AS Media Studies Evaluation PowerPoint

1. Factor
The Indie Rock Magazine
By Georgia Tamcken

2. Design Brief: To design and create
a music magazine which both uses and
challenges, popular and modern day
music magazine conventions.

6. After I finished my competitor research, I had a greater understanding of what
makes a conventional masthead. Getting my inspiration from Kerrang magazine
here is how I incorporated a conventional masthead.
The choice of colour is important. Kerrang have used the
classic colour scheme of contrasting colours that makes
the masthead stand out to the reader.
The masthead also looks like broken glass
which connotes rock and loud music. This is a
clever way of adding to the attractiveness of
your magazine.
This determines how I used my inspiration from
Kerrang and used the colour scheme black, red,
and white as I wanted to create a conventional
eye catching feature.
The reason why the colour scheme is effective
is because the white contrasts against the red
and the black making it stand out to the reader.

7. It was clear that a headline was needed for any conventional magazine and the positioning
of which usually runs along the bottom of the front cover.
Kerrang has their headline layered on
top of the feature article photo
making more bold and stands out for
the reader.
Apart from the masthead, the
headline is the largest typeface on
the cover and is usually used for the
main article.
I followed the conventions for the headline
and placed it running across the bottom
portion of my front cover.
I used the colour white for my headline because it
contrasted against the dark colours of my feature
article photo making the headline stand out.

8. From my competitor research I have learnt that each magazine has their own unique
style and therefore their own way of displaying their plugs.
Flushed
left
Flushed
right
However, I did find that there was a
general idea regarding their
alignment. They were either ‘flushed
left’ or ‘flushed right’.

9. I followed convention as I
wanted to give my magazine a
professional look.
I decided to use the
same layout as
Kerrang because I feel
that having the plugs
aligned like this
enhanced the
importance I wanted
to place on these
articles

10. Here are some of the conventions from real media products that inspired my work
The mid shot allows you to
see most of the band without
leading to incorrect
assumptions.
The feature article photo is
overlapping the masthead, allowing
the photo to become more the
domineering feature further
emphasising its importance.
The close proximity of the
band members connotes a
friendly atmosphere making
them likeable. This makes the
band more appealing to the
reader.

11. I also overlapped my masthead and feature
article photo because it allowed me to
centralise the image, emphasising it and making
it the more focalised feature on my front cover.
I decided to use a mid shot (similar
to Kerrang and Mojo) because it
creates a sense of intimacy between
the audience and the artist unlike a
long shot, where you feel very
distant. It also has a quality to be
able to engage the reader without
being forceful as a close-up would
connote.

12. The visual aspect of a headline is just as important as the content. An effective headline should
catch the readers eye as it is the introduction to the article. I feel that Kerrang achieved this.
The yellow and white font is very eye
catching as the bold colours makes it the
most prominent text on the page.
I wanted to achieve this effect so I used
bold colours that stood out on the
background.
Overall, I feel that I have achieved an
effective headline. Despite its fairly small size,
the domineering colours that it has demands
the readers attention.

13. Kerrang used bold red
numbers for the page
reference that
contrasts with the
white background
making it a prominent
feature on the
contents page that
the readers eyes are
drawn to.
I took a similar
approach and made
the page numbers the
largest font. This will
make navigation
through my magazine
easier for the reader.

14. During my competitor research, the organised element created through grids and columns of
the contents page was brought to my attention.
Kerrang have made good use of this
convention by including invisible
columns of information that promoted
positive connotations of a well
organised magazine.
Both magazine focus mainly on the visual aspect to
advertise the articles as the image is the most prominent
part of the contents page.

15. Taking my inspiration from Kerrang and Planet Rock I wanted to follow the sense of
organisation and structure but also portray the sense of irregularity.
I also focused on the visual aspect on my
contents page to advertise the articles in
my magazine. I made my main article have
the most prominent image as I wanted to
emphasise its importance.
Using thick black lines, I made the
columns more prominent as I wanted
the contents page appear organised
and professional to the reader.

17. I have represented the youthful age in music, this is because the photographs I have
used are in their late teens or mid 20’s.
I have challenged some conventional
aspects associated with the youth of this
generation as there are no jogging bottoms
or hoodies in my photos.
Looking at these photographs, it’s cognitive that despite their
ages, they are all serious about music. This is highlighted
through their strong and thoughtful facial expressions.

18. I represented both genders throughout my magazine in order to reflect my entire
demographic that consists of both males and females.
I have represented both genders
positively, connoting that they are all
strong and aspirational figures. I also
feel that by having both male and
females with strong body language and
facial expressions, it makes them equal
to one another. This is a open
interpretation that my audience will
find relevant and aspirational.

20.  Bauer Media spans over 80
influential brand names.
 Offering over 300
magazines in 15 countries,
as well as online, TV and
radio stations

21. Bauer Media is not well known for publishing music magazines.
However there are three successful music magazines that they do
publish.

22. Bauer Media have excellent publicity and efficient resources that can support my music
magazine. Having Bauer Media as Factor’s publisher, there is a chance of worldwide
distribution which could lead to more copies being sold therefore making Factor a
successful magazine.
Bauer Media might consider publishing Factor because they have had success
with Kerrang, Q and Mojo and they might be looking to extend their market.
Due to the similarities
between Kerrang and Factor,
Bauer Media would have
knowledge with marketing my
product. Perhaps across
different media such as on
apps or online to reflect the
younger generation
downloading content onto
their smart phones or portable
devices.

24. What is my music genre for my magazine?
Who is my target audience?
Indie/Rock
My target audience was originally going to be male orientated stretching
from the ages 17–30. However, I didn’t want to single out the female
demographic because I wanted my magazine to appeal to people who
are interested in Indie/Rock styled magazines and those who are against
the ‘normal’ or popular trends and styles.

25. I made a questionnaire to help me find out just who my audience were.
These results reflect on how my audience favour
magazine conventions and they dislike having
candid photographs on the front cover connoting
that they take music seriously and expect a
professional looking magazine.
Here, the majority preferred the colour scheme of
black, red and yellow. This colour scheme is
extremely similar to the Kerrang colour scheme
which is a rock magazine. This connotes that my
audience want an eye catching magazine but still
appreciate quality. The red and the yellow are both
very bold and powerful colours. Red is usually
considered to be a very energetic and passionate
colour where as yellow is an eye catching colour
but if used to much can become disturbing to the
eye.

26. My audience demonstrated here that they appreciate the organised yet
informality approach to a Indie/Rock magazine as they decided on having
a simple font style and a conventional layout. However they did not
favour the chaotic layout that magazines like Kerrang has used in the
past.

27. My audience wanted a professional and organised magazine so I was not
surprised when the wanted an equal balance between the text and the
images. This suggests that although they want their own way of
interpreting the images, they also like the information that the text can
give them.

28. After my research into my target audience, I can clarify that my
original synopsis successfully outlines my demographic. My audience
does consist of both males and females ranging from the ages 17-30
years old that like Indie/Rock music. However I now know that they are
open-minded people that like to have a little control in situations and
they find their genre of music aspirational. A typical Factor reader
would most likely live in places like central London and upcoming cities
like Chelmsford that have a busy life, but make time for things that
they appreciate and are passionate about. This is the key for my
audience, they challenge every day things that might be considered
‘normal’ and do what's right for them and not what people expect
them to do. Many will probably have creative hobbies and jobs, some
might be in the music industry themselves.

30. Recognisable
branded logo
masthead
A feature
article photo
of a female
artist
A plug for the
main article
A selection of
plugs
informing the
reader of
additional
content

31. The colours contrast perfectly
making it a prominent feature that
demands attention from the reader.
It’s important to catch the eye of the
reader so it can increase the
possibility of them continuing on to
read the rest of the magazine.
The way that my masthead looks and is set out makes
it a branded image and separates my magazine from
others. This allows my audience to be able to easily
recognise my magazine in a shop amongst other
magazines.
The style of my masthead itself has Indie/Rock connotations
that would be appealing to those with a self-look of being
Indie/Rock which therefore appeals to my audience.

32. She has eye contact with the reader in an unintimidating manner which portrays that she is
approachable and friendly because the reader is brought to their level. This leads to an
intimate connection between the reader and the female artist as the audience can relate to
her ordinariness, as though they could be friends.
The fact that she is relatable makes her approachable and aspirational. My audience will be
drawn to my feature article photo and my magazine for this very reason.

33. Her soft yet determined facial expression accommodates with her holding an instrument
as it shows that she is hard working and is determined to get what she wants. This creates
intrigue and therefore increases the appeal of the feature article photo and the magazine
overall.
Her clothing has quirky connotations that would appeal to my audience i.e. she is wearing an
iconic batman jumper that my audience would find captivating.

34. These bands that are present on the front cover as plugs are
bands that my audience like. Therefore to see that Factor has
articles about these bands would make my magazine more
appealing to my audience.
The yellow and the gold have connotations of worth and
determination. So the decision to use of these colours here was so
that it would catch the readers eye and they would identify the
plugs as good quality making the magazine appealing to them.

35. I made Factor appealing to its demographic by
using multiple images on the contents page that
embodies all the qualities of Indie/Rock people
(i.e. my audience) appropriate about music.

36. I have provided my reader with a range of
good articles containing numerous artists
that my audience would want to read about.
I have also added multiple images
throughout my magazine, including
the contents page as well as text as
my audience had wanted via my
survey.

37. I ensured that I made my double page spread simple yet visual as I didn’t want to
intimidate my reader. I have addressed my reader with the combination of sophisticated
and informal language
Here is an example of the informal language
that I used that addresses my audiences
Indie/Rock nature and interpretation.
Why did I use this mode of address?
My audience likes to read sophisticated yet
rebellious material. However, not overwhelmed by
the refined language that could be seen as
patronising.
They expressed to me that they wanted to
be communicated in a less formal
approach.

39. I got my masthead from a website
called ‘1001 fonts’. I did this because I
did not feel that the fonts on Photoshop
had the rough rock feel that I wanted.
I opened up the image from my
user and then dragged it onto
my magazine

40. I then cleaned up the edges
as it looked to messy and
unprofessional.
I then changed the colour to white as I
felt that white was a better contrasting
colour to red.

41. By clicking on ‘edit layer style’, it
opened a window that allowed me
to add different effect. However I
only wanted the glow effect.
The scroller adjusts the size and
the opacity of the glow.
I chose a dark red as I wanted the
white to stand out a little more
against my feature article photo.

42. I needed to cut this image in order to manipulate it’s
positioning on the front cover.
I first opened the image as a layer on my
magazine.
I then selected the magic wand
tool and then selected an area
that I wanted to delete.
The black dotted line represents
the boarder of the content that will
be deleted.

43. Here you can see which areas have
been cut away and which haven’t.
I then selected the Eraser tool and made it a
small size so I could erase the areas that the
magic wans tool was unable to select and also
smooth's out the hard edges of the image.
Once I had finished cutting out the image, I
repositioned it so that it laid on top of the
masthead in order to centralise the image.
I did this by moving the image layer so that it
was above the masthead layer on the layer
window.

44. Using the Eclipse tool, I drew a circle.

46. I have learned the importance of continuity and creating a sense of house style within this
media product. I learnt this through my competitor research.
Does not completely stick to the house style
which gives it an unprofessional look.
Whereas the constant colour scheme of red,
yellow, black and white that is present in my front
cover, contents page and double page spread, has
‘classic’ connotations which is appealing to my
audience. It also contributes to my overall house
style.

47. Using Photoshop I was able to cut out an image from its unnecessary background by using the
magic tool wand in order to manipulate the positioning of the image on the page in relation to
other features like my masthead. Although I have done this in my preliminary task, the image
was cut out sloppily and looked unprofessional. The image for my main task was cut out with
more patience and I also had more knowledge therefore I used a different tool which gave me
a neat and professional looking image.
After my research
I know it’s
conventional to
either have the
masthead in the
top left hand
corner or spread
across the entire
width of the
page. I also have
positioned the
image in front of
the masthead
head, achieving
an overall
professional
finish.

48. I have learnt that deciding on the colour of the font is very important. The text (i.e. Plugs)
can’t just be legible, it needs to act as an eye catching feature on the front cover in order
to catch the readers attention.
On my music magazine I used bold contrasting colours with a large
font to make it an appealing feature on my front cover.
The few plugs that the preliminary task has are bland and are
not very eye catching. The legibility of the plug on my school
magazine is poor as although red is a bold colour, it blends in
with the green background. Therefore the magazine is of poor
quality and is not conventional.

49. Contents pages
conventionally make use of a
grid/column structure. It
should also incorporate lots
of different images to
reference articles.
I also learnt that they tend to
use more than one font type – as
seen on Plant Rock – whereas I
only used the one.
Therefore…

50. I have learnt about the conventions
of my competitor research in order
to improve my school magazine and
achieve this.