The magazine aims to target young people aged 15-25, both male and female. It would primarily attract a middle-class audience, as the alternative music featured requires a level of intelligence and education to appreciate. The magazine represents young, white males predominantly as the artists featured, in order to relate to this core audience. Other groups such as women, minorities and lower classes are underrepresented.

1. EVALUATION
NEVERMIND MAGAZINE

2. HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT REPRESENT PARTICULAR
SOCIAL GROUPS?
The magazine I have created is not diversely representative. The particular music featured in 'Nevermind' is
mainly targeted at young, white people. I believe this is because other races such as black/Asian people have
been stereotyped to like music which is cultural to them. For example- the presumption is made that young
black people would be interested in urban, hip-hop or rap music; this is because the artists who perform in
this genre are generally of the same race/ethnicity and portray the same attitude. This particular social group
are also mostly seen as being less affluent with difficult or more uncivilized backgrounds.; this means they are
associated with rougher areas of society where the rap music is commonly seen. A lot of the artists also come
from these types of backgrounds, allowing this particular type of person to relate and enjoy the music they
produce. This contrasts with the class of people that would typically be interested in the alternative genre of
music; I believe this type of music would attract a more middle class audience as it is different and would
require a level of intelligence to able to stand alone from the crowd . Another thing which supports this point
is my audience research; the most popular genre was alternative/indie and most people who conducted the
survey were from a higher class background.
The bands and artists featured in Nevermind are predominantly white males, which would attract this type of
person, because as I mentioned previously, they are able to relate, making their experience of the music they
are interested in more fulfilling. As a consequence, young, white males are presented as popular, successful
and prosperous; this certainly does not apply to the whole of the population, however, this is the way they

3. Establishing that it is males prominently males represented in the magazine, shows that there is little gender
equality among this genre of music. Women are seriously under-represented, however, this is due to the fact
that there are simply not enough popular female artists that I could have included. Apart from the cover, there
are few female figures featured. I included a female figure on the cover to make sure that there was at least
some female representation and by using it as the cover it makes it more important and symbolises that
women are still present in this genre of the music industry. Having less women represented in my magazine
suggests that they are less important; this is a typical view in some aspects due to the fact that stereotypes
place women as the 'weaker' sex. They are under represented in some careers, especially higher/managerial
positions and this is continued in my magazine. This was not done intentionally, it is ultimately because males
are the more prominent sex for this type of music.
The main category that is represented in my magazine is teenagers; this is because I wanted to display
figures that my younger target audience could relate to.The female on the cover of the
magazine is challenging the usual
stereotypes created about women.
Usually in magazines women are
made up to satisfy the male gaze by
being presented in revealing clothing
and having flawless hair and make
up. Here, the model is seen to be
covered up with her clothing,
possibly because of the outside
location but mainly to show that

4. In addition to this, the female figure featured is pictured stood still, not doing anything. This fulfills the
representation that females are quite passive characters; the idea that women have this passive demeanor
comes from the inequality between genders as women are often softly spoken and selfless which can result in
them being belittled. This is emphasised by the male characters presented in the magazine as they are all
pictured doing something, such as performing. This fulfills the stereotype that men are more active or
productive, dynamic and willing to do more things.
Another way that I have represented the social group of teenagers is through their style. The individual
featured on the double page spread is smoking which is a bad recreational habit associated with young
people. The teenage generation are labelled as troublemakers which makes people develop the expectation
that youths would involved in these kinds of activities such as smoking, drinking and drugs. The male figure at
the top of the contents page has a very individual style with stretchers, tattoos and the personal decoration on
his guitar. This continues the stereotypes associated with teenagers as the tattoos give the impression that
they are rough and radical by conforming to extreme types of self modification. Tattoos are also quite a
modern popular trend which older generations may not be as familiar with, meaning that they may relate
them to irrational things such as gang culture or rebellion which are typically linked with the younger
generations.

5. WHAT KNID OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?
I think that Bauer Media Group would
be a suitable company to publish my
magazine; it is a European based media
company, founded in 1875, which
manages over 600 magazines, 400
digital products and 50 radio and TV
stations worldwide. They are Europe's
largest privately owned publishing
group; their main divisions are
magazines and radio which shows that
they are essentially a very music
focused company which fits well with
the choice to have them distribute
Nevermind as they clearly have
experience in this area. They aim to
engage with audiences and defeat
competitors with highly influential
I believe that Nevermind is so
original and unique it could fit in
well to become one of these
influential brands. It already
publishes music magazines such as
Q and Kerrang which shows that the
company has experience in
publishing successful music
magazines. They are also
publications which relate to the one
I have created, incorporating similar
music styles. Even though the music
genres in the existing magazines are
similar, I believe that Nevermind has
a wider range and covers more of a
variet of music, meaning there is
definitely a gap in their company
where my magazine would fit

6. Existing products under Bauer Media
Group are extremely successful and
popular, for example – Q magazine has a
readership of 377,000, while Kerrang
holds a healthy 293,000; this proves that
Bauer Media support products which are
highly respected and lucrative and are
able to sustain a loyal and engaged
readership.
Bauer Media are also a company which
uses multiple formats to publish on; this
would be a good choice as the company
could produce a conglomerate of media
surrounding the magazine, including
digital and radio formats. This would be
an advantage to my brand as the
resources and skills available are vast and
Bauer Media as an establishment is well
known and trusted to create good quality
media products.
Having my product distributed by Bauer
Media would mean that it would be
represented by a brand that is well known
and has great experience in the music
magazine industry, which would suggest
that my magazine would be distributed
with the same level of professionalism,
ultimately, making it as successful and as
well known as its other publications. They
specialise in producing modern products
which would fit well with the aims of my
magazine as it has a contemporary style,
targeting a youthful audience. The vast
range of publications Bauer Media has
means that more people will be aware of
the brand, bringing a larger and varied
audience. Overall I think this is the best
company for distribution of my magazine
due to its experience and previous
success in this area as well as its valued

7. WHO WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT?
The main audience my magazine would target does not have a specific gender, however, I believe most
readers would be between the ages of 15 and 25. This is because of the modern components that make it
relatable to younger audiences; this is reflected in the writing styles, images and content included due to it
being sophisticated yet uncomplicated. During my audience research I found that most people who
participated were between the ages of 15 and 20. This gave me a baseline to work with to ensure that my
magazine would be aimed at the right type of person; the younger generations are generally very open
minded and responsive to new things, especially when it concerns something that they're enthusiastic about.
Music has become a lot more accessible with the development of technology which now allows people to use
things such as Youtube, Spotify or Souncloud to listen to their favourite tracks. Teens and young adults are
extremely eager to stay up to date with the recent technology and will always use it to access music on the
go; this is an advantage as it keeps music lovers passionate, however, the frequent use of these media
platforms online means that the print industry is becoming less popular; because of this I had to think of ways
to keep readers interested and specifically make this younger audience want to buy a magazine rather than
use a convenient online substitute. When conducting the audience research I also found that there were more
female participants, however I believe that the audience for my magazine would be quite equal among
genders as the music featured appeals to both. Females are more likely to buy a magazine due to their typical
want for materialistic things and males would be likely to buy the magazine as the music featured represents

8. The audience for my magazine would be middle
class; I would compare my magazine to NME as
this is the most similar already existing product.
NME has an ABC1 readership of 65% - this shows
that over half of their readers belong to the upper
middle class, middle class and lower middle class.
This means that my audience will generally be well
educated and reasonably wealthy. This impacts
how the magazine is written and set out. The
magazine could be written in more complex terms
as most would have the capacity to understand
and read large interviews for example. Their
comfortable monetary situation would also allow
them to buy every issue, making the magazine
gain more of a loyal readership, as well as more
profit.
Ultimately the audience for Nevermind will be
young and enthusiastic about music as well as
multiple other interests with a positive and
modern outlook on life.

9. HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS YOUR AUDIENCE?
I attracted my audience by a range of features in my magazine. The main audience I aimed to attract involves
young adults, including teenagers. The images that I have used mainly feature teenage figures which would
therefore relate to the audience, meaning that they would be more likely to be interested and purchase the
magazine. Using teenagers in the images also represents that the magazine is focused on young and fresh
ideas, showing that
this production is new, unique and something they have never seen before. As well as the model
on the cover being young, she is also looking directly into the camera; this creates a personal con-
nection with the reader, making them feel as though they are being targeted so they can engage
with the magazine on a more personal level. The locations of the images would also attract the
audience as they are clearly identifiable with youth culture (parks and graffiti areas) which gives
the readers something to look at which they can relate to in their everyday life and something
they may be interested in. These run down areas give connotations suggest that the magazine
is not pretentious which would also attract the readers as they would feel more comfortable
reading the magazine. The style of the magazine is portrayed through the masthead; this isbecause it looks distressed and slightly
grungy which may be a style that appeals to
readers. The simplistic, black, bold lettering
which stands out is a good way of attracting
the audience as it makes a statement which

10. In the research that I conducted before the production of my magazine I asked what type of things readers
would prefer to see in a magazine. The two most popular options were photographs/posters and interviews; I
made sure that I included interesting photographs that are colourful and exciting, furthermore, I also used
some polaroid photographs which involves another form of photography, giving a new interesting feature as
well as contributing to the retro theme.I have satisfied the readers' demands of wanting interviews by
making the main story on my cover an exclusive interview; the
tagline featured underneath linked to the magazine is interesting
and should intrigue an audience of youth as it includes things
they could correspond with. The audience research that I
completed also stated that most people would want to see a
neat, organised and structured layout; as a result of this, Ihave tried to keep the layout of each page clear and well
composed by not including too many things which could
make it look too busy. This technique in similarly used in
NME; this is the magazine that I would compare my
production to as itincludes the same type of music, therefore, I tried to use the same style
to assure the readers that it is a credible and professional magazine.
The most popular genre of music among the responses from the
audience research was indie/alternative. This influenced the whole
magazine and what it was based on; it is for this reason that I have
ensured that I have included the names of popular artists, such as The
Strokes and The Kooks, from this genre to attract and appeal to the
widest possible audience.

11. Another way in which I have addressed my audience is through the content and language. The lexis I have
used throughout, especially in the double page spread, has more of an informal feel. I did this so that readers
could relate and not using formal language creates a more relaxed atmosphere, which was one of my aims
when creating the magazine. The language used in the double page spread expresses this clearly as it is an
interview where the interviewee answers questions with everyday speech which the audience would be able to
relate to. Even though I think the majority of readers would be middle or upper working class, meaning thy
would be more intelligent and able to read more complicated and longer articles, I think that informal
language is still the most suitable to use as it ensures that everybody will be able to understand. Also, as I
mentioned previously, one of my main aims was to create magazine that had a relaxed vibe so making the
articles difficult or laborious to read would have gone against this. The ratio between images and text also
shows that the magazine is not too serious as the text is not overwhlelming and the photography was
important to the readers so I wanted to emphasise this.
Overall I think that I have addressed my audience well as I have taken the feedback from the audience
research and applied it in my final designs, resulting in a product which features things that people actually
want to see such as neat layouts, specific content and a magazine based on indie/alternative music. I have also
made sure that the magazine does not look gender specific throughout so that both males and females would
be attracted to read it so that it could reach a wider target.

12. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR
CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
Although I wanted to create a unique production, I have
followed some of the typical conventions that a magazine
would use; for example, I have used the left third of the cover
to place most of the information on. The left third is the most
important as we are programmed to read from left to right,
meaning that this would be the first thing that the audience
reads so this area must be crammed with stories and images
and have features which will instantly attract the reader. I
have also stuck to the usual magazineconventions when it comes to the masthead. It is placed across the top in the middle of the page
in a large, bold font to fill the top strip, which would grab the reader's attention straight away. I
took my inspiration for this from Kerrang! as this is the kind of style I wanted to portray to fit the
alternative style.
Another convention which I followed was my main colour scheme; I chose to use black, white,
grey and red which are commonly used colours. This is because the colours compliment each
other and look sleek and professional. Using black and white make it look smart, due to the
connotations of power and purity, while the additions of red enhance the look and make it look a
lot more interesting due to its connotations of passion and danger. These colours are often seen in
NME

13. Pull quotes are another convention which I included in my magazine;
these are important to give a reader a quick insight into what the article
will be about and include. Using the most interesting or important parts
of the article can grab a reader's attention instantly, therefore, willing
them to continue reading.I surrounded my pull quote with text so that it breaks up the text, making it seem
easier to read and also so it is clear it is part of that article. As well as this, a
commonly used feature in articles is the drop cap – this means putting the first
letter of the article in a larger, different or more elaborate font so that it stands
out. I decided to follow this convention as it makes the overall look more
professional.
The final cover that I produced is very conventional
as the main image is the focus of the page,
although it is not central, with the other stories
surrounding it. There are a number of coverlines,
however, I have used a largerand different font in comparison to the other text for the splash feature
to indicate that this is the main story. The barcode has been
incorporated by placing it in the bottom right corner, where every other
magazine also places it. The price is on here, however, the barcode is
only small so that it does not distract the reader's attention from the
cover. In relation to the cover, I think it would be fair to say that it meets
many conventions in terms of layout, images and coverlines.

14. One way in which I have challenged the usual conventions of a
magazine is the images that I have used. The typical images used
throughout magazines and on the covers are studio shots that have
been taken professionally. I wanted to challenge this concept as I
thought that keeping natural backgrounds would make the
photographs look more interesting and make the magazine more
authentic. I think that plain white studio backgrounds can look
boring so I wanted to ensure that my magazine would look as
though it has some character. The different locations give a realistic
feel to the magazine and this would engage readers as they could
relate to it more. Keeping the natural background also contributes
to the theme of the magazine as the park and graffiti tunnel add to
the alternative element. Ultimately, I did this so that the magazine
would look realistic and relaxed, not staged or forced, like some
studio images can seem.

15. WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT TECHNOLOGY?
Throughout the process of creating my magazine I have learned multiple things about
different technologies that I had never explored before this production. In the planning
stages, the audience research was a key part of what influenced decisions I made for
the basis of my magazine. I did this by making a questionnaire on survey monkey; this
was a site I had no knowledge of before, but after using it, I realised that it was a useful
tool as it allowed me to collect lots of responses in a short amount of time. I posted this
survey to social media which also involved the use of technology as people are
increasingly using mobile phones to access this. This shows the development of
technology and how it has become modernised, which I have had to keep up with to be
successful in my project. As well as this, I used Prezi which is a different format of
presentation; it allows you to create displays with creative designs which meant that I
could make my informative while looking interesting and attractive. This added to the
amount of different platforms I had used which let me develop technologies used.
I have used many different softwares including miscrosoft word and powerpoint to
produce documents and drafts of all the written parts of my coursework. These were
really useful because they are simple to use understand, meaning that I could get my
work done quickly while using them because I was familiar with all the features through

16. In the production process I used different programs to create the different final pieces, for example, I used
photoshop for the cover and contents and I used Indesign for the double page spread. I had never used these
before so I learnt a lot in the process; these were essential in creating my magazine and I would not have been
able to create the magazine without them. Photoshop was an important tool as it allowed me to edit
photographs to make them look more professional and appealing with lighting and colours etc, as well as
letting me cut and move images into specific places.I learnt that whilst using
photoshop, each layer
appears on the right hand
side of the screen. This is
useful as it allows you to
keep track of exactly what
is on the page and also
makes later editing easier.
Moving the layers up or
down determines which
layers go on top of each
other; this was useful as I
wanted to overlap some
images and this was
made easy by simply
moving the layers.
an outside location for the cover so
the lighting was slightly dull meaning
that I had to immitate high key lighting
with photoshop.As well as this, I used
things such as the blur tool to get rid
of any imperfections and make the
image look more flawless.
The type tool was simple to use; it was
easier to use this rather than transfer
the text from a different format. The
only difficulty I had was with
downloading the specific fonts,
however, I managed to do this so that I
could have more professional texts.
I also used photoshop to edit my original images to make them
neater and more professional – for example I used the tools at the
top right corner of the screen to adjust the brightness and overall
colour of the image; I used

17. Before starting my coursework I had no experience with blogs so this is another element of
technology that I have developed my knowledge of during the process by actually creating
the blog and uploading posts. Another way that technology was involved was through
Youtube; I had to learn to export and edit videos in Premier then export them and upload to
youtube so that they would be accessible to my blog. Additionally, when uploading things to
my blog I had to ensure that the format was compatible. This lead to using things such as
slideshare so that I could present my work in a way which would be able to be uploaded to
my blog.
The other main form of technology that I have learnt a lot about is Indesign. This was the
program I used to create my final double page spread. This was a form that I had never used
before, however I found that it was quite similar to photoshop which made it a little easier to
navigate around it. It was useful as it allowed me to create a specific layout and a good
structure so that I could get columns for the article and then link these columns together so
that the text continued and was fluent.
There are many positives that have come from using technology, as it is quick and allows a more realistic and
professional look compared to if it had been done by hand for example. It also allowed me to get my work
done faster with advanced tools that give an overall polished look. Without softwares such as photoshop and
indesign I would not have been able to complete the production so the use of these, although sometimes
difficult and complex, were very important.
Overall I think that my development in the use of technology was vital for the production of my magazine and
being able to access different forms allowed me to build up a diverse skillset for the future and make the
magazine efficiently.

18. LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU
HAVE LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?
At the beginning of the coursework we had to make a mock of a cover and contents page for a magazine that
would be aimed at college students.As you can see, it differs vastly from the final pages that were made
because at this point I was very inexperienced with using the technologies so the preliminary task is very
simplistic and amateur.
The progression from this point to the final productions has included many steps – the first one being market
research. Here I had to learn about different magazines, their publishers, target audiences and how they
attracted them. This all influenced how I designed my magazine and was helpful when deciding what would
work and what wouldn’t.

19. After this was the textual analysis where I analysed existing magazines' covers, contents pages and double page
spreads to identify codes and conventions that would typically be used. This was essential to make sure that the
magazine I produced was realistic and actually included things that would make a successful magazine. For
example a magazine needs a masthead which is in a bold, unique font that can create a trademark and brand
identity.
The audience research that I conducted allowed me to learn about different research methods and develop an
understanding of what an audience would want to see. The questionnaire that I posted on social media gave
me quantitative data which I could then analyse and make decisions based on this. The interviews that I
conducted gave me qualitative data that I used to create a reader profile because I took into consideration the
interests of real possible readers. This all contributed greatly to the planning of my magazine. Here, I had to
plan photographs, locations and models etc which is all documented in my pitch, photography planning and
style sheets. This makes a difference from the preliminary task as there was no planning for that which is
communicated through how unorganised it appears. I did not completely use my planning as there are some
aspects of the photograhy planning that I changed during the process as I came up with improved ideas,
although this was still more efficient than using no planning at all. Also, whilst planning the photography I had
to consider the background and lighting so that it would look professional, whereas both of these things were
given no thought in the preliminary task; the first photos were badly light and the background was bland and
uninteresting; I did very little in the editing of this photo mainly because of inexperience so it did not reach its
full potential. I changed the brightness of the photograph and enlarged it, whereas the final photos required
more editing to ensure they looked professional.
The overall production of the final pieces was very different to the preliminary task as it was a lot more complex
and required a lot more thought and effort. There were also a lot more stages to go through to get the desired
end result. Throughout the process I learnt a lot about planning and producing a magazine; this has lead to a