Evaluation

1 In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Front cover
• Title (Masthead)- the convention of Kerrang! Magazine is to have the main
image overlaying the Masthead. I found this works as Kerrang! Is well known
and they don’t need to have the masthead clear as the magazine is easily
recognisable. In my magazine I found it worked particularly well as the word
“SNUFF” sits in my models hair, it gives my magazine a 3D look, just like
KERRANG! I did this by using the magnetic lasso tool.

The word KERRANG! Is in a smashed screen style font. I chose to use a similar
font, However instead of a smashed screen it looks like grass which fits in to my
target audience of young people who will go to festivals on large fields.
I kept my Masthead short as it is easy to remember, I positioned it top left
because it then gave me room to include my price and feature headlines and this
is a convention of magazines. The font size is large and bold, making it jump out
to the customer. I did this because KERRANG! Is a large masthead and is a very
well known, popular magazine.
I chose black as my colour scheme was red, white and black. Black stands out
most off the white background.
Metal Hammer also use the technique of overlaying the main image over the
masthead, this has proven a popular technique in the magazines I have looked at.

Here I have used a plug as I got the idea from a KERRANG! Front cover.
I used the words “HOT NEWS” because the shape almost looks like it has burnt through
the page. Although the plug can be interpreted in different ways as it also
looks like a blood or paint splat. This could either link with the metal music as being
aggressive and bloody, or the paint could symbolise UV paint, which people would use
at festivals. In order to make it look like this I used a gradient overlay effect on it.
Because is says “HOT NEWS” this implies that my magazine will be sharing brand new
news, which will persuade the reader to buy the magazine as it doesn’t actually say
what the news is so therefore they will have to buy the magazine to find out what the
news is..

I have replicated the banner convention from a KERRANG!
Magazine as I found it was an effective way to draw the
audience in as they will see the word “WIN” right at the top of
the page.

Example
I have mirrored the use of extra images to the front cover. This is a
convention commonly used to help draw in the attention of readers who
may not necessarily be interested in the main cover artist. I have placed
the image outside of the box to make it look 3D as I found that this was a
popular convention. This could also imply that the singers stand out from
the crowd and that is passed on the reader, trying to influence confidence
and being different.

• For my main image I had my model looking straight at the camera so the
reader will lock eye contact with the model on the magazine. This
instantly draws the attention to the magazine. Also because her hair is
bright coloured it stands out off the page.

•The colour of the title matches in with the colour of the models hair.
I used the lightest and darkest shade of her hair and used a technique
to combine the two which I found worked well in convention with
other magazines. Also the font is pointy and looks torn, this effect
worked the best after trying several different fonts as it is edgy and
fits in with the attitude and style of my magazine.
•The title is overlaying the image, I made my model wear a black t-
shirt but with different shades of green and white on it as it fits in to
the colour scheme of my front page. When looking at other
magazines I found that over laying the image with the title was a
popular convention, also having a brief summary of what it so appear
in the magazine about that band.
•I also spaced out the “Duality Of Woman” to fit the length of the title
“DUALITY” I did this because it looks neat and is a popular convention
in magazines such as “Metal Hammer”.

I also included a barcode as this is an essential convention when creating a
magazine because when the reader wishes to purchase the magazine it will
need to be scanned.

I also included a banner at the bottom as this is a popular convention, as
from, my research I found that many magazines use a banner mentioning
other bands that will be appearing in the magazine. This promotes the
magazine and persuades the reader to buy it if they are well known
famous bands

Contents
• Here in my contents page right at the top I included the masthead of my magazine
just to emphasise the name.
• The magazine “Metal Hammer” influenced me in the way of laying out my contents
page as I wanted it to be neat but effective. I liked the conventions of the way the
“Contents” was clear and bold but also included the date and issue number for
those whom are regular buyers and wish to order them chronologically. Where I
included the word “CONTENTS” I used Photoshop where I applied the effects Bevel
& emboss, stroke and a colour overlay to give it a professional magazine look
because it looks 3D, bold and shiny as it is looks like it has light shining on the
word.

• I included an editorial in the magazine because from my research I found it was a
popular convention to use in magazines. This gives the editor of the magazine an
opportunity to talk directing to the reader. The editorial is a friendly description of
what to expect in the magazine. This lets the reader feel welcomed to the magazine
as the editorial includes questions and informal language. I also included an image
of the ‘Editor’ because other magazines have done this in order for them to
recognise and know who the editor is.
• I also included the colour scheme of my magazine to make it stand out from off
the white background. Therefore if it stands out and has its own box it looks like
something different and interesting, persuading the customer to read the editorial.
I positioned it in the top right of the page as it is right at the top it will be one of Example
the first things to read. magazines
• Around the box I used a drop shadow effect to make it stand out off the page to
give it a more professional look, rather than having it flat and stuck on to the page.

• When looking at the conventions of contents pages I found
there was a wide variety of different layouts and styles, the
first I looked at was KERRANG! I didn’t particularly like the
way it was laid out because it looked messy and jumbled
up. Although it suits the style and convention of KERRANG!
It didn’t with my magazine. As I wanted mine to be easy to
read and convenient for my audience.
• After looking at many front covers and conventions I found
that “Metal Hammer” better. I split the page in half with
“Features” on one side and “Regulars” on the other, this
way the reader can see what is brand new news in the
magazine and what to normally expect in the regulars. This
way there will be surprises and expected articles so my
magazine is consistent but with the addition of new and
upcoming bands and news.
• To really make the numbers of the pages clear and stand
out I used a stroke, colour overlay and a drop shadow.
• The font for the title pages is simple and easy to read as I
want to appeal to my audience of younger people who
don’t particularly like reading lots.

• I also included subscription information as it has proven
popular with various other magazines such as KERRANG!,
Metal Hammer and Big cheese. This way my audience has
a chance to grab themselves a bargain. This is a part of the
consideration in a contract because they will be getting
magazines cheaper and I will receive guaranteed sales.

On the contents page I have also included an image of the main
Examples
article and the page number. I used this convention in order to
make my contents page stand out and be varied with a 50:50 text
to picture ratio because from my survey results I found that this
was the preferred choice. Also from looking at other contents
pages from several other magazines this helped me to develop
the magazine in to looking professional.
The page number and title are clearly marked out at the bottom
of the image again for ease for the reader as they will know
exactly where to go.
Also on my contents page I included a small image of a poster
that will feature in the magazine, again this helped develop my
magazine because of the professional looks it gives because I put
the image in to black and white but kept the guitar in its original
electric blue colour to really make it stand out to make it look
more like the magazine is all about music.

Towards the bottom of the page I have also included a plug,
where I used effects such as Bevel & Emboss, colour overlay, drop
shadow and a gradient overlay to really make it stand out in order
for my magazine to develop I found that using these effects gave
my magazine that professional look. Here I mention another well
known band who will appear in the magazine, I did the because it
looks different and catches the readers eye.

Double page spread
• For the main title I used a bold text with Bevel & Emboss, stroke.
Colour overlay and a drop shadow effects. This made the page look
edgy, like the singer. Also because it says “Uprising” I chose to
position the title diagonally as it also looks like it is rising. I also
included the colour scheme of black, white and red on this title to give
it a professional look as the effects make it look to crumbled or not
quite finished. Just like the band has the foundations now all they
have to do is build on their skills and fill in any imperfections they
have.
• I have also used another convention on my double page spread which
I found popular amongst other top magazines such as KERRANG!,
Metal Hammer and NME which is to include a small box advertising
the website for that magazine. In mine I included what to expect on
the website “ more news on your favourite bands” I did this to
develop my magazine more people who go online the more popular
my magazine will become. The magazine is also fitting in with the
current social views of my audience, as they are always stereotypically
seen to be using the latest technology and being on the internet.
• I included pictures in my double page spread because from my
research and survey results I found that my target audience preferred
a 50:50 picture to text ratio. It is a popular convention because a lot
of magazines I looked at used images to break up the text and make
the page look a lot more professional and interesting for the reader.
• I also used columns of three when creating my double page spread
because from looking at magazines I found this was a popular
convention. It makes the page look structured easy to read and
organised.

• I have also included another picture of the “singer”
in the band where she is posing with lots of attitude.
The style of the photography is fairly similar to NME
and Kerrang! And others I have researched. It looks
like she is pushing the camera out of her face or
focusing the shot on her particularly. This fits in with
the style of my magazine, as this is a stereotypical
rock attitude. This develops my magazine as it looks
edgy and fits the chosen genre. When looking at
other magazines I found that the more I looked at,
the clearer it became of how I wanted my magazine
to look. This helped me develop my flat plans, style
sheet and pitch.

• From looking at the conventions of other magazines I
found that putting a large quote or phrase from the
text and placing is in the middle was popular. This
separates the lengthy text to make it look more
interesting. By including this my magazine looks of a
high quality.

How does your media product represent particular
2 social groups?
• The first convention I used to represent social groups is the
banner at the top of the magazine. I also used the abbreviation of
the band My Chemical Romance to ‘MCR’ because the social
group who will buy this magazine will be aware of the bands Examples
name and that they are referred to as the abbreviation rather
than the full name, this shows the fan base are loyal and aware of
all kinds of bands. This represents young people as being quite
knowledgeable about the rock side of the music industry.
• I have included competitions to win free things as the audience of
young people aged between 16-25 are mainly a class of ABC1 with
a small amount of disposable income, however with the current
economy money is becoming a lot less disposable and by giving
away free gifts this helps them to be able to save their money.
• The prizes such as a guitar represents young males and females
to be quite talented in the sense that many can play instruments
in the social groups of rockers, punks and Goths. Therefore they
will appreciate the gift a lot more than some other groups who
are not interested in musical instruments. Also the guitar is signed
by a well known singer, so even if the winner can not play guitar it
will have extra value if it is signed by a celebrity making it worth
wining.
• also represented the young social group by including a plug, this
represents young people as they are always seen to have the
latest news and gossip. Also younger people tend to always be on
the internet therefore they can share all of the “HOT NEWS” with
friends on social networking sites.

I used this girl on my front cover because I wanted to represent girls of a young age between 16-25
in the rock genre. They challenge the stereotype of being ‘girly’ as they are not caught up on looks
and appearance for looking girly. For example the model is not wearing make up, this is because she
won’t feel the need to ‘doll’ herself up. It shows she is comfortable and confident with the way she
looks and doesn’t need to cover herself in make up. Therefore when girls look at this magazine they
see that they don’t have to wear make up to look good and be famous (Role model).
Also many young females in the rock genre like to express themselves and to stand out, I found
there was no better way to show this then to have a young female with brightly coloured hair, which
is blue. This challenges the typical stereotype of girls having to wear pink and boys to wear blue.
This image really does represent young females as being confident, independent and have lots of
attitude.
One example of someone who represents young girls is “Hayley Williams” she is extremely
successful and has lots of girl power.
As for male gaze the magazine does not sexualize women but sees them as equals. This also shows
males that females can be attractive without having to show themselves in a sexual way. Although
my magazine challenges stereotypes it also reinforces the stereotype of the rock genre. The
magazine is all about standing out and being different and by representing young social groups as
being different and to show it is okay to be different it gives them a sense of confidence. This also
represents the social groups of punks and Goths, the magazine shows that these groups belong to
this magazine and that they are a part of a group where they can be themselves. Class is also
represented in the magazine as the audience will proportionately be ABC1. It is evident in the main
image that this represents them because the girl has piercings, showing that she has a disposable
income in order to buy piercings.

As my magazine is all about challenging stereotypes the cover headline is a male who is supposedly
going to share his secrets, this is stereotypically a female thing as young females are known to gossip
and share secrets. However this is seen to be normal for the young social groups of punks, Goths
and rock fans as there is more of an equality of genders in these groups. He is also purposefully
posing and looking in to the camera this also shows males that it is okay to be confident and to be
able to pose shows the attitude of young rock males as being cheeky, carefree, confident and not
afraid to have fun.

I also included an advertisement for a subscription to the magazine as it shows
that younger people aged between 16-25 are mature enough to sign up to a
contract between them and the magazine.
It also represents them as being loyal to the magazine as they are committed to
buying it every two weeks. This goes against the stereotype of young people as
been lazy, unreliable and uncommitted as the magazine is giving them the chance
to go against that stereotype, which is exactly what the magazine is about;
challenging stereotypes.

In the magazine I have included festival survival guides, I am not trying to
represent young people to be uneducated but if it is the individuals first festival it
is important for them to get the correct information. I have included festival
information and line ups and this year is the year for festivals and from my
surveys and questionnaires, I found that a lot of young rockers, Goths and punks
enjoy going to festivals. I have also mentioned them because a large percentage
of the audience are of An ABC1 class they can afford to go to festivals as they will
have part time jobs with a disposable income as festivals can be quite expensive
ranging from £90 - £250. However this shows that young people can be
responsible with money as they need to have the ability to be able to save their
earnings.

Here in the contents page I have included a male singer poster. He is holding
a guitar but looking as if he is about to smash it on the ground. Those who
do not understand the attitude of punks, rockers and Goths will see this as
being aggressive in a negative way. However this is a representation of
rockers, emos, punks and Goths as having positive aggression where they
can take it out in the music. This image really captures that as he is taking it
out on the guitar, it is not a literal meaning of smashing the guitar up but
more of an expression which is exactly what the social groups I am
representing are all about.

On the double page spread there is a large image of the female who
appears on the front cover. This is to emphasize that young females
have just as much confidence, character, and potential to be famous as
males.
She is in the position of focusing the shot on herself to show that she
is in the spotlight and it is all about her. This represents young females
as being edgy, proud and confident in their looks.
Her hair is bright and quite messy giving the feel that she isn’t self
conscious about her looks and it is all about the music.
Which is a good representation of young rockers, punks and emos
because they wear what is comfy and have their own individual look as
their group is all about being themselves, relaxed and just having fun.
She also looks to be screaming, which represents expression and
letting steam out through music which is exactly what rock is about.

on the double page spread there is an advertisement for the
magazine’s website. This was included due to the age range and social
group of the magazine as being young. 16-25 year old like to know all
of the latest news, gossip and information on their favourite bands as
they like to be knowledgeable on their music.

On the double page spread I have included a quote from the singer of the
band being interviewed. It says that the band are extremely grateful for all
of their support. Again the magazine is all about challenging stereotypes as
young punks are seen to be negative. Whereas my magazine is showing
young people in a positive way and that they have manners as they are
thanking all of their new fans for helping them achieve success. Also this
shows that younger people of both sexes group together and are extremely
supportive of those who are on the rise to fame.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and
3 why?
• I think that Bauer media group would most likely be the best media institution to
publish my magazine as I have done my magazine in the styles of their current
magazines that they publish. My magazine has attitude, a professional look and a
wide coverage of the Rock genre.
• Bauer media group publish magazines such as kerrang, angling times, Mojo,
empire, FHM, heat and many others.
• Bauer has a good reputation for publishing high quality, successful magazines
which run for many years.
• My image styles are similar and I have used bold colours and fonts to really grab
the readers attention. The language tone used is quite similar to Kerrang! And
others as it is quite informal easy to read and talks directly to the audience by
asking rhetorical questions and providing all the latest news on the music
industry. Although my magazine is similar to some others it still have its own
style and attitude. Will cover a wide variety of rock genres and it will be
something new and fresh, so it wont be in direct competition with magazines
such as KERRANG! Therefore Bauer will make more money as they will have
profits from both magazines.

• I have also included the chance to win free gifts by the reader entering a competition. This way it
persuades the reader to buy the magazine, as they have a chance to win a unique prize, such as
a signed guitar.
• I found that a lot of Bauer’s magazines use this technique in order to build a good reputation of
the magazine and to sell many copies.
• Bauer has a well established distribution network.

I did look at Future as a possible media institution to publish my magazine as their typical
genre for magazines is rock. However they tend to focus on old rock as some of their
magazines are Metal Hammer and Classic rock. It would be good for them to publish my
magazine as it is specifically targeted at the younger generation whereas Metal Hammer
and Classic rock are for the more mature experienced rock fans. If my magazine was
published by Future then it would financially benefit them because they are opening up to
a completely new audience. My magazine also includes lots of information to educate the
younger people. Furthermore, instead of Future’s magazines competing with each other,
they will work together as the more mature rock fans can learn about newer rock and then
the younger generation can learn about classical older rock. Meaning Future will benefit
greatly from this.
Although the disadvantages of this is that it is
not certain that the more mature audience
will be attracted to my new magazine as they
know the older magazines well as they have a
good reputation already. However, if Future
did publish my magazine it would prove that
my magazine is of a high quality but it would
have to compete with the leading rock
magazines.

4 Who would be the audience for your media product?
• The audience for my media product would
They will have particular interests in festivals, junk food,
be aged between 16-25 and more of a male
clothing and hair products as for young people it’s all
percentage buying the magazine as I found
about the appearance and expressing themselves.
out in my survey that more males than
The audience will be interested in certain brands. This
females buy magazines.
way I could charge these companies to advertise their
• They would have a strong interest in the merchandise In my magazine. Also this way I can
Rock genre. They would most likely go to understand the audience better as I will know their likes
college and have a part time job in order to and dislikes and what will appeal to them. Some
have a disposable income in order to be magazines charge thousands of pounds to be able to
able to buy a magazine (ABC1). advertise in the magazine. This is a good way of getting
• A typical reader would have tattoos your magazine well known. Plus the more popular the
because stereotypically people of a rock magazine is the higher the prizes will be to advertise
genre have tattoos as a way of expressing because everyone will want to promote their goods in a
themselves. Also piercings and stretchers well known magazine.
because it is all about experimenting and
experience and having the freedom to do
those kinds of things whilst they are young.

5 How did you attract/address your audience?
• The first convention I used to attract my audience was the banner at
the top of the magazine. My target audience is between the ages of
16-25 therefore the prizes the magazine is giving away are suitable for
that age group. The prizes are “free gig tickets” because from my
interview results I found that my audience like to go to gigs and
therefore this prize would appeal to them. I got the idea to do this
from KERRANG! Magazine as I like their style of layout and ideas of
attract an audience.
• The next prize is a signed guitar. I chose this because it would be a
good souvenir for a reader to have, Especially if the reader is a big fan
of the mentioned singer “Biffy Clyro” it will be a one of a kind, which
is well worth entering a competition for. I found when looking at
magazine that this is a good way to interest readers in to buying the
magazine regularly if the prizes are of a high quality.

• I also included a plug in to my magazine that says “HOT NEWS” I did
this because I know from my research that my audience are involved
in social networking sites . Therefore they can spread the news as
younger people are stereotypically known for gossiping and having all
the latest news. If my magazine gives away brand new news and the
readers of the magazines share it, this will give my magazine a good
reputation for having all the latest news.

• At the bottom of the magazine I have included other
bands that will feature in the magazine because if
the reader is not a huge fan of who is the main
article or the cover line then the others who are Examples
mentioned at the bottom, in the banner might be of
interest. I used a stroke effect on the text in order to
make it stand out from off of the red background,
this also helped me to include my colour scheme.
• I used a female on the front cover as from my survey
the majority would prefer to see a female on the
front rather than a male. By listening to the feedback
of what my typical reader would prefer it will attract
them to buy my magazine. There was still a high
percentage of those who would like to see a male on
the front cover, so I also included a feature headline
of a male. This way both sexes are happy with the
equal amount of gender representation In the
magazine. The hair of the female in the main image
is bright and instantly catches the readers eye, it is
clear that it is a rock magazine as the expression on
her face is aggressive and it also includes well known
famous rock bands on the front cover; appealing to
the reader.

I included an editors corner on the contents page because this is a friendly face
for the readers to get to know. It tells the reader what to expect in this issue of
the magazine. The tone and language used is friendly and casual as this will
attract the audience as they will feel like a part of a group or club. The
magazine is a place where they can relax feel comfortable and feel like they are
welcome to the magazine.

Here in the contents page I have included many bands and festivals to fit all
rock types. This way there is a wide audience buying the magazine for certain
bands that will feature in the magazine.
The layout is clear and understandable, this is for ease of the reader as they
can clearly see which pages their favourite bands will appear on.
I have included a few articles on festivals as this year festivals are huge and line
ups for the festivals have only just been released. Therefore many people will
be buying festival tickets .
To attract the audience I have included “survival guides” this will ensure a duty
of care to the readers and it will be useful for the readers who are first timers
to go to festivals.
Also to attract the audience I have included pages of posters as from my
research I found that 16-25 year olds like to receive posters of their favourite
bands.
There is also a column for “Features” as the audience will always expect
something new. It implies there is new news and topics trending for the
audience to talk about.
By including a brief description underneath the title, this is a teaser on what
the article will be about. It only says a brief fact on the article making them
want to go to the page to read about why certain bands are featuring in the
magazine and what gossip and information they can get.

On the double page spread I included a small box at the top right hand side of the page.
This included the magazine’s website as my audience of young people are
stereotypically seen to always be on the internet and have smart phone where they are
able to go online at anytime. This makes it easier and cheaper for the reader to be able
to get the latest news on their favourite bands. This will attract my audience as they
can get news on the go, and they are then able to share with friends. They can also get
the same news that is in the magazine if they do not have enough money to buy the
magazine. However in order for my magazine to sell I will not put posters and
competitions online.
On the double page spread I have separated both pages in to columns of three making it easier for the reader to read. I
have also included images as the majority of those I asked preferred a 50:50 text to picture ratio. I have also included a
quote from the interviewed singer in the middle of the text, this breaks it up and makes it look like there isn’t as much
text as they think. This will also attract the because if they read the quote first whilst skimming through the magazine
they will wonder what she is on about and want to read all about this new band.

Example

What have you learnt about technologies from the
6
process of constructing this product?

I have learnt a lot about different technologies when creating my magazine.

I have used many different websites in order to receive feedback, survey
results and promoting my magazine via a blog.

I have learnt that many technologies have to be used to create a professional
looking magazine from editing photos to researching to organising and
planning layouts.

• I started out using Microsoft PowerPoint to record all of my research and to order
it accordingly, this way I could go through the slides step by step and this way all of
the information was all together. This way if I needed it then it was in one
PowerPoint for example I did a magazine analysis, I had to analyse 3 front covers, 3
contents pages and 3 double page spreads of popular music magazines sold in the
UK. I did this in one PowerPoint as it was together and when I uploaded it to my
blog it was their in one piece for people to see easily.

• I also had to create a blog in order for me to be able to post my work for people to
see and for my work to be marked. I chose to use blogger because it had been
recommended to me as being reliable and a sufficient way to upload my work. My
work was neatly planned out for those to see.

• Blogger gives you different options in order to view my work. This is helpful as
different people prefer different layouts.
• I learnt that blogger was an ideal source to submit my
work. However, I soon found that as I was using PowerPoints’
to do my work, blogger would not let me up load a PowerPoint.

• I then had to sign up to a free site called ‘Slideshare’ where I would
upload the PowerPoint then copy the hyperlink to post on my blog
as a HTML.

• I found that slideshare was particularly easy to use and well set out in order
for me to be able to upload my work as I had never used it before.
• When I was researching magazines I conducted a survey using a website
called “Survey Monkey.” this gave me a free trial to ask 10 questions which
was a perfect amount for me to be able to find out all I needed to know about
my target audience and how I would use my magazine to appeal to a specific
audience.
• From the results I received cancelling out any anomalies I then put my results
in to a PowerPoint where I ordered them in to graphs and charts which I later
uploaded to my blog.

• To get people to answer my survey I shared the link via ‘Facebook’ as I have
many friends on there, giving me more results to work from.

• Photoshop was definitely the most challenging technology to use because I had never
used it before and I was unaware of the tools I was able to use and how far i cold edit
images and produce my magazine.
• First of all for my preliminary task I began to pick up the basics by sampling different
effects and playing around with different tools.
• By the times I had finished that task I was a lot more confident and knowledgeable about
how to use certain things on Photoshop such as effects.
• When I had moved on to my final product I began to use more complex and professional
tools such as the Lasso tool which helped me to put my main image over the top of the
Masthead.
• After playing around with different fonts; which I had gotten from Dafont.com, I managed
to start putting bits together. By adding effects to the font such as Bevel & Emboss, stroke,
gradient overlay, colour overlay and drop shadows my magazine was starting to look
professional and how I envisioned it to look like.
• When using these effects I started to move away from my original flat plans a little bit
because certain fonts and effects changed the original planned layout. However, this made
the magazine look better as it came together nicely.

I also learnt how to use cameras in a professional way when taking the photos for
my magazine.
When taking the images I got the model to pose in various positions and I used
different locations to get the right shot for my magazine. When I had gone
through the images I had a choice of different poses and lighting. I chose a
photo that had plenty of space around the model as I would have to include a
masthead and cover headlines on the front page.
When working with camera I learnt how to work with natural and artificial light. I
found that natural light in a large white open space worked best. As the
lighting was perfect giving it a professional studio look.

From this you can see I took several of the same pose
because they all varied slightly and I wanted to get the perfect image to put on
the front cover.

7 Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the
full product?
• When comparing the preliminary task to the final product it is evident that I have progressed
greatly.
• I have learnt about how much research and preparation that goes in to making and designing
a magazine. I also learnt that photos need to be edited in order to achieve a professional
look. I have learnt how to appeal to a specific audience by using thing such as a plug, effects,
feature headlines, attitude, style, language and many others.

Preliminary task

Final product

There are obvious differences between the two. Firstly, I had learnt from the preliminary
task that I need to have a clearer idea of how I wanted my magazine to look. When I looked
at the preliminary task I criticised it harshly and from doing research and looking at other
magazines I found that I should include a banner at the top to draw the reader in as they will
look at the banner to see what other bands will feature in the magazine.
I also learned that for my photography I had to clearly plan where and who I would
photograph. In the preliminary task I did not use a light enough space when taking the
photo, which meant that the background was a greyish colour; looking unprofessional. Also I
did not leave enough space around the model to include other features of the magazine.

when I started my final product I carefully planned
how I wanted my main image to look. I specifically
chose a female with bright coloured hair, mainly
from surveys I had conducted and Information I
collected from my research in to popular magazines.

I also progressed in how I wanted my magazine to
look because from looking at the preliminary task
it didn’t look eye popping or appealing as the
colour scheme and theme was not evident.
When conducting the final product I carefully research what my target audience would like
on a magazine and what colour schemes would appeal to them, I found that the majority
would prefer a red, white and black colour scheme.

When looking at the two mastheads they differ quite significantly because with the preliminary task I
placed the Masthead in a box as at the time I though it’d be a good idea to keep it separate. However
I found that this was not a good idea as from looking at other magazines they tend to make the
Masthead large filling the top of the page with the main image overlaying the masthead to give it
more of a 3D depth look.
I also used too many effects on the Masthead on the preliminary task as I thought these would be
needed to make the magazine look professional. However, in this instance less is more as I found with
the Masthead in the final product it was more about font rather than effects. I learnt that a large bold
crackly font worked a lot better as it stands out and is easy to recognise.
In addition I included a banner where on the font I did include some effects such as Bevel & Emboss,
stroke and a colour overlay as I found that smaller text needs some effects in order to stand out and
to make the page look less flat. Although I did not use all of the effects available like I did on the
preliminary task as I found it looked to much and unprofessional.

for feature headlines I included an image on the final product because looking
back at the preliminary task it looked basic and amateur just having plain
writing. Having images stands out and shows the reader what the story will
be about rather than having to read the headline. The picture catches the
readers attention, then they will go on to read the brief summary of the
story underneath the image as they may recognise who is in the image first
rather than the name in the writing.

When comparing the two contents pages it is clear that I have progressed greatly. Firstly the
background colour in the preliminary task is very basic where you take two colours and
merge them. Looking at it now it looks very basic and unprofessional. I found that when
looking at other magazines that a plain background is needed in order to make the stories
and photos stand out from off of the page as these are more important than a colourful
background.
I also learnt that layout in very important when it comes to contents pages as they need to
be clearly set out for the readers to find a required page. However I learned that I had to
include certain conventions such as subscription information, an editorial and images of
stories that will appear in the magazine. I also included the masthead on the contents page
as I wanted the final product to like a professional magazine.

Evaluation

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