My magazine aims to attract a young, predominantly black audience aged 16-30. It represents this group through the frequent use of black models and inclusion of slang words. While not as well-known as Vibe magazine, it follows similar conventions in its layout, covers, and use of images and fonts. The magazine would likely be distributed by IPC Media to attract a wider music fan base, as they currently only release one mainstream music magazine.

1. EVALUATING MY
MAGAZINE
SHARON OGO-UZODIKE

2. In what ways does my media product use, develop
or challenge forms and conventions of real media
VIBE MAGAZINE:
products?
EYEBROWS
CAPITALS
BOLD MASTHEAD
BLUE, RED & WHITE
HEAD OVERLAPPING COLOUR THEME
MASTHEAD USED THROUGHOUT WHOLE
(because VIBE is well known) MAGAZINE
MAIN COVERLINE CENTRAL IMAGE
(BIGGER FONT) DIRECT EYE CONTACT TO DRAW IN
READER, HEAD TILTING TOWARDS ‘JAY Z’
TOP SELLER.
EARS
EARS
USE OF TWO
FONTS & FONT
SIZES AND RANGE
OF COLOURS.
BARCODE, PRICE & DATE
VERTICAL FINGER POINTING
TOWARDS ‘KERI HILSON’ –
MAIN FEATURE IN
MAGAZINE

3. MY MAGAZINE: DID I STICK TO THE CONVENTIONS?
EYEBROWS
CAPITALS
BOLD MASTHEAD
BLACK, RED &
WHITE COLOUR MAIN PICTURE BEHIND
THEME MASTHEAD.
USED THROUGHOUT I chose to do this because my
magazine is not as well known
as VIBE so the masthead needs
to be seen.
EARS EARS
USE OF TWO DIFFERENT USE OF TWO DIFFERENT
FONTS/FONT SIZES AND FONTS/FONT SIZES AND
COLOURS COLOURS
CENTRAL IMAGE
BODY TILTED TO MAKE WAY
FOR MASTHEAD AND TO
DIRECT YOU TO ‘SHANTE’ –
MAIN COVERLINE.
BARCODE, PRICE & DATE MAIN COVERLINE
VERTICAL
(BIGGER FONT)

4. MY CONTENTS PAGE #2 VIBE CONTENTS PAGE #2
BOLD
HEADING
CENTRAL
IMAGE
CATEGORY
AND DATE
SUB CATEGORIES
ILLUSTRATIVE
MINI IMAGES
FOOTER
AND PAGE
NUMBER

5. VIBE MAGAZINE DOUBLE
PAGE SPREAD
STANDFIRST
CENTRAL IMAGE
PULLQUOTE
COLUMNS OF
WRITING (9PT)
BOLD HEADING
MY MAGAZINE DOUBLE
PAGE SPREAD

6. How does my media product represent
particular social groups?
THE POINT AT WHERE
THE PICTURE CUTS OFF FLASHY PRODUCTS
IS ALSO VERY WOULD DRAW THE
‘TEMPTING’ TO THE ATTENTION OF THE
MALE SOCIAL GROUP RICH/HIGH CLASS
SOCIAL GROUP.
THE HIGH FASHION
HEELS ATTRACT THE
ATTENTION OF YOUNG
FASHIONABLE FEMALES
THIS ‘HIGH FASHION’
SKIN SHOWING WOULD ALSO ATTRACT
FACTOR ATTRACTS THE ATTENTION OF A
THE MALE SOCIAL ‘REASONABLY
GROUP YOUNG FEMALE MODEL;
WEALTHY’ SOCIAL
WELCOMING SMILE, YOUNG
GROUP.
FEMALE SOCIAL GROUP CAN
(AVERAGE/HIGH CLASS)
RELATE EASILY.
SKIN SHOWING FACTOR ONCE
AGAIN, DRAWS THE ATTENTION
OF MALES

7. PREDOMINANTLY BLACK TARGET AUDIENCE?
BECAUSE OF THE USE OF BLACK MODELS
THROUGHOUT THE MAGAZINE
SLANG WORDS SUCH AS ‘FOOTSY’
INDICATE THAT MY MAGAZINE IS
AIMED TOWARDS A YOUNGER
GENERATION. (16-30)
MY MAGAZINE IS AIMED TOWARDS YOUNG MALES
AND FEMALES FROM AGES 16-30. MY MAGAZINE
CAN BE SEEN AS TARGETTING A PREDOMINANTLY
BLACK AUDIENCE DUE TO THE FREQUENT USE OF
BLACK MODELS THROUGHOUT THE MAGAZINE. I
WOULD ALSO SAY THAT MY MAGAZINE IS AIMED
AT YOUNG MALES SLIGHTLY MORE THAN YOUNG
FEMALES BECAUSE OF THE SUGGESTIVE
‘SEDUCTION’ POSED BY THE FEMALE MODELS. PUNCTUATION SUCH AS
EXCLAMATION MARKS SUGGEST
EXCITEMENT OR LOUDNESS.
OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH
TEENAGERS (PART OF MY TARGET
AUDIENCE).

8. What kind of media institution might
distribute my media product and
why?
Vibe Lifestyle Network are the producers of VIBE (the
magazine I was imitating) but I don’t think that they
would also publish my magazine. Simply because they
already have a very successful hip hop/ RnB magazine, I have done some research and I believe that IPC
they wouldn’t need another of the same genre, it Media would be the perfect institution to
would cause competition within their media. distribute my magazine. IPC Media produces over
60 iconic media brands, with print alone reaching
a vast amount of men and women throughout the
UK. They currently only release one mainstream
My magazine would most likely be sold in music magazine titled NME, and this magazine is
rock orientated. This would create a perfect space
shops such as HMV in different average- for my magazine because it would offer a different
high class area’s around the UK. My genre of music, widening their buyers/fan base
while also publicizing my magazine.
magazine would not be sold in corner shops
because it’s not a low class magazine. It’s a
moderate/high class magazine with a fairly
wealthy target audience.

9. Who would be the audience for my
media product?
The target audience for my magazine is young males and
females aged 16-30.
I used the VIBE website to help me determine the age
group that I would aim my magazine at.

10. My double page spread (interviewing an
upcoming music artist) would attract an audience
that is interested in pursuing a music related
career whether it be singing, producing etc or just
music in general.
The price of the
magazine (£3.95)
suggests that my
audience would be of
middleclass/high class
because my magazine is
fairly expensive.
A typical reader of my
magazine would be in
their mid 20′s and live
in a middleclass area
with an average-
high paid job.

11. How did I attract/address my
audience?
I attracted my audience by
mentioning all the hottest, most
recent artist on the front cover to
grab the attention of the youth. I also
used an equal mixture of known male
AND female artists to attract fairly the
same amount of each gender.
Photo manipulation: I cut
out her image and put it
against a black background
to make her skin stand
appear more radiant
(attracting the male
audience.)
I conformed to the Rule Of Thirds but
alternated between colours to make
the front cover more outstanding
and eye catching.

12. I used slang words, informal
language and abbreviations
throughout my magazine making it
easier for my young target audience
to relate to.
I manipulated this picture by brightening the skin tone, cutting it out
and putting it against a black background to make the skin appear
more radiant (to grab the attention of the male audience).

13. What have I learnt about technologies
from the process of constructing this
product? InDesign is the software I used to
GOOGLE is where I got majority of my construct my actual magazine.
research information from. I also got Using this software I learnt how
pictures of magazines that I was to create layers, group objects,
analysing from here. I learnt that lock the position of objects &
GOOGLE is one of the most experiment with different
informative sites on the net and very backgrounds and font
useful! I found this site very easy to colours/sizes. I found this
use because It’s very general. software quite difficult to use
because there were so many
features and I wasn’t familiar with
This is the logo for Adobe
them.
Photoshop. This is where I
edited/manipulated all the pictures
used in my magazine. On this WORDPRESS is the blog site that I used
software I learnt how to crop to post all my magazine research and
pictures, enhance/adjust lighting, work on. Using WORDPRESS I learnt
cut out pictures & place them on how to ‘blog’, add new posts, sort my
different backgrounds and change information in categories, insert
the ‘mode’ of pictures. E.g. pictures & links and also post
greyscale, RGB colour etc. I found slideshows. I found this site fairly easy
this software quite hard to use to use. I think that the features were
because it was my first time & the quite self explanatory and easy to
features were hard to understand at locate.
first.

14. I used Microsoft Paint to help me analyse
magazine covers, contents pages, and double page
spreads from well known magazines such as VIBE,
HipHop etc. Using this software I annotated
pictures, created lines/arrows coming from the
pictures (pointing to their descriptions) and
circled/highlighted important features on the
pictures. I found it extremely easy to use this
software because all he features are very clear and
simple to use.
I found a website called Slideshare in which I could post
presentations on my blog and make them look more
presentable and neat. It was very easy to use this website
because everything on I was very straight forward and self
explanatory.
All of these software's/websites were very easily accessible.
Software's such as GOOGLE and Microsoft Paint were
extremely simple to open whereas with WORDPRESS,
Slideshare, Adobe Photoshop and InDesign I had to register or
make a personal account. But I still think they were fairly easy
to access.

15. Looking back at my preliminary task, what do I
feel I have learnt in the progression from it to
the full product?
SKILLS LEARNT
In terms of skills I’ve learnt how to PLANNING
create objects using different In terms of planning photo shoots/interviews I’ve
shapes, fonts and colours using learnt that I need to prepare myself properly and
InDesign. I’ve also learnt how to way ahead of time to avoid disappointments or
manipulate pictures on Photoshop any last minute changes which are what make
(lighting, shape/size, background magazines look unprofessional. Before actually
etc.) partaking in these photo shoot’s/interviews I
need to do my research and prepare my setting
SKILLS DEVELOPED for the photo shoot or my questions for the
interview to ensure that everything just runs
I’ve improved on my ability to crop pictures. Now I
smoothly & that I know what I’m doing.
know how to crop them while still keeping them
in proportion., I also know how to choose
whether I want a smooth or harsh edged finish. MANIPULATIONS/REPRESENTATIONS
I’ve also developed my ability to do things in more I’ve learnt that you can create your own interpretation/
detail. This learning process has taught me several representation of anything and anyone through Photoshop or
little tricks used on Photoshop to make your InDesign. This gives people the opportunity to express total
finished product that much more presentable. creativity but can also be dangerous if abused or used to an
E.g. Removing little pixels, smoothing edges, extreme. I also learnt how to play around with font colour, sizes
fixing discolorations etc. These are the things that and types as well as manipulating images to make them fit my
made my work complete. idea of ‘presentable’. This manipulation consisted of light
adjustment, cropping, colour mode (black and white, RGB colour
etc), exposure, contrast and much more.

16. THE END
BY SHARON OGO-UZODIKE