The document discusses the process of creating a music magazine and what was learned from this process. It describes using Photoshop and Quark to edit images and layout the magazine pages. A preliminary college magazine task provided experience with the software before taking on the full music magazine product. This allowed the creator to improve their skills in using tools in Photoshop like selection and editing tools. It also helped produce a better layout and more professional design for the music magazine compared to the first draft college magazine. The preliminary task was beneficial for learning the software and evaluating mistakes to avoid repeating in the final project.

1. What kind of media institution might distribute
your media product and why?
When researching media institutions I came across three which were Bauer which publishes Q, BBC which publishes
top of the pops and IPC Media which publishes NME. The one I have chosen was IPC Media because i thought if
offered a wide range of magazines that it already publishes as not only does it publish NME but it also publishes
Marie Claire, Look, Ideal home, Golf Monthly, Loaded ect. By publishing such a wide range on genres of magazines
it seemed like the perfect choice for a magazine that has such a large target audience and contained many
different genres itself from week to week. IPC Media is one of the leading magazine publishers in the UK it
produces 'over 85 iconic media brands' so also has a successful background that I would like my magazine to be a
part of. When researching media institutions I found that all of IPC Media published a lot of older generation
magazines or middle class or magazines that have a very specific genre so I thought that there was a gap in the
market for my magazine as it has a wide range and variety of readers to make it unique and will be a fitting
addition to IPC Media.

2. Who would be the audience for your media
product?
My intended audience for my music magazine is all music fans. Although this
is a wide range of people it makes my magazine unique as my magazine
'profiles' a different artist every week that is in demand. When doing my
research I found that a lot of people especially young people liked more
than one type of music, and felt that there wasn't much choice of music
magazines for people who have a wide variety of music taste. Katie
Marnell on my front cover image is an up and coming artist that like a lot
of music fans does not have one specific genre of music that is her
favourite. We have represented this in the way that we have dressed her
she is not dressed to fit a specific genre and is shocking with bright red
hair so she will stand out for herself not her dress sense. The magazines
slogan 'a look at music life' also highlights the intended audience for my
magazine is people who love music and want to know more about their
favourite artists.

3. How did you attract/address your audience?
Interview 1 – Katie Marnell
What did you think of the finished front page cover? – I think that the images used a bright and eye-catching but the main image
could do with a little lore light tweaking editing to make it even more bold so that the bright reds in the image stand out and
really communicate the theme of the magazine to the audience. I think that the theme is also apparent in the front cover
Image as being a music magazine for all music fans as it has a number of different images and headings all to do with
different aspects of music, and looks like an interesting read.
What about the contents and double page spread pages?- I also like both of these pages as they both follow the conventions of
the magazine but has the twist of the theme of the magazine which will really get across to readers that is a good music
magazine with a twist. I also really enjoyed reading the review of the concert and think it is well written and a creative and
exciting read.
Interview 2- Melissa Woodnett
What do you think of the finished front page cover? – I like the bright colours used on the front cover and the model and title of
the magazine is something I definitely notice first. If you were to change something though I think a few more music related
images that do not relate to the artist of the week would be good so that not just the wombats fans will want to read this
weeks issue.
What about the contents and double page spread? – I actually also like these pages as they look so professional and have so much
in them that it makes the quality of magazine look good. I also like the review of the Wombats concert because It gives me a
look and feel of the night and just makes me want to go one of their concerts right now!
Interview 3 -Hannah Hannon
What do you think of the finished front page cover?- it does not look like the kind of magazine I would usually read but is very
colourful with a lot of images which I think are important I would like to see a few more festival images as I am a regular
festival goer and like to read anything to do with festivals
What about the contents page and double page spread?- I think that both of these pages are much better as it has a lot more
variety for music inside the magazine than I would have thought and all the images and editing looks really professional.

4. What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?
Before constructing this magazine i had very little experience in using software such as Photoshop and I had
and I had no experience using Quark, the program used to develop my contents page and double page
spread for my magazine. Whilst creating my magazine i have obtained and advanced skills in using this
software programme’s in order to create a fitting and professional looking magazine. When I first started
using Quark i found it difficult to use as the software was completely new to me but I managed over time
to develop skills such as creating a neat and suitable layout for the magazine by using guidelines and
continuing text boxes to enable the magazine to look as professional as possible. Photoshop was not
completely new to me but i have managed to develop good and useful editing skills especially with image.
I have learnt how to manipulate images with colour, size, angel or brightness. I found these new skills
helpful when creating my front cover for my magazine as it allowed me to develop the image i had taken
and make it brighter, more eye catching and an adequate size which not only looks more professional as
the magazine's cover but also gives the magazine an eye catching and intriguing look. I also found that on
Photoshop you could remove the background from your image which I found very helpful and easy to use
by simply selecting lasso tool and clicking on the background of the image and pressing enter the
background of the image is clear and remains a layer of its own. Overall i found using Quark and
Photoshop very helpful and easy as it made tasks that would usually take a long time to perfect with other
software quick and easy and allows you to be as creative and imaginative with your magazine as you
would like. If I was able to redo this task all over again and change certain things I would not choose to
change a vast amount of things because overall I am very pleased with how my magazine has come
together and has been produced. A change that I would make would include would be the angle at which I
have taken my front cover image the image is taken from a high angle shot if I was to do this again i would
take it as a basic straight on medium close up shot. By making it a straight on image it would give the
reader a better eye contact with the model on my front cover image as it would feel as though she is
looking right at them and give the magazine a more personal and shocking feel.

5. Photography and using Photoshop
These three print screen image shots show how my magazine has progressed during its
production. To edit my cover image model I used a contrast tool to make the image look sharper
and the colours brighter and more eye-catching, before using Photoshop I would not have know
how to use this type of editing tool so this is an editing skill that I have developed. I also had to use
a lasso tool in order to cut out the background of my front cover image as I took it in a car park
where the lighting is good but the background is inappropriate, this tool took a lot of getting used
to and was difficult at first to use but as you can see I became more skilled at it and managed to do
a good overall job of removing any debris background or unwanted articles in my image.

6. Looking back on your preliminary task, what do
you feel you have learnt in the progression from
it to the full product?
Before starting this music magazine we were set a preliminary task which meant we had to produce a college magazine which
consisted of creating a front page and a contents page. We were set this task in order for us to be able to get a feel for the
type of task we would be carrying out and what type technology we will be using. By setting this task i became more familiar
and experienced at using Photoshop and Quark and therefore made it easier for me to use them when it came to the
production of my music magazine. As I had very little experience in using this software the college magazine took up a lot of
time and was to a poorer standard than the music magazine, this was a benefit of having a preliminary task as by using the
software once it allowed me to expand my knowledge and be able to create a better product the second time around. By
having a preliminary task it allowed me to evaluate my college magazine so I would not make the same errors twice. Flaws
that i found with my college magazine included my color scheme was not as set as my music magazine and looked a little
messy in comparison to my music magazine. The color scheme in any magazine is really important as it is in many cases how
the magazine is established and recognized so by having a unclear and messy color scheme it would make the magazine look
very ammeter. My contents page for my college magazine is a lot better and has a more organized layout and looks a little
more professional but in some places the text and images are not lined up exactly precisely like they are in my music
magazines contents page which i found made a big difference in the overall look of my music magazine. The research i
carried out during the preliminary task also helped me a lot in the production of my music magazine because I managed to
find out what type of magazine there was a niche in the market for, what type of music and style I would like to adopt and
what age range and gender would best suit my audience. All of the research results helped me start and continue the theme
of my magazine throughout the task. The photography skills I developed during the preliminary task were very helpful in the
production of my music magazine because i learnt how to manipulate images to make them not only more practical but
more effective on my target audience, which is something I used a lot in the production of my music magazine. I also
developed journalism skills during my preliminary task when putting my contents page together for my college magazine I
learnt wording techniques that were more effective on my target audience for example using words such a 'exclusive' rather
than 'new' was affective as it intrigues the reader as it sounds more exciting like they are getting extra and something special
with this particular magazine. Overall comparing my college magazine to my music magazine I can see a lot of small but
significant differences between the two of them and my music magazine looks a lot more professional and well made in
comparison. Whilst producing both magazines I feel that I have picked up some helpful and useful knowledge on how to use
the technology to create a magazine effectively to good standard. I am really pleased with my finished result of my music
magazine and how it has come along in each stage of production, although it was a time consuming and at times difficult to
produce due to the new technology I was dealing with I am very pleased with the final outcome.