evaluation of my work

1. Evaluation

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

3. One typical media convention I have followed is a large
masthead. On most existing magazines, the masthead is one of
the main focuses of the cover especially, but also throughout
the magazine. My masthead is on all 3 pieces of my work but is
particularly large on my cover and contents page, this way it is
memorable and clearly visible which separates it from other
magazines. The fonts I have used are Birds of Paradise for ‘Riff’
and 60’s Stripe for ‘magazine’, the first font is bolder and
generally more eye-catching which is important when grabbing
the reader’s attention whereas ‘magazine’ isn’t as important
which is why I decided to use a plainer font. I followed a
layout similar to that of Q Magazine by having my masthead in
the corner in a square format as I think it is effective to have
the focus mainly on the image.
Another convention I have followed is the use of pull quotes.
This is a useful technique as it attracts the reader by showing
them a snippet of what’s inside the magazine/article, I have
used a pull quote on my cover as well as my double page
spread as I think these are the most effective places for
them to be.
Throughout my work I have used a colour scheme of red,
white, black and different shades of blue. The use of colour
scheme is also a typical media convention and I decided to
develop this as I believe it makes the magazine look more
consistent and professional. My particular colour scheme is
very gender neutral, I purposefully did this as my target
audience is 16-19 year olds in general, and I think these
colours will attract people of this age of both genders.

4. Another typical media convention I followed on my cover was
the use of a freebie. This is a simple yet effective way of not
only catching the readers eye and drawing them into the
magazine, but hooking them to future issues of the magazine
as they will be more inclined to buy again if they know they
can get free things. I used an image of an actual CD to make
sure the freebie stood out, and it is clearly visible with it being
positioned in the top corner.
Again, similarly to
this Q cover I have
followed the typical
use of a large main
title. This is another
effective convention
as it draws readers
attention to the
main point of the
magazine, and as
popular artists are
usually featured
here it is a good way
of securing readers.
Unlike most magazines, the
pictures I used in my work were
all very similar; they were all
taken in a studio with a white
backdrop and they are all posed.
Other than two images that
feature on my contents page
that I took myself at V Festival.
While doing my research I found
that a lot of the pictures in the
magazines were similar to this
but also included many pictures
from outside the studio or album
covers, I chose to challenge this
convention as I think the studio-
shot pictures look very
professional and the posed
element of them allowed me to
control how they looked. With
the pictures of my main artist, I
made sure these photos all
looked similar and that she was
wearing the same clothes and
makeup, to ensure they looked
like a photoshoot that a
magazine would include.
Contents page images

5. On my double
page spread I have
followed the
typical convention
of a plain layout
with a large main
image. I based my
double page
spread on these
existing ones
featuring Amy
Winehouse and
Nicki Minaj and I
think they both
look very
effective. During
my planning I said
that I wanted the
main focus to be
on the images and
I think my double
page spread
achieves this.
One convention that I challenged while producing my
magazine was the layout of my contents page. A lot of
the magazines I researched, including this contents
page in an issue of Vibe, were very plain and had
simplistic layouts. However I thought it would be
much more effective to add as much information as
possible while still looking good.

6. 2. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?

7. My product represents predominantly teenagers of ages 16-19, because of this I
have used language and texts styles that suit this group. As teenagers are
stereotypically lazy I made sure that my double page spread article was not too
long winded and easy to read, by using techniques such as pull quotes. I have
represented my target audience by making my magazine as current and
fashionable as possible, as this is another stereotype of teenagers. I have done
this by dressing my models in fashionable clothing and makeup, and included
current artists that will appeal to them.
My product is aimed at middle class readers who buy popular brands, but that
aren’t too expensive, for example in my DPS article I have mentioned Topshop
which will appeal to a lot of the readers as it is a popular brand among teenage
girls especially. By middle class I am referring to those who have enough money to
buy extras such as magazines. Similarly, I think the targeted group will attend
concerts/festivals and I have also mentioned these throughout the magazine. The
models used in my products are all of white ethnicity and this is a typical
convention of the music industry, however I have mentioned artists from different
countries which means my product represents a variety of social groups therefore
making it more diverse.

8. My magazine represents young women and the main way I have shown
this is through the use of my models. I chose models that were of a
similar age to my target audience because I think this is a good way of
making readers relate to the product, and I tried to represent the
women in my magazine loosely around the women that are in real life
media. Women in the media are usually represented in a sexual,
attractive way that appeals to men and makes other women envy them
because of the way they look. On my cover image and DPS images, I
chose to uphold this attractive representation by using direct gaze,
specific poses and bold red lipstick. All three of those things grab the
readers attention, especially the red lipstick as it has attractive
connotations and it stands out from the rest of the image. This is
another technique used by magazines, as pictured right.
My double page spread image is very similar to this iconic image of
Christine Keeler in the 1960s, although mine is much less explicit this is
an obvious tool in making the model look more attractive and attracts a
certain audience. I have continued to represent young women by the
clothing and makeup that this model is wearing as they are fashionable
and look professional, and are similar to images that existing magazines
use.

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

10. My media product would be distributed by one of the main
publishing companies, such as Bauer Media Group. They are
Europe’s largest privately owned publishing group, They publish
magazines of all genres and therefore I think my magazine would
have a place here, they aim their magazines at all ages but some
are targeted at the same age range (16-19) as my magazine and
so they would already have the attention of this age range when
my magazine would be distributed.
They already have a large audience and a good reputation
therefore I think it would be very beneficial for me to have Riff
distributed by them, and would make money for both parties.
Media institutions are companies that publish and market media products, such as magazines.
Some examples of media institutions are the BBC, Bauer Media Group, and Sky.

11. A bit more about these media institutions:
Bauer Media Group is a European-
based media company that more
than 600 magazines, over 400
digital products and 50 radio and
TV stations around the world. Their
products cover a wide range of
topics, such as: Absolute Radio,
Grazia, Rail, and Your Horse.
Sky UK is a British company
that provides television and
broadband internet services
and fixed line telephone
services to homes and
businesses in the UK. It
provides extra services such as
On Demand and 3D, and has
produced it’s own products
including Digibox. Sky TV is
linked with existing channels
such as Nickelodeon but also
provides its own channels,
including Atlantic, Betting and
Gaming, Arts and Real Lives.
The British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) is the public
service broadcaster of the UK, and
is the world’s oldest national
broadcasting company. They are
also the largest broadcasting
company in the world, employing
over 20,950 staff. The BBC
provides a wide range of services,
such as; TV, radio, news, music
and internet.

12. 4. Who would be the audience for your media
product?

13. Riff readers are obviously big music fans but they also enjoy knowing a
bit about the artists they listen to, which introduces a slight gossip
element into the magazine. Readers are also highly functioning in other
areas of the media such as film and the internet, and due to the majority
age group that read Riff being 16-19, they have grown up with the
developing media/technology.
Readers are fashionable and move with the times in terms of music and
technology, therefore the content in Riff is always up to date and will be
enjoyable and easy reading.

14. I chose to have quite a young age range mainly due to the responses from my survey but
also because of my own age, as I believe that being within my own target audience I
would be able to product content that would be appealing. My survey results also
decided what format I would produce my magazine in, this is why I chose to only publish
a paper copy of my magazine. I was unsure whether to create an online/app version of
my magazine due to my target audience being used to using technology, but in my results
I saw that the majority (56%) would prefer to have a physical paper copy.
My survey results came back as 77% female, and
from this data I decided that it would be best to
target my magazine at females. From this data I
could use my other results as a guide for the rest
of my magazine, such as the type of subscription.
My targeted age range is 16-19 year olds as again,
the results from my survey revealed this age group
responded the most (92%).
My average female reader within my age
range would be middle class, trendy and
current, interested in fashion and might buy
brands such as Topshop, River Island and
MAC. They would follow the trends of the
time regarding clothing and makeup, and
attend musical events like festivals and
concerts. They would listen to a broad range
of music, mainly featured in the charts.

15. 5. How did you attract/address your
audience?

16. On my cover, I advertised a free CD in the top right
hand corner. I put the text onto an image of an
actual CD to attract readers attention to it, as it
contrasts from the rest of the cover. Similarly, I
advertised that readers had a ‘chance to win’ on the
banner at the bottom of my cover. This banner is
bright red with black writing to again, contrast and
grab the readers attention. I included these in my
product because the data I received in my survey
revealed that 82% of people would want to receive
free concert tickets the most, rather than a CD or
poster.
One way I addressed my audience is by including colours
that appeal to both genders, even though my magazine is
predominantly aimed at women I wanted to appeal to
men too in order to widen my readership. For example, I
used red a lot throughout my product as this is a colour
that has female connotations, and I also used different
shades of blue as this is a male-associated colour, but I
included black and white too as these are relatively
gender neutral colours.
Throughout my magazine pages I tried to keep an even
text to images ratio, my magazine is aimed at teenagers
and this social group is typically lazy. I therefore tried to
make sure that my magazine wasn’t overrun with text but
still included information people wanted to read about,
while making sure that there was sufficient images and
spacing too.

17. My target audience would read
magazines that celebrities feature
in and therefore I have tried to
edit my images in a way that
resembles professional magazines.
For example I edited my images on
Photoshop so that they look the
highest quality possible, and I
asked my models to do poses that
are similar to the poses models do
in real magazines so that it looks
professional and this would make
people more likely to buy it.
In my survey I asked which artist readers would be
most interested in reading about, and from these
responses I made sure that I included some of
them on the cover/contents page. For example,
Justin Bieber was mentioned several times so I put
his name onto the cover. I think this is important
as the people that answered my survey are within
my target audience, so by including these artists I
am giving them what they want.
In my survey, I asked
which type of story
people would prefer to
read about, celebrity
news, gossip, factual or
interviews. The results to
this question were fairly
even and therefore I tried
to address my audience
by writing headlines and
my article accordingly,
but revolving these
around music due to the
genre of my magazine.

18. In my survey I asked how much readers
would be willing to pay for my magazine,
the most popular choice was £1 - £1.99
so I priced my magazine at £1.99. This
was also based on research I had done
after my survey about much existing
magazines cost and this price therefore
seemed reasonable.
Another question in my
survey was regarding
magazine choice and the
aim of this question was
that I would be able to
base my magazine on the
most popular choice,
however all the results
were fairly even and so I
tried to base my layout
on all 3 of these
magazines by taking bits
from each as I knew this
would attract my target
audience.

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

20. I used many programmes and websites throughout my project; such
as Photoshop, PowerPoint, InDesign, Word and Blogger.
I had used some of these prior to constructing my magazine but I
have learnt many new skills in all of them, which have helped my
edits my work in the best way possible.
Throughout this project I have presented
my work on Blogger.com, I had never used
this website before but I have learnt that it
is a very effective way of keeping all your
work in one place and being able to
present it how you like, by being able to
upload and edit things easily. When
uploading PowerPoints to Blogger.com I had
to use SlideShare, another website I was
unfamiliar with, which allowed me to
embed slide shows.
I used Word and PowerPoint a
lot through my project. Although
I had already used both these
technologies before constructing
my work, I found them very
useful for planning and
organising things such as my
research analysis and drafting
my interviews. They were
helpful as they both make it
easy to write, edit and view
your work as you go along.

21. In order to create a flat plan of my magazine while I was
designing, I used Excel. I chose to use this over other programmes
as I think it is the easiest for creating something like a flat plan as
the boxes are already there and you just insert your own content.
I had already used Excel prior to this project but I had never
made a flat plan before so I researched this before I started in
order to make it look as realistic as possible.
SurveyMonkey was another technology I learnt how to use
during this project, I learnt how to construct my survey and
publish it to receive results, as I mentioned I also shared my
survey onto Facebook so that I could widen my responses.
When picking the fonts for my project I used a website
called ‘Da Font’, in order to use these fonts in Photoshop
and InDesign I had to learn how to install these onto the
computer. This is a new skill I learnt through constructing
this project and it is very useful because it opened up a
whole new set of fonts I could use and meant I could find
one that was the most suited to my magazine.

22. Photoshop Work
Prior to making my magazine, I have
only ever used Photoshop a few times,
including making my college magazine
cover. I probably used Photoshop the
most out of all the software I used
because I created my cover and
contents page on it. Through this
extensive use I learned lots of new skills
which helped me to make my work look
as professional as possible.
One new skill I learnt was how to use
layers, they allow you to move and view
things quickly and also allow you to hide
certain things that you can later add
back in which is really helpful when
editing.
I leant how to manipulate my images in order to
make them look how they would on a real
magazine, and go with the text on the page. For
example I added a ‘stroke’ to the 3 images on
the left to make them stand out and not be
undermined by the text around them.
before after
Another feature I
have learnt how to
use on Photoshop is
how to add shapes.
This is quite a
simple tool but I
think it looks
effective on my
final piece. As you
can see the Q
Magazine contents
page is very
structured around
shapes and I think
it makes the whole
page look a lot
more organised.

23. InDesign Work
A typical convention of magazines are pull quotes. I decided
to include one in the centre on my article as I have seen this
in a lot of the magazines I have researched, and I like the
way it breaks up the text, I was able to do this by learning
how to wrap text boxes. I also used the guide view to make
sure the pull quote was centred.
In order to make my magazine consistent and realistic, I included my
masthead/logo on every piece of work. As you can see I chose to have
my logo in the bottom left corner of my double page spread as I didn’t
want it to be too big and over powering. I did this by downloading the
same fonts I used in Photoshop onto InDesign, and when placing it I
worked against a screenshot of my masthead on my cover to make sure
it was the same, and then deleted this once I was finished.
I learnt a lot about using InDesign in this
project as I had never used it before
creating my double page spread, I found it
a useful tool for making my work look like a
real article by being able to control how
the page was structured, for example how
many columns I had.
InDesign enables you to view you work as a
preview or with guides. This is really helpful
when deciding where things will go in order
to make the page look organised, as you can
see whether or not things are aligned. This
helped me particularly because I knew how I
wanted my DPS to look so I was able to
structure it exactly.

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

25. In preparation of creating my final products, I did lots of research regarding my audience and existing
magazines. From this I knew what I needed to include in my magazine and could create further
developments, such as potential layouts. I did no preparation for my college magazine and I think that is
reflected in how it looks. By doing research I could take bits I liked from existing magazines to create
my own, well thought through product.
When taking the image for my preliminary cover, I
hadn’t thought of how I wanted the model to look
and we just played around with different poses as I
was taking it, however with all of the images in my
final work I planned how I wanted the models to
look based on my research, so that it would look as
realistic as possible.
Similarly, when planning my music
magazine I took a lot of time deciding
which fonts I wanted to use from Da
Font to make it look eye catching and
relatable to my magazine, where as
with my college magazine I used simple
fonts from Photoshop and put little
thought into the ones I picked.

26. I feel like my knowledge of images that are in
magazines has progressed during this project. The
image I used for my college cover contrasts
dramatically to the image I used for my music
cover; I used a tripod to ensure I could take the
photo at the right angle and length where as when
taking my preliminary image I took the photo free-
hand. The first image was taken in front of a white
wall, and my music cover was taken in a studio.
This allowed me to control the lighting and
background and made it more private which made
the model more relaxed. I have also learnt more
about the type of shots, and poses that are used in
magazine images.

27. As you can see, by developing skills
in different areas, such as
Photoshop, photography and editing
I have been able to create a front
cover that is significantly better
than my preliminary work. It looks
more organised and most
importantly more realistic!