An evaluation of my music magazine work.

1. Evaluation
Levita Gumbs

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

3. In my designs, many conventions of music magazines can be found, this is because I knew they would make
my work look more professional. I found out more about conventions through researching existing music
magazines, especially pop magazines. For example, it is common for the main sell line to relate to the main
image. Magazines normally do this so the audience can find out more about the article on the celebrity. This
is shown in the 14th September issue of We Love Pop. The main image is of Tulisa, and the main sell line is
“TULISA” in bold, pink letters. This supports the convention. In my own work, I followed this convention by
having the main sell line of the magazine as ‘Sugar and Spice”, and having my main image as my band
called Sugar and Spice.
Another convention that I have followed is having the models in the main image looking directly at the
camera, as shown in the 18th June 2014 Top of the Pops issue, where Ariana Grande is looking at the
camera. This is a form of direct address and makes it more personal for the audience. This in turn makes the
audience feel like the model is looking directly at them and persuading them to buy the magazine, making
them more likely to buy it.
Having feature article photographs is another convention that often appears in magazines. This is shown in
the 25th May 2012 Issue of We Love Pop. This shows some of the feature article photographs as posters,
and this allows the audience to see the range of posters available to them in the magazine. This would
attract the audience because they are teenagers, and it is common for teenage girls to hang posters of their
favourite artists. I have followed this convention in my own practical work, as I have included some feature
article photographs as both sell -lines and posters, attracting my audience, as they will see a “celebrity” they
like, and want to buy the magazine to get a poster of them.

4. Here is the example of the We Love Pop Magazine,
and a picture of my front cover, showing how I have
linked the main sell line to the main image:

5. A common convention in contents pages can contain editor’s letters. this was shown in the 3rd January
2013 Top of the Pops Magazine issue. My contents page contains an editor’s letter, and I used a fun and
friendly mode of address, by using words like “goss” and “fave”. My target audience will identify well with
this, as they will be used to this type of language. This will make them feel more comfortable while reading
the magazine, and make them want to keep buying my magazine. Also, the letter is usually signed off in a
script font. This is also shown in my magazine. The script font gives the letter a more personal feel, and
makes it seem like a hand written.
Existing contents pages, such as the ones from the Top of the Pops magazine, often have the information
on the article separated into different boxes, with sub-headings. I followed this convention by separating the
information in my contents into different sections, such as “All About You” and “Wins and Offers”. This will
appeal to the audience as the information is neatly presented, and also makes it an article they want to read
easy to find.
Another convention of contents pages is there are often small images placed near to the articles they relate
to. This makes the contents page more interesting, and gives the audience a visual idea of what the article
will be about. This is shown in many pop magazines, such as Top of the Pops.

6. These are images of an existing We Love Pop contents page, and
my own contents page, and I have tried to follow conventions.

7. In my double page spread I followed conventions by having the headline as a pull quote. This will
make my work seem more real and professional, as many pop magazines do this. This is shown in
many issues of We Love Pop. It also allows the audience to hear a direct quote from the celebrity,
making them want to find out more on what they have to say.
Another popular convention of double page spreads is that they are often interviews. These occur
often in magazines like Top of the Pops. These are popular because the audience always want to read
interviews with their favourite celebrities. This is because it gives them a chance to get closer with the
celebrity and connect with them on a more personal level as they can find out more private information
the celebrity may not normally reveal. I followed this convention in my double page spread by including
an interview with my main artist. I used a friendly and informal mode of address to make my audience
feel more comfortable and relaxed while reading it.
I also followed conventions by having a standfirst. These are used to give the audience a small brief
outline of the article. this is shown on the Olly Murs double page spread article in We Love Pop. In my
double page spread, I used a standfirst. It had a pink background to reflect my female target audience,
and the ellipses used at the end encourage the audience to read the article to find out the whole story.

8. My editor’s letter and my double page spread headline:

9. How does your media
product represent particular
social groups?

10. My media products follow conventions of pop magazines in the way they
represent particular social groups. For example, my magazine is geared toward
teenage girls. Therefore, I have represented the girls in my magazine as girly,
as many pop magazines do, for example, Top of the Pops portrays the
celebrities they feature as feminine. In the 18th June issue, Ariana Grande is
featured on the cover. She looks very beautiful and feminine as she has long
hair, and is wearing a sparkly outfit. In my magazine, I have portrayed females
as being traditionally feminine as my main artists have long hair and are
wearing pink outfits.

12. In my contents page, my products follow typical representations of females. The females shown in the
contents page are also feminine. They are young, smiling, and are wearing feminine clothing. An
Asian girl is also featured, meaning that I am representing a minority group, which would appeal to the
people in that ethnic group in my magazine. The 9th November 2013 issue of We Love Pop features
an Asian model (Zayn Malik) as their cover model, so existing magazines can sometimes break away
from conditions.
In my double page spread, my representation is also typical of females. The artists are wearing pink
clothing, and they have long hair. The make-up they are wearing is feminine and it helps to emphasise
their femininity.
Also, most of the artists featured are white, as this is more common in music magazines. However,
there is a lot more diversity in magazines now. I have shown this in my magazine by having a Asian
girl and a black girl as models for my magazine. This will allow my magazine to appeal to a wider
range of people. the males
I chose to represent females in a way that supports gender stereotypes as they are commonly
featured in magazines. Also, people are used to seeing them on magazines, so hey will be more
willing to buy magazine as they are familiar with what the are seeing. However, my models are
confident, showing the audience that women can do anything they set their mind to.

13. Examples of the females featured in my
products:

14. Below is a link to question 3:
https://prezi.com/du3h4wfdk0je/levita-
gumbs-ownership-question/

15. Who would be the
audience for your media
product?

16. My target audience is teenage girls, aged 11-16. They are fun girls, who are interested in
fashion, celebrities, music and boys. She is currently in school, and she enjoys studying
subjects that allow her to show of her creative flair, such as Art and Media Studies.
She enjoys hobbies like shopping, dancing and singing, and enjoys being at school with
their friends. My target audience’s favourite singers are pop singers like Katy Perry or
Ariana Grande. They also enjoy watching films like The Hunger Games, and one of their
favourite books is The Fault in Our Stars.
The target audience would like a magazine that is intriguing and will give them a
distraction from school, while giving them information on their favourite pop stars. They
would also like a magazine that sits well with their beliefs, such as being the best you
can be, and always trying to see the positive side of every situation.
My magazine will appeal to my audience because my magazine is fun, and interesting,
and includes sell lines on topics they find interesting. For example, my magazine has a
sell line that says “Get the look!” This will appeal to my audience as they will be
interested to find out about the latest fashions, and so they will buy the magazine.

17. How did you attract/
address your audience?

18. My magazine will appeal to my audience because my magazine is fun, and interesting, and
includes sell lines on topics they find interesting. For example, my magazine has a sell line that
says “Get the look!” This will appeal to my audience as they will be interested to find out about
the latest fashions, and so they will buy the magazine.
I also used a range of different ways to attract my audience in my three pieces. By doing this, I
ensured that my target audience would be drawn to my magazine and would want to buy it.
For example, my target audience’s favourite colours are pink, blue, and yellow. This is because
they are the typical teenage girl. I appealed to my audience by including all of these colours in my
front cover. I also used pink in my contents page and double page spread.
Another way I attracted my audience was by the direct address used in my pieces. Direct address
was used in my front cover, in sell lines such as “Lauren solves all your bff issues!” The main
image also provided a form of direct address, because the two artists are looking directly at the
camera. This is more powerful, as two methods of direct address make the reader feel that the
magazine was made especially for them, so they have to buy it.
In my contents page, an example of direct address can be found in the editor’s letter, where it
says “I hope you enjoy the issue!” All of these forms of direct address make my work more
personal for each reader, making them feel more inclined to buy the magazine.

19. I also managed to attract my audience by using buzz words. These are eye catching words that will intrigue
my audience, and will make them want to find out more. This was shown on the 3rd January 2013 issue of
Top of the Pops, where the word “shock” is used in the main sell line to grab the audience’s attention.They
also can sometimes make the reader feel like they a part of a special group of people that know information
about a celebrity For example, in my front cover, the subtitle under the main sell line says “exclusive”. My
contents page has buzz words like “new” and “hottest”. These make my work more interesting, and make
the reader want to buy my magazine more.
I have also satisfied my audiences needs by entertaining them. The magazine could also be form of
escape, and could allow them to forget their troubles while they’re reading. This way I am fulfilling some of
Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory. My magazine also contains an article where readers can
send in topics or questions to the magazine. This will help the audience to get more involved, and allow
them to feel like they have some say in what goes into the magazine.

20. My magazine also fulfills some of the sections on Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs. For example, there are
pages where they have the chance to win prizes. If they win this will raise their self-esteem. Also, by
reading the fashion articles, the audience can go out and get all the latest trends, thus making them
feel they are being the best they can be, fulfilling the self-actualisation section on the pyramid.
When I asked members of my target audience what they thought of my practical pieces, they enjoyed
the colours used. One person said their favourite part of my practical was the contents page, because
it “looked like a real one from a magazine, and the language I used was good”.
I also carried out a survey on members of my target audience to find out what they thought was my
best practical piece:

21. Post-production research:
I also carried out a survey on members of my target audience to find out what they thought was
my best practical piece:
Most people picked my front cover as their favourite piece because of the colours I used, the
images and the sell-lines. The contents page was also popular, as people enjoyed the articles,
and wanted to find out more about them.

22. Below is a link to question 6:
(There is some background music)
https://prezi.com/i1ghthx-qtdk/levita-gumbs-
evaluation-technology/

23. Below is a link to question 7:
https://prezi.com/9lfl_atuyjsu/levita-gumbs-
prelim-question/