the magazine would further attract a
younger audience. I also decided to use a Black background this is different to the
usual white background that I found in my research, I feel this darker background is
more effective because it makes my images and subtitles stand out more than on a
white background.
8. Forms and conventions of the Rock genre
• I have chosen to follow the conventions in the colours included in my magazine for
example I have used the similar kind of red black and white house style as NME or
Kerrang .I have also chosen to use largely informal language in my main article
with words such as “gonna” and “y’know” this makes it much more appropriate for
my student target audience who simply want to relax between essays, I chose this
target audience because based on the research I have gathered that points to the fact
that mostly teens and young adults purchase music magazines. I have also chosen to
add the subheadings in red the image in a rock magazine usually covers the mast
head this is because the designer is trying to draw attention to the image and the
magazine name itself is already recognisable so they can afford to cover it up
slightly.
9. Target Audience
• The target audience I chose to aim my magazine at is the socio economic group L15 or full-time students.
To accommodate this decision I have chosen to put the price of my magazine at £1.50 this is because a full
time student would not be able to afford the average magazine price of £2.75 on a weekly basis as they do
not have their own full time job making my magazine a more attractive option, not only this but as full time
students are on the younger sides of the spectrum I chose to aim my magazine at teenagers from the age of
15 to 23. I have done this by making the text in my article and sub-headings very informal making the
article more relatable and an easier read for my audience who probably just want to relax. In conjunction to
my previous point I have made the pages of my article reasonably crowded, Chaotic and used a great
number of large colourful images and text which grabs the attention and grants greater appeal to younger
audiences.
This is a possible target
audience member Kevin
This individual is a full time student who
only has time for a part time job this
means money is likely scarce and
therefore would find a cheaper option
much more attractive of a proposition
As a hard working student this
individual would want a magazine
that helps them to relax after a hard
days work, my magazine
accomplishes this because of the
informal language.
I have also taken into account
my choice of Genre when
looking at my target audience as
elderly folk wont be interested in
indie music and informal
language while for younger
individuals such as late teens
who would enjoy it considerably
more.
10. Publishers
• I think that the group “Team Rock” would publish my magazine because they
currently already have a magazine of a similar genre the critically acclaimed classic
rock magazine. This shows they have experience publishing the classic rock genre
of magazine making them best suited to distribute my magazine. Another group that
would be appropriate for my magazine would be “The Bauer” media group as it is
already a successful publisher but you could argue that with both of these examples
a magazine already exists in the same genre therefore would possibly be unlikely to
use another one. “Future Magazine” would be a good option because they currently
do not have a Rock and roll magazine under them therefore have a gap in that
particular market of magazine.
11. What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?
• From creating my magazine I have learnt about Photoshop and its editing abilities such as the magnetic
lasso tool that is used cleanly cut out the images I have taken, this helped me to effectively remove the
backgrounds from the focal point of my picture. It also allowed me to make the structure of my magazine
more professional finish through the usage of the different shape and colour tools for the boxes both of
these things made the magazine creation process much easier and helped improve my skill greatly, In order
to make my magazine more professional and precise I used layers between my images. I also used the
eraser tool to clean up my editing on the images I used. I have also used Photoshop to edit the pictures I
have implemented in my magazine by using the copy tool to replace the logo on the shirt and make the
Magazine much more effective by eliminating distractions from the audience. From using the digital
camera I found that taking a great many pictures using varied shot types using the camera’s zoom feature.
Examples of shots I used include mid shots and close ups, is helpful because then it allows you to choose
from a variety of pictures and choose the most suitable if the original idea doesn’t work. I also found that
lighting became very important when taking pictures as any pictures that are darker or lighter than the
others would be unusable so I made sure that all pictures I used were taken in the same place at the same
time of day so I am able to use them all in conjunction on each of my magazine pages. I have also decided
to use blogger and slide share in my course work because this allowed me to keep my work organised and
in date, slide share specifically was helpful in allowing me to put my comparisons on a PowerPoint and
show both sections. In order to make my images look more professional I used the Lasso and feather tool to
clean up my image by making the points and harsh edges much smoother, this has made my images much
more professional in my final magazine.
12. • When planning my magazine I researched the conventions and structure of a
magazine cover this allowed me to identify the best structure for my magazine for
example I have put my sub headings to either side of the main image this means
that the sub headings don’t detract attention from the main image of my magazine .I
also chose to do my magazine background in grey in my planning but once I had
fully created my magazine I thought it would be much more effective to change it
to a solid black background which made my titles and image stand out much more.
In order to appeal to my target audience I decided to use the colour sample tool to
find the correct colour I wanted to use but I also decided to use it in order to make
sure that I used the same colour across my whole magazine. In order to improve my
Magazine I could have spent more time on the photos I took then turned them into
my main images, if these images had been better I would have been able to spend
less time editing them using photo shop and they would have looked more
professional.
