The document describes the design choices made for a music magazine called "Amplify" aimed at a 16-25 year old audience interested in indie/rock music. Conventions from other magazines like NME were followed such as placement of the masthead and inclusion of relevant artist names and images. Some conventions were challenged, like not including a band index or magazine subscription ad. The target audience values music and uses technology like smartphones, so social media promotion would be effective.

1. Ramarna Knapp Evaluation

2. To make my magazine look as professional as possible I followed the codes and conventions used in similar magazines such as NME. The masthead is placed in the conventional position in the top left hand corner on the page, and also includes a sell line which gives a summary of the magazine in one line. Also the artist's name is shown in bold writing to attract the attention of their fans and clearly show the main focus of this weeks issue. I have used a range of different fonts to highlight key areas such as bands and artist’s names which is often seen in music magazines. I have included a small quote from the artist which gives an insight into the topics discussed inside the magazine and placed it somewhere where it can be read clearly, similar to what is seen in NME. I have featured a small list of bands and artists who are relevant to the genre which is a characteristic seen in music magazines of all genres. A lot of magazines show multiple pictures on the front, however I have chose not to do this as I felt the page looked cluttered with the images, and appeared more organised and clear without them. Conventions such as date, price and barcode are clearly shown as are in NME. Most magazine covers use something similar to a lasso tool to place the image on a background colour layer, so by me using the original background from the photo develops the conventions of a similar, successful magazine like NME. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

3. A convention which is shown in the magazine Amplify is the title ‘this week’ including the date underneath. This makes the magazine appear more professional and organised and is a convention used in every type of magazine. I have chosen to use the same font as the title on the cover to keep a consistent theme. However I have not included the convention of having a band index which is often seen in magazine such as NME. Similarly a lot of magazines present an advert for their own subscription on this page, but I felt the more modern NME that didn’t include this looked the like a better magazine and I preferred that format compared to the old one. I challenged the conventions of a music magazine by not including my magazine’s name on the contents page. I felt that it was not required, and looked better with the name removed. All professional magazines clearly show the headings displayed on the contents page, making it easier for the reader to access their desired articles so this is a layout I adopted. I have placed the image almost centre of the page, and have used a different model to the one featured on the front. The colourful image adds variety to the magazine, and this layout of having a news feature on the contents is very popular with magazines like NME. I have written a small news story similar to the one in NME in the contents. I have stuck to a colour theme of black and red to make my magazine look professional and consistent. Overall I feel like my cover has all the necessary conventions to make the magazine looks professional, however I have placed my own interpretations of certain conventions onto the contents page. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

4. My main image takes up half my double page which is almost always the layout of music magazines as the readers attention is directed at the person the interview is based on. The medium shot used draws attention to the props I used, the amp symbolises the magazine as well as the genre and the guitar connotes the indie vibe I was trying to create. I have chosen to have an interview with my artist, however NME often do a story rather than interview in their double page spreads, so I am breaking the convention slightly. I have chosen to start my article with a small introduction to the artist interviewed which is often seen in magazines to allow the reader to have some background knowledge on the artists before reading the interview. The layout of the two columns is a popular choice in magazines like NME as it is clear and appears professional. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? A large quote from the artist is used to give an insight into the topic of the article and is a technique often used in NME.I have chosen to make this a different font so this stand out against the rest of the text. Also the font symbolises that she has wrote it, it’s her words and her interview. This idea was adapted from an article on Paramore in NME. I have chosen to use some smaller, relevant photos to further illustrate my article, and to add colour to the page. I have chosen to use a variety of shots to add variety to the page. I have included a small summary of the image on the left of the picture as this is often seem in NME. The colour scheme is carried over into the double page spread to create a link and a flow between the pages of the magazine, however I have varied the fonts, layout and pictures.

5. The majority of music in this specific genre is created using guitars, which require amps, also the term amplify, implies something loud hence the reason for the name Amplify . In addition it is a short title name that would be easy to remember making the masthead Amplify seemed like the best title to represent the indie/rock music magazine. The model has a serious expression on her face, this conveys how serious she takes herself and her music. It also represents how seriously people of the inide genre take music, they are very passionate and dedicate a lot of time and money towards the genre. The text on the models t-shirt reads ‘I’m in the band’ this would appeal to my target audience because they are interested in music first and foremost and by incorporating it into the wardrobe shows that music is the main focus of the article and magazine. The image clearly shows the guitar so people can identify what genre the magazine is immediately. The guitar also shows that as a woman in this male dominated industry she values music over appearance, which is an attitude shown a lot in this genre compared to RnB which is heavily focussed on appearance. have displayed a small list of popular bands in this genre so the consumer can identify the magazines purpose instantly. Someone who is not a fan of the genre may not be aware of the artists creating a sense of shared identity between the consumer of Amplify . How does your media product represent particular social groups?

6. How does your media product represent particular social groups? The text used is not particularly formal as I am representing a younger demographic, however they are inide music fans and are particularly affluent therefore I have not used slang, and have made sure the tone is not conversational. I have kept the text colour and font simple and clear as the social group I am aiming at is mixed gender and I do not want the magazine to appear targeted towards one gender more than the other.

7. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? My magazine is similar to NME, specialising in rock, indie and alternative music. So I would want to use the same publisher as the company would know how to get the best out of my magazine being so experienced with a similar magazine. IPC is the UK’s leading magazine publisher, with over 60 media brands, this would allow my magazine to have incredible funding, through a established company. Going with this particular publisher would allow my magazine to be distributed to a wider range on stores and outlets, that would mean my magazine would reach a wider audience, and attract more readers. However a company such as Rhinegold publishers have a range of magazines specialising in classical music. My magazine could be the first indie/rock magazine they have so their time could be dedicated to making the magazine the best it can be. Also because it is a small publisher they would be able to spend a lot of time on the magazine rather than having to distribute their time between 50 different magazines.

8. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? Distribution: When distributing my magazine I would sell physical copies in shops such as WHsmith who stock a large range of magazines, in addition I would hope to distribute my magazines to supermarkets as this makes Amplify more accessible to a larger consumer market, not only my target audience. However there are other ways we can now distribute our magazines; The age group I am aiming my magazine Amplify at (16-25 year olds) use the internet on a regular basis which makes them particularly susceptible to advertisements on social networks eg. Facebook. Magazinse similar to mine such as NME have twitter accounts which give their readers access to the latest music news, the updates also give insights into up and coming issues of the magazine and the main features the readers can look forward to. As social networking is such an integral part of the younger generations lifestyle it would allow the magazine to be available ‘on the go’, new technology such as i-phones, which from my research I discovered is one of the products used most by the affluent social group, so the magazine appeals to the people with fast paced lives.

9. Who would be the audience for your media product? From a questionnaire I conducted using my target audience I gathered information that would help me cater Amplify to the interests and requirements my demographic had. I found out the social group enjoyed socialising, specifically attending gigs, which is why I featured a section on gig reviews to appeal to my audiences feedback. As my audience were young (16-25) I could not make my text too formal, however 70% said they read books regularly implying that the social group is intelligent, meaning I had more freedom with vocabulary and form when writing the contents of the magazine. Also because of my age range the magazine could not be too expensive as the majority of reader would be students, however they did say they would pay up to £3 for a good music magazine. My audience stay on the cusp of the latest music news through their up to date technology, and I kept this in mind when contemplating how to distribute Amplify . When choosing my models I tried to use people that the readers could relate to. I chose Alexa Chung (top left) and George Craig (bottom left, on the right) as two references to base the models look around as they connote the stereotypical indie boy and inide girl.

10. How did you attract/address your audience? I believe my magazine Amplify appeals to my target audience in numerous ways: It would appeal to both genders as I have kept to a neutral colour scheme. In addition I have used both male and female models within the magazine to attract both sexes. I have targeted a younger audience from 16-25 so using a younger model on the front is someone the audience can relate to and be more likely to be attracted to the magazine. I looked at similar magazines and all the prices were between £2.30 and £3.00, therefore my magazine being priced at £2.75 appeals to the intended audience who are mostly made up of teenagers and students who could easily afford Amplify . My masthead for the magazine is bold and attracts the readers attention. The name itself symbolises the genre of music I am portraying making the message of my magazine more clear to the consumer. I used a bold large picture which filled the whole page. This means the image Is clear and fans of the genre should recognise the artists on the front. Also the artists is making eye contact with the reader, therefore making a connection with the audience without them beginning to read it. The text I used was clear and easy to read against the neutral colours of the photo. This meant that potential readers can see what genre Amplify is representing. In addition props such as the guitar and her t-shit further depict the genre I am aiming to represent. When looking at similar magazine such as NME and Q the majority of artists had instruments to illustrate that their magazine was music based and in particular indie/rock. When I asked my demographic what they thought of my magazine they replied; ‘I think the magazine is colourful, without being too busy. And I can see that it is going to be about rock music from the instruments and her t-shirt on the cover. The article was interesting and the colours and theme seemed consistent throughout.’ Overall the target audience seemed pleased with the finished project, and mentioned that it would be something they would buy due to the content and how affordable it was. As I am aiming my magazine at a younger audience I felt the gossip aspect of the music industry would appeal to that particular age group, whilst having music integrated into it meant the majority of readers should like the article. Have to add more photos!!! To whole presentation…

11. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? Before starting the magazine I had never had any experience using Photoshop, and had been used to the publisher format. I was nervous about whether my lack of skills would hider how professional my magazine turned out. Once I had planned out my magazine on Publisher I had to transfer this over to Photoshop to enhance the quality. So I had to play around with it for a while to familiarise myself with all the different tools. I took the pictures on a SLR, which was the first time I had used one. I found the pictures came out a lot clearer than previous photos I had taken with a normal digital camera. This meant that when I went to edit the photos on Photoshop I had better images to work with. And as the camera had a lot of memory I was able to take a lot of photos and had a variety to choose from, meaning my final photos where the best photos possible. Once I had the hang of it I used the software to edit the photos I had taken. I edited the light in the image to make it appear brighter, but I darkened the shadows so the image looked more interesting and made the individual elements such as the amp and guitar stand out from the background. I attempted to use the lasso tool on my cover photo, however due to the colour of the models top and the background this proved difficult, and appeared more professional using the original background. I learnt how to use create my magazine building layers of images, text and colour to create a proficient magazine.

12. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? I had left a lot of free space around the edges on my preliminary task which would have appeared very unprofessional on Amplify my music magazine. I haven't used a variety of font types , everything looks a little similar. Conventions such as barcode where not included in my preliminary task. The process from preliminary task to final cover taught me a lot about all the different components needed to make a professional and successful music magazine. I learnt about how social groups are represented in print media through the models, the masthead, the fonts and colours. I have also learnt about the different codes and conventions needed to make a professional magazine. Because the two magazine are very different in content i learnt how to present a formal newsletter, and then the more informal magazine cover. The first task I done was created using publisher, which in comparison to Photoshop which I used for the final cover was a lot more simple, and didn’t have the wide variety of tools that where available to use for the final cover in order for my magazine to appear realistic.