media studies

2. QUESTION 1:
Do you like the photograph used on the FRONT PAGE? Why? Please
answer YES/NO and then explain reasons.
The most popular response to this question was “Yes”, they did like the
picture on the front page. They said it “suits the genre” and was “eye
catching”. One person said they “like the blue and white borders” that were
used around the people on the photograph. Another person said “it feels like
a front cover I’d see on the shelf”. Therefore the feedback was mainly
positive and my results are conclusive as there is a clear majority that all
share similar opinions of positivity. Very few said no, so I can only presume
that it was down to personal taste that they didn’t like the photograph on the
front cover.
Effect on redraft: There will be little to no change to the photo in the redraft
as there was a positive reaction to it. I may reposition them slightly however
as I feel they might be a little too high up the page so I will experiment to see
if there is anything I can do to make the positioning feel more natural.

3. The response to this question was pretty evenly split, however most people
responded positively, saying that they did like the picture used on the contents page.
One person said “I like how it’s the same as the cover page but the border is more
blurred” which shows they also noticed features of the house style I was trying to
create. Another said they thought it was “A good action shot representation of the
music genre”. One of the people who said they didn’t like the photograph said “It
takes attention away from the contents. It dominates the field”. Another person who
took the questionnaire agreed with this statement as they wrote “there is too much
emphasis on one artist”. This mix of positive and negative results means my results
are inconclusive as the results are conflicting with each other and aren’t what I was
expecting.
Effect on redraft: I will make the photograph smaller so it takes up less of the
space and is more proportionate to everything else on the contents page.
Therefore there will be less of an emphasis on the photograph and more of an
emphasis on the actual contents of the contents page.
QUESTION 2:
Do you like the photograph used on the CONTENTS PAGE? Why? Please
answer YES/NO and then explain reasons.

4. The response to this question was very positive as they all said “Yes”, but one or two people did
also leave some critical comments about how they think the photographs could be improved
further. One person said “It is subtle but fills empty space allowing focus on the text”, which is
good because this means that my idea to make the photos black and white was a good idea as it
makes the images less distracting and ensures focus remains on the main article. Others
commented that they were “suitable for the page” and “suits the general theme well”. One of the
critical comments suggested “a brighter colour” to be used around the photographs to make them
stand out more. Another person also agreed with this similarly, but focused on the polaroid
photographs, saying “I feel it’d look better if it looked more like a real photo and had some more
colour to catch the audience’s eye”. My results were therefore conclusive as everyone responded
positively saying they did like the photograph and the critical comments made were consistent
with each other in the points they were getting across.
Effect on the redraft: I will keep the photographs that I’ve used mainly how they are. However, I
will try and add some colour to them, maybe by colouring the backgrounds on the polaroid
photographs and using a brighter colour such as purple around the main photograph as well.
QUESTION 3:
Do you like the photographs used on the DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD? Why?
Please answer YES/NO and then explain reasons.

5. The response to this question was positive as the majority said “Yes” with only one person
saying “No”. One person said “yes because they are of a similar age and the fans will be the
same age as your target audience”, meaning that they can see the appeal of using a young band
as it will be appealing to my target audience of YAKS. Most others agreed, commenting on how
the similarity of age between the band I chose to feature and my target audience will make it
more appealing, as young people are easily influenced by other young people achieving great
things, one person commenting “teenagers will want to read about it as they will be inspired to
do the same”, and as my target audience are individualists this comment conforms to exactly
what I was aiming for it to appeal to. The one person who responded “No” didn’t really explain
their reasoning as to why they didn’t think the photograph wasn’t suitable. Therefore I find these
results to be conclusive as the large majority all agreed with each other and shared extremely
similar opinions.
Effect on redraft: Due to the positive response from everyone, I won’t make any changes as
there is nothing that people said that people said needed to be changed and they like how they
are.
QUESTION 4:
Do you think these photographs are suitable for the TARGET AUDIENCE?
Answer YES/NO and explain your reasoning.

6. For this question, the response was very positive as all people but one said “Yes”. One
commented that “they’re inkeeping with the aesthetic associated with the scene”, meaning I
achieved my goal of making sure the photographs were suitable for the genre. Another person
agreed as they wrote a similar comment, stating that the effects I used on the photographs “work
well with the style of music”. People also commented on how the fact the people in the
photographs were using instruments made it obvious that it was an alternative rock magazine
and it was very clear it was a band in the photographs as they look like “they enjoy/make
alternative music”. The one person who said no commented that he thought the photographs
looked “too bright and ‘peppy’-it makes it seem like its for children”. I did aim for some of the
photographs to appear upbeat and “peppy” as from my own research into alternative rock
magazines there was both silly photographs and more serious photographs used. Overall the
results from this question are conclusive as there is a clear majority in the result with many
agreeing opinions.
Effect on redraft: As most people thought these photographs were suitable, I will keep the
photographs the same as they originally were and not substitute any.
QUESTION 5:
Do you think these photographs are suitable for an ALTERNATIVE ROCK
magazine? Answer YES/NO and explain your reasoning.

7. The response for this question was mainly positive with the majority saying “Yes”. One person commented
“they are easy to read, and look like some album fonts” which is one thing I aimed for when choosing my fonts
and colour scheme. A different person similarly said “due to the affiliation of darker colours with this genre, I
feel the colour scheme works perfectly, and the font is very complementary for the style of the magazine”.
Another person commented “they go well with the photographs” which means that they noticed how I’ve got a
consistent house style. Some people left some critical comments, one suggesting “some brighter colours
should be used as well as plain black or red to make the reader/target market more intrigued to read the
magazine”. I thought that this was a fair point as I do tend to use a strict set of colours throughout. Another
person made a similar critical comment saying “there should be some darker colours on the front cover so it
fits within the genre better and fits with the contents page and double page spread”. One person who said
know said they thought “it appears too childish". Therefore my results for this question are conclusive as there
was a clear majority of people who said “Yes” compared to “No”. Effect on redraft: I am going to see if there
are any other colours that would fit within my current colour scheme, and if they do I will add them to my colour
scheme as then I can incorporate some more bright colours to try and make the magazine more intriguing. I
will also experiment with maybe adding a darker colour to the front cover, perhaps by making the background
a gradient instead as I thing this will add visual interest and good contrast as well as help it match with the
contents page and double page spread better which have darker colours than the front.
QUESTION 6:
Do you think the colour scheme and fonts used are suitable for my TARGET
AUDIENCE and an ALTERNATIVE ROCK magazine? Please answer YES/NO and
explain your reasoning.

8. QUESTION 7:
What theme/message do you think the magazine is trying to portray to you?
Please explain your answer.
The response for this question was good, and a lot of people got similar messages that all
seemed to correspond well with the genre. A lot of people all seemed to take the message of the
magazine as being about promoting a young band, inspiring people and showing alternative
rock as a serious and popular music genre and viable career. For example one person said “I
think that it’s trying to portray a theme of young aspiring rock enthusiasts or musicians to be
able to start a rock band and learn more about younger rock bands so they will be inspired to
follow them and do the same”. Another person similarly said “I feel the magazine is trying to
portray an alternative rock scene and promote a young band, I feel the theme has been created
to get you in this mindset”. I’m really happy with these comments and all the others I got as they
all seemed to decode the messages I encoded into the magazine. Therefore my results are
highly conclusive as it’s clear to me that everyone took away a similar message or if they
weren’t too similar they were still messages I had encoded into the magazine and relevant to
the genre of alternative rock.
Effect on redraft: Since everyone took away messages that were correct and I had encoded
this means that I will try to not change anything too dramatically as this may affect the message
people take from the magazine. Anything I do change I will try and make sure it has the same
feel as the magazine currently does, as the current feel of the magazine is giving out the right
messages to my audience.

9. QUESTION 8:
How successful is the magazine in portraying the message you took from
it? Please explain your answer.
The response for this question was positive as the majority of people said that they thought the
magazine was very successful at portraying the messages they personally took from the
magazine. One person commented “I think it is very successful at portraying the message to
young musicians/rock enthusiasts to go out there and start a rock band”. Another similarly said
“I believe it is highly successful in its endeavor to promote an alternative rock band and to
create an atmosphere when reading”. The one person who said that they didn’t feel it was
portrayed well said “I felt a bit patronised by it”. Maybe this is because they were also the
person who felt the magazine was “childish” and so was looking at the magazine from the point
of view that it was childish and that’s why they found it patronising. Overall my results are highly
conclusive as the grand majority all agreed the message was portrayed successfully and were
all able to give suitable reasons as to why they thought it was successful according to their own
personal interpretation of the magazine’s message.
Effect on redraft: This won’t particularly have an effect on the redraft of my magazine as many
said they thought the magazine was very successful in portraying the messages they took from
it.

10. QUESTION 9:
Do you think the magazine is creative and unique? Please explain your
answer.
The response for this question was extremely positive with most everyone saying that they thought the
magazine was creative and unique, though one person did leave a critical comment. Lots of people
seemed to say similar things, such as “I haven’t seen a motif like it” and “it seems to have a very
original style”. One person commented “Although there are magazines out there which may look
similar, this magazine certainly has a unique edge to its look and feel”. I am very pleased with this
response because I wanted the magazine to be recognisable as an alternative rock magazine as well
as be unique, which this person was able to pick up on. The critical comment someone left was quite
similar to the last comment, but was much more constructive. They commented “The fonts are creative
but as a whole thing, it’s very much like what I’ve seen before on the shelves. This might encourage or
discourage buyers in my opinion. It has potential to be creative”. This comment is really useful as it
challenges me to try and add more to my magazine to make it even better than before. As a whole
these results are conclusive as they all agree that the magazine is creative and unique and back this up
with good reasoning.
Effect on redraft: I won’t change much as most people seem to all think that the magazine is creative
and unique, however, I want to try and push myself and see if I can come up with any other ideas that
might make my magazine more creative, such as experimenting more with the photograph and text on
the contents page to make it more interesting.

11. QUESTION 10:
What needs of yours does this magazine fill? e.g. creativity, relaxation,
acceptance of facts etc
The response for this question was good with people saying that
the magazine fulfilled mainly creativity and acceptance of facts
and things, one commenting “information about bands/artists”.
This response was quite common as another similarly said “I
think it fulfills the need of acceptance of facts as I can learn a lot
from it because of the information on rock music and bands”.
Some others “creativity” and “creativity, informative, eye-
catching”. My results are therefore conclusive as everyone
responded very similarly and with the response that I expected
and wanted.
Effect on redraft: This won’t really effect my redraft as I got the
response I wanted and therefore don’t need to change anything
in order to get that response.

12. QUESTION 11:
What opinions would you share about my magazine with your peers?
Explain why.
The response for this question was positive with a great majority saying that they would share
opinions with their peers about the magazine, and these opinions would be positive. One
person commented “I would read this, it is very eye-catching and seems very informative and
knowledgeable about about this subject”. Others had similar opinions, one saying “A good
alternative magazine for good information about a band”. I’m happy with these responses
because they say that the magazine was able to provide the kind of information that they
wanted and they found it interesting and not boring. However one person commented “I don’t
have many peers who I could share this with. Or would be interested in this for reasons like:
different tastes in music, aren’t big magazine readers etc.”. This shows that my magazine is
certainly for a very specific audience that is quite niche, which is should be, so this helps to
prove that my magazine has a very clear target audience of individualists. Overall these results
are conclusive as most all said they would share positive opinions on the magazine.
Effect on redraft: Since the results from this question showed that people would share
positive opinions about the magazine how it is now this won’t cause any change on the
magazine as they really like how it currently is.

13. QUESTION 12:
What opinions would you express about my magazine on social networking
sites such as Twitter, Tumblr etc?
The response for this question was primarily positive as people largely said they would share their opinions on
social networks and that their opinions would be positive ones. One person stated “I would share my thoughts on
Facebook or twitter to get more people to read the magazine because of the photographs, rock bands and
information inside”. Another said “I would share positive ones because the magazine is fun, creative and different”.
These are the kinds of things I wanted people to pick up on and the kind of thing I would want them to share about
the magazine on social media. One person noted “I would express how the theme suits its purpose and also
express how it portrays a new band of which I will probably wish to see”. This means that my magazine does a
good job of portraying the band I featured on it and promoting them, to the point of my audience saying that the
magazine made them interested enough to want to go and see them live and invest money into the band. One
person did say “I wouldn’t” but did not go on to explain why. Maybe they just weren’t personally interested enough
to share opinions on social media or aren’t a big social media user. Another person said “I’m not a big user of social
networking sites”, so therefore it’s understandable why they wouldn’t share their opinions on social media. Overall,
my results for this question are conclusive as there is a clear majority who said they would share their opinions on
social media and they were all positive opinions that they said they would share.
Effect on redraft: Since most people all said that they would share their opinion on social media I don’t think much
needs to be changed. However, I could add a “Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!” notice on the contents page to
try and further get people engaged with sharing their opinion of the magazine on social networks.

14. QUESTION 13:
What do you LIKE as a whole about my magazine? Please explain your
answer.
The response for this question was positive with everyone having something to say that they liked about the
magazine, and with quite a few having similar/agreeing opinions. One person said “It stands out. Many
magazines are hard to find on the shelf with other magazines, this would be easy to locate due to the vibrant
colours and overall design”. Someone else likewise said “I like that it’s a bit out there, a bit on the edge. There
are too many mundane magazines about as of late and this magazine comes across as a breath of fresh air.”
I’m really happy about this because I really wanted the magazine to stand out from other alternative rock
magazines and music magazines in general whist still obviously being an alternative rock magazine, and these
responses mean that I must’ve succeeded in this. Other people commented that they like the photographs and
typography, saying “I like the front cover because it appeals to the eye and stands out with the headlines and
photographs” and “I like the pictures I think they are well suited to the magazine and genre”. Another person
also commented saying “I like the effort that has been clearly put in to make the whole product look
professional”. This means that my magazine doesn’t look amateur and lazy, and that it looks like something
that has had real hard work and professionalism put into it which I made sure to do. Overall my results are
conclusive as everyone had things to say that they liked about my magazine and all of them had similar things
that they all liked.
Effect on redraft: Since all the responses were positive and what I hoped and expected, they don’t really
impact on my magazine. They do imply that I should keep to the same style as it already is however as they
clearly like how the magazine looks already.

15. QUESTION 14:
What do you DISLIKE as a whole about my magazine? Please explain your
answer.
The response for this question were positive as people were able to give me constructive criticism as they all
had something they were able to say they didn’t like and therefore could change and/or improve. Quite a few
people commented on the use of the colour scheme, saying things such as “I dislike the colours used on the
double page spread because they are quite boring and make me not want to read this article.” and “Although I
feel the colour scheme has been matched with that of the genre, more variation in colours would be highly
welcoming”. Another similar comment stated “I dislike the bright red numbers in the blue circles on the
contents page as it is a bit difficult for me to read” so therefore my colours need to be slightly varied more and
reconsidered in case they cause problems for other people to read. One person made a similar comment to
the person who said they found the double page spread a bit boring with it’s colour usage, saying “Although
cover is good, background is a bit bare, could maybe do with a bit more”, so I need to vary my backgrounds a
bit more somehow. Someone also commented that “Contents page has focus on wrong area” so I really need
to change this. Therefore the results from this question are conclusive as everyone had something they
disliked and were able to point it out, and many of them were similar.
Effect on redraft: I need to edit some of the colours in the colour scheme and maybe expand it a bit so I have
more choice of colours to use and can try and make some things easier to read and make backgrounds etc
more interesting to look at. I also need to edit the photograph and layout of the contents page so that the
photograph isn’t so dominant and that the actual contents are the main focus.

16. QUESTION 15:
What improvements do you think could be made? Please be precise and
explain your answer.
The response for this question was positive and very useful as everyone was able to pinpoint the exact
changes they feel need to be made to the magazine that I should include in my redraft. The main shared
improvement people came up with was about the colour scheme. People often commented about colour
scheme in coloration to the double page spread, saying “I think to improve, the colours could be changed to a
vibrant colour like on the front cover which is blue. Maybe use a coloured photograph instead of a black and
white, even though it does stand out. I think using other colours instead of red and black would make it more
appealing to the target market and will make them want to read it more than with a plain colour.” and “Change
the colours a bit and also make the article stand put a bit better on the double page spread”. Comments were
also commonly made on adjusting the contents page saying “Adjust the contents page” and “Tone down the
bright red on the contents or have a border around to make it easier for some people to read.” Someone also
suggested what I could do to fill up the background on the cover page more, suggesting “I would potentially put
more in the background of the cover, maybe the band's logo or instruments. This would just fill the cover a little
more”. Therefore my results are conclusive as they all give positive and good advice that all tends to coincide
and give me a clear view of what should be changed.
Effect on redraft: From the comments on this page, I will be sure to edit my colour scheme a bit by
experimenting with colours and trying to add more. I will also play around with the double page spread to try
and make the colours more interesting on it. I will try and make the text on the contents page more readable,
maybe by adding a black or white outline to the text so it stands out more. I’ll also play around with the front
cover and see what I can add to make the background slightly less boring, maybe by adding some effects in.