3. On every front cover they will have a main photo on it that is to do
with one of the main features inside the magazine. I took a medium
close up and framed it to the side of the magazine so that I could
have the text all down the left side. I made her wear festival/summer
clothes as the genre of music my magazine consists of involves a lot
of festivals, therefore my model is connecting with the theme.
Main Photo
This is similar to Q’s
front cover of having a
medium close up shot of
Amy Winehouse
positioned to one side.
4. I created a headline across the front
cover of the magazine just like any
other magazine has. This gives the
reader an insight into the context
inside the magazine and what one of
the main features is going to be about.
In this case mine tells my audience
that “Lucy B is taking the world by
storm” which is written in a different
font and a larger one than the rest of
the magazine except the masthead. It
also has the electric green stroke
highlighting it which ties in with the
same colour scheme as well as giving
an illusion of her name being in lights
to do with her fame.
Headlines
This is similar to
Kerrang!
Magazine’s
headline that runs
across the front
cover. However
this one involves
different fonts and
colours whereas
mine are all
similar.
5. Many magazines consist of the convention of a ‘plug.’ A plug is
used to persuade people to buy the magazine as it is making
them aware that it consists of something free. I used this both on
the front cover as well as in the contents page using the electric
green to make it different to the rest of the page. It makes it more
noticeable to the audience and makes it more appealing that
they will be getting something for free.
Plug
s
Just like Kerrang!
Magazine the plug
is in a circle which
makes it stand out
amongst the rest of
the magazine.
6. Coverlines are used in many magazines as it gives the
reader an insight to what is inside it. I used different fonts
and sizes to highlight different parts of the text such as the
Leeds Fest and Parklife logos.
Coverlines
Q magazine has
coverlines that inform the
reader of what music
(bands/artists) will be in
this edition.
7. Throughout my magazine I used the same
colours creating continuity and a recurring
theme of black, white and electric green.
Just like any other magazine e.g. Q colour
theme always remains red, black and
white.
Colours
By making the colour
scheme consistent it
makes the magazine
recognisable and is a way
of making it unique
compared to other
magazines.
8. Another typical convention of a
magazine is a barcode this is
always accessible so it is easy to
purchase. I placed mine
underneath the masthead so it
isn’t big enough to draw attention
away from the front cover.
Barcode
9. I also used page
numbers in my
magazine to make it
clear to the reader
which pages I am
directing them too on m
contents page. However
in the example here, Q
have their page number
designed differently
whereas mine is just
simple.
Page
numbers
10. Headings for articles
are always a
convention for
magazines. I used
different fonts to
show the difference
between ‘ordinary’
and ‘extraordinary’
quite similarly to the
‘wild child’ here. This
is so it differentiates
itself from the rest of
the text in the
article.
Headlines
11. In my double spread article it is designed in a conventional way
of having three aligned columns. I designed it in a similar way to
my research of having different coloured fonts to highlight
different parts of the text e.g. the questions being in white.
Columns
12. Pull out quotes in double page spread is common as it
picks out important information in the article that will be
one of the first few things they see about the article.
Pull out quotes
14. My magazine represents gender through many ways. As my target audience is mainly girls but can also appeal to some
boys, therefore I mainly designed it towards them. My colour scheme isn’t directed towards one gender as it consists of
black, white and electric green which are unisex. This way it could appeal to either gender and shows it is more about the
music rather than other features.
However, due to what my models are wearing on each page in my
magazine is quite feminine e.g. the flowery kimono and flowery headband
which could turn away boys.
Purely having the main front cover of a picture of a girl makes it more
appealing to girls as they connect to it more, whereas boys are unable to do
this.
I challenge stereotypes by even though my magazine
is aimed towards girls I don’t use stereotypical colours
e.g. pinks or use fonts directed towards a female
audience.
Unlike Q magazine which is very unisex as it
appeals to both boys and girls. The fonts that they
use of red, white and black as well as different
celebrities on the front varying between boys and
girls doesn’t make it as objective as my magazine.
Gender
15. Age
My magazine is specifically designed towards teenagers and I do
this in a few ways. Firstly, my front cover is designed towards
teenage audiences as the masthead’s font is very techno and
modern. The bright colours wouldn’t appeal to any other ages. Not
only does the context of my magazine appeal to my target audience
but my style of the magazine appeals to them such as the font I use
on the title. As it is quite a techno styled font this wouldn’t appeal to
other ages.
Q target audience is for young adults/late teens and
similarly they show this by the colour scheme and simple
font which wouldn’t appeal to anyone much younger. Also
the main photos of celebrities and musicians are ones that
a younger audience wouldn’t know about or be interested
in.
16. My magazine wouldn’t appeal to many ethnicities other than white people as there isn't much multi-cultural
content in whereas in magazines such as Q they use all variations of ethnicities making them feel
connected and helping to build a relationship with the reader.
The style of my magazine only appeals to the working/middle class and not the upper class due to the
context. It wouldn’t appeal to the upper class as it is quite common music and common subjects it talks
about inside.
Social Groups
My magazine is directed towards teens with he indie style as this is their stereotypical type of music
and themes such as what my model is wearing with the boho flowery headband/festival styles.
Ethnicity
Class
17. QUESTION 3 – WHAT KIND OF MEDIA
INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?
18. This media institution is most likely to distribute my magazine as it
is on a similar wavelength to the ‘Q’ magazine that they also
publish. Q is a late teen/young adult magazine consisting of the
charts music. The audience, style and some of the features inside
of this magazine is similar to mind which is why Bauer would be
interested to a point.
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/
Large, European-based media company
Based in Hamburg, Germany
Manages 600 magazines worldwide
Over 400 digital products worldwide
50 radio and TV stations worldwide
However, it also offers something different which isn’t in the market making it unique
and ideal to BMG to distribute it. But as my target audience is very similar to its
other magazines it could be considered as a disadvantage as they would not be
gaining any new readers. My style of my magazine would be unique as they don’t
have an upbeat/electro music magazine which means the content would be different
e.g. advertising and discussing topics to do with certain festivals.
19. QUESTION 4 – WHO WOULD
BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT?
20.
21. QUESTION 5 – HOW DID YOU
ATTRACT/ADDRESS YOUR
AUDIENCE?
22. Masthead – The masthead on my front cover
attracts to my audience as it is so distinct and
recognisable. Due to the colours with the electric green
‘R’ in contrast to the black and white it makes it easy on
the eye. Also, no other music magazines use similar
colours which will differentiate it to all the rest when
purchasing it.
Photo– I attracted my audience by the photos and
style of my photos in my media product. Each of my
model throughout my magazine is wearing summer,
feminine clothing and styles. I based the clothing that the
models are wearing on the genre of music and context of
the magazine so festival clothing. This will make it
relatable to the audience as this is what the are interested
in.
23. Colours – The colours I used are more used to match
up to the genre of music rather than anything else. The
electro green attracts the audience as they are into the
electro music which is why they are buying the magazine.
Free posters – The free posters advertised at the
bottom of my front cover as well as inside my contents
page attracts the audience as it is advertising something
free within the magazine
24. Cover lines – The use of these on my front cover are to
attract the audience by giving them an insight into what's inside
e.g. the headline for my main feature article. By having this in a
different font to the rest of the text and in a bigger size it attracts
the reader and if it is someone they know then they will instantly
want to know what it is about, attracting them to buy it.
Price – The price of my magazine is at £3.00 which
attracts my target audience of late teens as it is fairly
cheap but still worth it for the content.
25. Layout– The layout of my magazine is very
simple and not overcrowded. By having it simple
it attracts my target audience as they aren’t
overwhelmed with information and pictures.
Unlike Kerrang! Magazine which is mainly
directed towards males it has a busy layout
consisting of lots of different colours, fonts,
coverlines and pictures which is more likely to
attract them. Whereas mine uses limited
colours, similar fonts, one picture and few
coverlines.
I also positioned my main picture on the front
cover to the side so I could align the cover lines
down one side giving it a simpler structure. In
my double page spread I designed my text all on
one side and my photo on the other side of the
page so everything was straightforward instead
of having the article placed randomly on the two
pages. This would’ve been too confusing for my
readers as I want my magazine too flow.
26. Lexis - I used personal pronouns such as ‘your’ and
‘we’ which is trying to create a relationship with the reader
and not keeping it as formal.
I used music lexis such as ‘festivals’, ‘gigs’, ‘line up’,
‘charts’ as well as fashion lexis such as ‘ styles and
trends.’ This is assuming that the audience are aware of
what is being said and understand the subject. It even
suggests that they have been to ‘festivals’ or ‘gigs’ which
is therefore relatable and personal to them.
I even used the Leeds
Fest and Parklife logos
assuming that the
audience knew what the
logos stood for and shows
that this is the music that
they are into.
27. Photos- My photos were all taken in a studio which
gives the connotation of a magazine that has had a lot of
money put into it by being able to have hired and used the
equipment needed in the studio. Having the bright artificial
lighting and studio settings for the photos in my magazine
gives it a professional look instead of having realistic
photos.
In my contents page there is a few shots of one of my
models posing more naturally which is to give a relatable
relaxed personality across to the readers, showing it is
about fun as well as my serious photos on my front cover
and double page spread.
28. The pictures that I took for my front
cover and double page spread are
very formal with both models looking
straight into the camera with serious
looks. This shows the audience that
the articles are serious and that their
music is important to them. It also
gives it a professional look to it as
they are both in studios which isn’t a
relaxed setting as opposed to a
different setting e.g. the streets.
29. I dressed my models in summery festival clothing and
styles as a lot of my magazine revolves around festivals.
Also, the indie styles that they are wearing connect with
my demographic as this is the styles that they wear. If my
models were wearing something completely different it
wouldn’t appeal to my readers.
30. QUESTION 6 – WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT
ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE
PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTING THIS
PRODUCT?
31. Pre production:
PowerPoint – I used PowerPoint several times in
creating my media product. I used it in pre-
production to show my planning and my pitch. I
found it was a good way to show off and develop
my ideas for my magazine in an organised way. I
also used it show my research into other
magazines as I could split it down into different
magazines and different features/pages. I think
that PowerPoint was vital in creating my product
as it is the only resource that allowed me to plan
out my magazine in an organised way that I
could keep resorting back too.
32. Publisher – I used publisher to create my
reader profile and mock designs of my
magazines. This was the easiest programme to
create these as it deals easy with combining
pictures and text together. The only problem
that I faced with using this was you are limited
to what you can do with it e.g. get rid of white
backgrounds. I found it wasn’t as advanced as
programmes such as Photoshop which I used
for my proper designs. I think I could have
done without using publisher I only used it for
my mocks as it was the quickest and easiest
way.
33. Survey monkey – I have never used
survey monkey before but this was the best
way to find out information for my magazine. I
created 10 questions and it allows you to
share and send it out to as many people as
you would like and receive response. It
concludes your results for you developing
them into graphs from which I could gather up
my research and analyse the conclusions,
sharing them in a PowerPoint. The only fault
with survey monkey is that it meant I couldn’t
receive my results immediately I had to wait
for people to respond. Even though it gave
me efficient responses it was a few days
before I had substantial responses. Without
the interviews I wouldn’t have gotten as much
research into audiences as I did, however
survey monkey was not vital as I could’ve
done interview by hands it just wouldn’t have
been as organised and efficient.
Something I learnt about using survey
monkey was that you can choose
alternative ways of displaying your
results e.g. bar chart, pie chart etc.
34. Blogger – I have used blogger
throughout my media product to display
all my research, planning and product
itself. I have never used a blog before so
I have learnt new things such as writing a
new blog and being able to design it in a
way that I want. I found it an easy way to
display everything and keep all my work
together and in order. Without using this I
don’t think throughout my project I
could’ve kept my work in order and keep
track of all my research and planning.
35. Slide share – I used
slideshare so I could connect
my powerpoints that I had
created with my blog being
able to share it. It is an easy
way to publish your slideshow
and hyperlink the site to your
blog so when you are on your
blog the powerpoint is already
their.
36. Cameras – I used compact cameras
when taking my photos for my magazine.
The cameras allowed me to take my
photos and then link it up to the computer
to allow editing and transform it into my
magazine. I couldn’t have achieved my
product without cameras as I needed
photos for my front cover, contents page
and double page spread as it would have
been bare. A good thing about using the
cameras was it was so easy and quick to
link up and see the photos on the
computer.
37. Photoshop – Photoshop
played a big part in creating my
magazine and I used it on each
page I designed. It allowed me to
edit my original photos, add text
and create effects. I learnt a few
things as well such as getting rid
of white backgrounds by using the
magic wand tool, creating my own
colour etc. Without Photoshop I
wouldn’t have been able to have
created my magazine despite
facing some difficulties along the
way such as technology problems
e.g. crashing. This showed that
technology isn’t always reliable.
38. Indesign – I had never used indesign
until creating my double page spread. I
used it for my article and aligning it in
columns and making sure it was all the
right size. It was very similar to
photoshop in that once you have the
hang of it it’s a fairly easy programme to
use despite technology problems. I also
found whilst working on it the resolution
was poor and once saved the picture
quality wasn’t as good as when I first
took the photo which was one problem I
found.
39. Post production
I used other media that intertwined parts of my
work together. Such as my interview video I
had to upload onto YouTube in able to link it to
my blog as I couldn’t upload a video straight.
However, the fact I already had I also learnt
that when it came to editing and producing my
media product any bad photos that I had took I
couldn’t change it. I learnt that you need to
make sure when you are taking photos that
the angle and positioning of the camera was
right as when it comes to post production their
isn't much you can do with a bad photo.
I linked the photos that I took in the studio up to the computer
which allowed me to use programmes such as Photoshop and
InDesign to edit and produce my front cover, contents page
and double page spread. Once it was uploaded onto the
computer I was free to change and do what I want with,
adding texts, putting on effects etc.
40. QUESTION 7 – LOOKING BACK AT YOUR
PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL
YOU HAVE LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION
FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?
41. Preliminary
Task Front Cover
This is the progression from the front
cover that I designed for my preliminary
task and the finished design for my front
cover for my music magazine. I didn’t
use any advanced programmes on my
preliminary task and I just stuck to
publisher which is why it doesn’t consist
of any other colours than black or any
different fonts. I also didn’t have as
much time to work on this design like I
did for my music magazine and so
wasn’t able to plan and research into
what I wanted it to look like. Whereas on
my music magazine front cover I was
able to use Photoshop to create it as
well as planning and researching into
what would appeal to my audience.
42. Preliminary Task Front CoverThis is the contents page I designed for my
preliminary task and the contents page I
designed for my music magazine. Similarly
to my front cover, I was able to use other
programmes to create my second contents
page whereas I just used publisher on the
first draft. Without using Photoshop on my
media product I wouldn’t have been able to
have achieved what I wanted as I learnt
new techniques to be able to do what I
wanted to do e.g. using rulers to line my
photos in order.
