The document discusses the construction of a media product that follows many magazine conventions like layout and masthead design, but also challenges some conventions with darker backgrounds and minimal photography lighting. It conducted a survey to find that its target audience of students wanted band interviews, artistic photography, new artists, and album reviews, which were incorporated. The process taught skills with Photoshop, blogging, and different media formats. Since the preliminary task, the creator learned more about the magazine process, how to manipulate images, layout conventions, and using color to create mood.

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? My product follows many standard conventions that many magazines follow: It has a flowing layout The masthead is large, covering most of the upper third of the cover The colours are bright to draw attention to the magazine and contrast so they do not run into each other The photography is interesting and colourful However my product challenges some conventions: The backgrounds are dark with light text The photography uses minimal lighting My models have blank expressions, removing some of the ‘softness’ from the images

2. How did you attract and address your audience? My audience is primarily students in their late teens/early 20’s with an interest in electro/alternative music. I conducted a survey to test my markets taste in music and what they wanted to see in a magazine they would buy. From my survey I found four components my audience asked for that I considered essential to my final layout if I wanted my product to compete in the market: Band Interviews Artistic Photography New Artists Album Reviews I focused on incorporating these features into my layout, even taking time to build my own album cover using Photoshop to maintain the professional image of my product.

3. What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product? Throughout my project I have developed and honed my skills with Photoshop and I am now able to manipulate shapes and images to plan, build and refine a media product like the one shown here. This is the first blog I’ve ever written, using Wordpress I am now familiar with the process of blogging. Whilst writing my blog I created my own account on Slideshare enabling me to embed PowerPoint slide shows into my blog. I have also learnt of the ongoing development of new media and how it can be downloaded in a number of formats on different platforms; such as codes that can be sent via text to receive downloadable content to a consumers mobile phone. Much similar are Q codes; the consumer photographs the code with their phone and content is then downloaded to their device.

4. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? Since my preliminary task I have learnt more about the different processes a magazine must go through to reach the public so we respond to it positively. I have learned to manipulate Photoshop, to edit images to give the effect I want and the understanding that most images in magazines are edited in a similar way. I have a better understanding of how a magazine is put together, I understand the standard conventions of a layout and why they are standard conventions. I understand how colours can be used to create different moods especially in photography and editing images, and how different colours can signify different emotions depending how light or dark they are and what colours they are paired with. I am also confident I could produce a magazine again, using this new found knowledge and experiment with different ideas to see the outcome. And making PowerPoint presentations, I’ve got better at that too. 