Media AS critical reflection

1. CRITICAL REFLECTION
http://lilyjahanshahi.blogspot.com/

2. How does your product use or challenge
conventions and how does it represent
social groups or issues?
Cover page
Content page

3. DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

4. Use of and challenge of convections
Use of convections
• The convections I used in this magazine are convection's expected to be seen in
magazine’s that are targeting the youth, as there isn’t a lot of magazine’s with the theme
of activism directed at the youth ,I used convection’s that entertainment magazines for
the youth use to be able to attract the targeted audience(16-21).
• And as much I used convection’s I also challenge other convection’s with the same aim
of attracting the audience to want to buy and read the magazine as it Is different from
their usual interest in the print industry.

5. Cover page-mast head
MAST HEAD
TITLE-The mast head of this magazine is “THE ACTIVIST “ I chose this name as it reflects on the type and content of the
magazine when someone reads the title they immediately know what the magazine is about and can decide
whether or not they want to buy it.
Hence why it will attract my targeted audience because the title clearly explains what the magazine is about without
even having to go through it contents page.
FONT STYLE- I used the font Bauhaus 93 for the title, compared to the other fonts I chose this one because it’s simple
but not plain, it removes the serious element of the magazine attracting the audience, because the youth are most
likely not to buy a magazine that looks like is discussing serious issues as the majority prefer entertainment and so to be
able to attract them I chose this font.
FONT SIZE- The font size is 74, the size is big enough and clear enabling each word to be seen clearly.
FONT COLOR-The black color font works well with the white background bringing out the title making the title easily
noticed if it was to be on a magazine stand attracting the audience.

6.  The masthead In general use’s conventions as it’s aim is to attract the targeted audience
to want to buy the magazine, the audience who are usually attracted to gaming and
entertainment, will be curious to know what this magazine is about
 As most youth targeted magazines, the magazine’s title can be clearly seen and not
behind the central image in order to attract the audience through the title and not only
the central image.
 And because the title Is just as powerful as the central image that’s why I decided to not
cover the title up.

7. Cover page-Tagline
The tagline goes with the title as the word activism goes with the tagline of the world is ours to take,
the tagline empowers the article showing what the magazine is about, showing the theme and
hence attracts the audience who are interested without giving away to much making the buyer buy
it to find out more about the magazine by reading the article’s inside.
Hence the tagline use’s convections as it something that most magazine’s use to explain the title or
further enhance the title.

8. COVER PAGE –Central image & cover model
The central image and cover model both use and challenge
convections, the use of conventions is through the use of a model as
most magazine’s use models as a way of attracting the audience for
each audience a different kind of model is used.
But this magazine challenge’s the convection as the model is bare
backed and usually for youth magazines the model is usually not
supposed to be presented in such a way, I challenged this convection
because I didn’t use the bareness to present sexuality or to sexualize
the model. I used a bare backed model to show strength as seen the
model has a defined back, as the back(spine) is known to be the core
of the body, I used this presentation to show the youth that they are
the core and strength of the world without them the world has no
hope.
The chose to cover the model with writing to distract the audience
from the model himself and make them read the word’s on the back
which again show’s the theme of the magazine “the future is ours”-

9. -with other words around it that are all related to the magazine.
The convection that is challenged by the central image is the use of color, the whole image
is filtered by using brightness and contrast making it look black and white, usually magazine’s
that are meant for the youth are supposed to be with a famous or familiar face, I challenged
both this convection because unlike other magazine’s this magazine isn’t aiming at
entertaining its prime focus is educating and informing and because the magazine aims at
that the use of a familiar face would help the sells but the audience wouldn’t be buying to
know about the theme rather they would buy it to know what a certain famous person has to
say about the topic.

10. COVER IMAGE-Cover line’s
The use of convection’s can also be seen in the use of cover lines as
any magazine needs cover lines to attract the audience on what is
inside.
The cover line's show what is inside without giving too much away
keeping the audience captivated and wanting to know what each
cover line has to say inside.

11. COVER PAGE-mode of address
Further more, this magazine challenge’s the convection of mode
of address, most magazine’s use direct mode of address between
the cover model to attract the audience through front body
presentation, the body posture and facial expression. I’ve
decided to use to remove the focus on the model but on the
words on the back of the model

12. COVER IMAGE-barcode and edition
The use of convection can further be seen with the
use of edition this is done to enable the audience
to know which issue it is when buying and also
give’s an insight on how often a magazine is
released. March/ April shows that the issue is going
to be in distribution for two months and the next
issue will be out in June.
Barcode convection is followed as it is
located at the bottom like most magazine’s
so that the reader can focus on the cover
image and line’s.

13. COVER IMAGE –Use of color
I challenged the convection in the use of color, as most youth
magazines aiming at attracting the younger audience use’s color to
attract the audience, I decided to use black, white, grey and a pop
of red as these colors are calm making the reader concentrate on
the cover lines and image and not being distracted by the colors
and the use of red was to bring a pop to the magazine as leaving it
without red would make it boring.

14. CONTENT PAGE
The content page shows use of convection, as it give’s
information of what is to be found inside and on what page
with the use of picture’s for the most important issues to
attract the audience.
Also the use of convection's can further be seen by the use
of social media icon’s that show that the magazine also
has social following which with the digital era of everything
being online also attracts the digital audience to the
magazine.
In addition to the content page also use’s the convection
of giving credit to people involved in the creation of the
magazine an action that is done by most magazine’s.

15. Double spread page
The double spread page use’s
convections to represent the main
article with the use of picture’s to
show what the article is talking about.
The use of color is the article to make
it attractive to enable the young
audience to not be bored.
The use of an interview to not bore
the audience with lengthy article’s
and the use of different colors in the
interview to distinguish the interview
and the interviewee.
Also the font used though small it is
clear and readable.

16. How it represents social groups or issues ?
 Apart from the use and challenges of convections, the magazine also represents social
group and issues,
 The social group that is presented is of the youth;, on the cover- through the choice of
words "the future is ours” on the cover and the image of a young man’s body clearly
represents that the youth is in control of the future but it also create’s a stereo type of men
being leader’s of the world as a man’s body is shown but I used this because it is hard to
use a woman’s body without it looking sexual and this could have derived from the
magazine from its original theme.
 The double spread page presents the social group by the article itself being about the
youth and the picture’s help elaborate this point.
 The magazine in general presents issue’s through the cover lines, the content mentioned
in the content page and the other issues briefly mentioned in the article.

17. How does your product engage with
audiences and how would it be
distributed as a real media text?
 TARGET AUDIENCE
The magazine’s targeted audience Is the youth age group of 16-25, its
engages the audience through the simple language used in the cover line’s
this enabling majority of the age group to be able clearly understand what it
is about.
The cover(through the use of color and model) itself attracts both gender’s
making them both able to buy it without feeling that it’s not for them.
The use of a model’s back is also a method I used to engage the audience
as these days working out and keeping fit is something that most people are
engaged in and hence keeping a model with a good body structure with
word’s written all over his back also helps the audience engage in the
product in wanting to know what the magazine is about.

18.  I had an interview with kids around school to see if they would buy the magazine, most
people who were interested were year 11 and above the year 10 and below didn’t seem
interested on matters except for a few students.
 The targeted audience we’re interested in buying the magazine, but I also got an un
intended audience of quite a few teachers (25 +) who were interested in knowing what
the magazine was about and the articles involved.

19. DISTRIBUTION & PROMOTION
 As it is a print media, this magazine would be self-published and distributed to news's
stands and other media outlets. But before that I’ll launch a media campaign online to
promote the magazine to the targeted audience by using social media like Facebook
and Instagram I’ll attract the audience by giving away prizes online for giving out shout
out’s of the page this way the audience will share it and want their followers to like the
page this way it will cause people to be aware of the magazine.
 The magazine will also be sold in educational institutions and stationery and coffee shops
to get the target audience to notice it everywhere this way it will raise their curiosity to
know what the magazine is about.
 The price of the magazine is affordable, because of the targeted audience we need to
be able to make it affordable to them to be able to buy it even with their break money.
 It will also be advertised on tv on certain channels like Channel O and MTV Basw

20. How did your production skills develop
through out the project?
 My production skills developed through this project compared to before I had no skills
whatsoever related to production, as I had to work with software's like Photoshop and
publisher I learnt quite a lot that I didn’t know in the beginning.
 I also had to go through the whole production steps such from pre-production which
involved research to production. This process helped me acquire research skills,
interviewed the potential audience and find out how to come up with a product they
would be interested in.

21. How did you integrate technologies-
software, hardware and online -in this
project?
 HARDWARE
I used my laptop, this helped me get most the work done from browsing the net for research
to using software's to create the magazine and edit it.
I also used a canon eos 1100 for all the pictures this helped produce quality pictures and
gave me an easier job while editing.
 ONLINE
I used the internet to do most of my research for the magazine
To generate the barcode
Online I used my blog to blog on my magazine progress through-out and this helped me as
reading and writing my ideas on a blog helped me analyze those idea’s and hence lead to
many changes that improved the final project.

22.  SOFTWARE
The software I used was Microsoft publisher were I need most of my work as I found it hard
working with InDesign.
And I wasn’t able to use photo shop because my laptop didn’t support it and I since I
preferred to work at home I came across an online editing software called Pixlr and when I
tried working with this it proved to be just as effective and had all the necessities that I
needed.