This document provides an evaluation of Alice Bates' media magazine product. It discusses how the magazine developed from initial plans and analyses of other magazines. Key aspects of the magazine's design are discussed, including the front cover, contents page, and double page spread. The magazine aims to represent particular social groups like young women and youth through the images and content featured. Large publishing companies and niche publishers are considered as potential distributors. The target audience is identified as 16-18 year olds interested in music. Valuable skills and technologies learned through the process are also outlined.

1. EVALUATIONAlice Bates

2. In what ways does your media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?
• My music magazine, STAGE&SPEAKER, has developed throughout the designing and making of its
contents from designing the front cover to the double page spread there were many
similarities and differences between what my original plan was and what I changed to get
the finished outcome I have now. From analysing three magazines at the start of the
project such as Loud & Quiet, I soon found the style of magazine I wanted to design. This
initial style was simplistic, minimalist with lots of high quality images and
aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I knew that after looking at all different styles of
magazine I didn’t want to have a typical ‘top of the pops’ style magazine with lots of
block, bright colour, lots of text and poorer quality images, I much preferred the
minimalist, sophisticated approach with lots of white space and a concise layout.
• After more analysing of magazine cover, contents and double page spreads I gathered a
clear idea of what style of images and editing techniques I wanted to use to get the
outcome I wanted for my magazine which was clear, well composed images and edited in a way
so that the tone between light and shadow had a large enough contrast to make the image
look high quality as many of the magazines I looked at did. I gathered a selection of
imaged that I wanted to use in my magazine and thought about basing them from the article
I was writing about an upcoming band named ‘Amelia and the wolf’. I therefore took
photographs of my friend Amelia in an outside environment using natural lighting as well
as used some past images of a concert I attended and formed a contact sheet of all the
images I wanted to use.

3. FRONT COVER
• When I began designing my front cover, I
found it difficult to make masthead of my
magazine able to fit on the page in one
line where the font was as large enough so
that it stood out as most magazines have
very large mastheads that are the main
focus of the page. I experimented with
white banners on the top of the page laying
over the photograph but with the photo I
wanted to use it would mean that a large
part of the image would be covered up and
didn’t look as nice as it did without a
banner.
• I then experimented with different font
colours and, using my colour style sheets,
thought a dark maroon colour for the mast
head title with the headline and most of
the other cover lines on the page in a
different coloured font, it would make the
masthead stand out without a huge font or
banner. I did all my experimentation of
designs on Photoshop and finally found one
which I really liked the appearance of.
However after looking at magazines that had
used a mixture of coloured fonts,
especially for their mastheads, they linked
the same colour with something else on the
page. It was either linked with a tone of
an image laid on top of the feature article
photo, or with sections of text. I didn’t
want to lay a secondary lead on top of the
existing feature image however and
therefore changed some of the text on the
page to a dark maroon colour, same as the
masthead. I really liked this design and
chose to use it for my final front cover
design.

4. CONTENTS PAGE
• I then started designing my contents on in design; I
took inspiration from Loud &Quiets contents page I had
earlier analysed, however after using their layout
with my appropriate contents. I didn’t like it at all.
This was because it didn’t look like a conventional
magazine contents page that is usually full with
information and images. It was too minimalist and
therefore I decided to change it completely to a more
commonly used contents page layout that most magazines
use within the music industry. I wrote up my contents
titles and what key information I wanted to include on
the contents with their selected images. I really
liked the magazine ‘music & riots’ contents page
design that used a linked colour scheme from their
front cover throughout to their double page spread. I
thought that I could us the monochrome and dark maroon
colour scheme I had previously used on the front cover
and began to insert my contents and experimented with
different font size, colour and layout. The layout I
chose followed the strict concise layout that a lot of
magazines use however I put my own twist on it by
enlarging the page numbers and changing someone the
text to a dark maroon and used images that also
followed the colour scheme and this was the actual
final one I decided to go for.
DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
• My original design for my double page spread that I
made sample dummies of was very different to the
actual outcome I decided to go with. My original
design was to have a white background and my images
placed on top with columns for my contextual
information instead I wanted to use one image for the
whole background so that the main subject of the
photograph is on the right side of the double page
spread and the text on the left. I got this idea from
‘Clash’ magazines double page spread I analysed
previously and is something that quite a lot of
magazines do within their layout and design.

5. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
• My media magazine product represents particular social
groups in a number of different ways, the photograph
featured on the front cover of my friend Amelia of her
staring directly at the camera infers that she is
confident and direct to her audience. The way in which
I have cropped the photograph means that her eyes are
at the audience’s eye level and therefore appears like
she’s staring at them. Looking into someone’s eyes is
seen as an emotional gateway and suggests that within
the magazine there will be an insight into her story
and the reason for her confidence. In relation to
social groups, women, especially young women, are
usually portrayed in the media as been weaker than men
with low confidence however by having the front cover
inferring confidence her, this goes against
stereotypical views on young women.
• I did this because from my audience research I found
that a larger percentage of girls would read a acoustic
genre magazine and therefore aimed this at the target
audience and to hopefully inspire them to not be a
stereotype. Makeup and appearance is thought about
within the composition of the shoot too, I wanted to
portray Amelia in a way that way original and
fashionable which is a common interest of women within
age ranges of 16-19 years and shows the modernism of
Amelia who is shown to be strong yet beautiful, a
common desire of young women and tried to show this on
the image used on the contents page on the top left
hand corner. This shot was taken from the side to show
a different side to her, her body language and
composition of shot show that she’s more closed and
gives a more mysterious outlook on her personality. The
quote at the top right of the page from Amelia is
related to the strong pose and is stating her view on
sexist traits within the music industry which is from a
different page to the article I wrote. I did this so
that her views on the music industry as well as her
story link the whole magazine and she is features
throughout small parts of the magazine.

6. • The statement shown on the contents page to young women who are
interested I music and possible are musicians themselves will be
interested in her character which again empowers young people to not
let stereotypical views limit them.
• On the double page spread, the background image is again a different
view to Amelia and her facial expression that’s less serious and more
informal is more relatable to her quotes and story within the
article. Most people when seeing the images of her might assume that
she and the band have a large amount of money due to the way they
dress and there performance displays shown on the contents right
page, however reading the article is about how they started as young
individuals busking in Leeds to get some money for themselves and how
through their music managed to work their way up and are now
successful within the music industry. In my design I wanted to make
the magazine picture order be a story of the band and I think that
this will draw the viewers in but also every image contradicts a
stereotypical view on youth, class and gender.

7. • Another way that my magazine represents social groups is that it
shows that In some areas and communities in modern society they
aren’t as multicultural as others. My photographs I have used in my
magazine do not feature any people of a different ethnicity, this is
because the area in which I live isn’t a very multicultural
community and therefore has a minority of ethnic groups. However my
magazine is within the genre of Acoustic music which in the media,
acoustic artists are predominately white unlike many other music
genres within the media where artists aren’t from an predominate
ethnic group. My magazine is a representation of what which artists
have been shown to be successful within the acoustic genre in the
media which was a common representation in many of the magazines I
earlier analysed. Although I disagree with how success in this area
of the music industry is shown in the media and I think that there
should be more musicians from different ethnicities, this style of
music is a very common style of music within western societies,
which may be a possible reason as to why the media representing this
genre are accommodating for the majority of the target audiences
ethnicity.
MULTICULTURE

8. • Youth is also a social group that has been represented within my
magazine; this is because when I did my audience research I found
that the main target audience is 16-18 year olds. I therefore
addressed my contents to be within common interests of that age
range which is why my contents page content had be well thought
out and was something I had to change multiple times. I tried to
focus on events coming up around the summer time when this
magazine issue would be published such as music festivals,
upcoming artists and their tour dates, interviews and tips on how
to survive festivals. I tried to include interviews and other
contextual information within the magazine other than ideal
interest of that age Range group because I do think the layout I
have chosen isn’t a stereotypical style of magazine aimed 16-18
year olds and may attract people in their early twenties whose
interests would be slightly different to the younger audience.
YOUTH

9. What kind of media institution might
distribute your media product and why?
• During my magazine research I found that a UK company called Anthem publishing that
published a range of music magazines that were within the acoustic genre. They all used
the typical ‘music mag’ layout to them that other magazines use such as NME or Ker rang
that use bold, large writing and tend to use a red, white and black colour schemes. This
aspect I really liked, however I preferred the more simplistic layout from individual
publishing companies. This is one of the disadvantages of large publishing companies
because they can lack individuality in their variation in design compared to other
magazines or even their own magazines. Due to this, some of the public that read
magazines published by larger companies may want a magazine with similar themes of
content but with a different way of writing and design as I myself would prefer.
• I therefore think that there is a gap in the publishing market for this style and want
of the public which is the area in which I wanted to fill. I did this through using
similarities such as the common colour scheme of red, white and black that’s used in lots
of magazines but with a more simplistic design and layout.

10. Advantages and Disadvantages
• Advantages of large publishing companies
such as Anthem publishing is that
because so many other music magazine
publishing companies with a similar
design and style of writing it means
that when members of the public are
looking to subscribe to a magazine and
invest their money within the company
they may find it difficult to want to
commit if there are lots of other
magazines similar.
• However there are also disadvantages to
large publishing companies, this is
that, just like Anthem Publishing, they
also publish different magazines within
the company. This could either be
magazines of different genres or
magazines about topics that aim their
contents at a different target audience.
This includes magazines like cooking,
gardening, guitar that aim for the older
audience where as the acoustic magazines
are aimed for a 16-18 year old age
range. This could be seen as an
advantage because it means more people
invest in the company it’s a more
versatile publishing company. However
this is also a disadvantage because it
means that the company aren’t
specifically linked to music magazines
and therefore the offers and information
about music may be limited because they
are a company of many branches.

11. Who would be the audience for your media
product?
• My magazine I tried to aim at 16-18 year olds, this was because when I was doing
my audience research I found that the majority of people that did my survey were
within that age group. I knew that I didn’t want to do a typical young persons
magazine like top of the pops because I think that the bright, colourful large
printed text and topics aren’t very sophisticated and more addressed to younger
girls, below the age of sixteen. Through more research I really liked the more
simplistic layout where the colour scheme uses minimalist, neutral colouring and
its content is well structured with high quality images. I think that this style
of magazine is one that is more aimed at 16-18 year olds that have an eye for
the arts and enjoy reading and taking inspiration from the design on board but
also the people that are interested in new upcoming band within the booming
music industry. From my questionnaire I discovered that the majority of people
that took did the questionnaire where girls and I gathered that they weren't
very confident within themselves. This is why I addressed the main article and
main feature article on Amelia who is a strong willed, young, talented artist
that worked her way up and is now confident enough to be able to preform to
hundreds, I thought that this would perhaps inspire some of the young readers
and give them more confidence.

12. • Another way in which I aimed my magazine at
the target audience is by dressing Amelia in
a way that follows current trends but with
her own individual twist. The majority of
the readers of my magazine from my research
would be girls who like shops such as urban
outfitters or Top shop and therefore thought
that I would style Amelia in a way that
would be available to them to buy but style
it a way that suits them. On the front cover
it features a picture of Amelia with winged
eyeliner and a short fringe which is quite a
unique look , the contents picture of her
shows her looking very elegant and well
dressed which would suggest that she is
stylish but has her own style. I tried to do
this purposefully so that Amelia inspires
them to be individual but also from reading
the article and her story it may also gibe
them inspiration to work hard at what they
enjoy because it does work out. I used a
monochrome colour scheme with flecks of red
running throughout the magazine which are
usually associated with higher quality
magazines such as vogue but also a large
majority of music genre magazines on the
market today such as NME. I thought that
this colour scheme therefore is better
addressed to 16-18 year olds because it
gives them that sophisticated style of
writing and layout they cant find in
magazines such as top of the pops who use a
very different approach to attract their
target audience.

13. What have you learnt about
technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
• Throughout designing and organising my magazine I have used a range of
technology that I had never used before this project such as Adobe In design,
Photoshop and Bridge. I started the designing of my magazine experimenting on
Photoshop editing images of the internet and using the different editing
techniques available on Photoshop such as adjusting the tone, colour,
brightness, contrast and levels of an image. I then started experimenting
with fonts and layout of text over an image which is when I started to
develop what I really likes the look of for my front cover of my magazine in
which I actually designing my final front cover on.
• For my contents page, I first started designing it on Photoshop because after
the experimentation on Photoshop I felt comfortable on this designing
platform. However I soon found that I didn’t like the way it looked and in
comparison with published magazine contents page mine didn’t look as
professional as I wanted it to look. I therefore started experimenting on
Adobe In design with what layouts I thought looked the best for my trail
contents page. I then began to get the hang of the programme and learnt that
it was easier to create a sophisticated magazine layout rather than Photoshop
because it abled me to use page margins which gave my trails a more finished
and professional look. After looking at other magazines contents pages I soon
discovered the style I liked and designed my final contents page in Adobe In
design. I continued to use this programme for my double page spread because
I could change the shape of the text easily so that it sculptured around the
image which would be difficult on other designing programmes like Photoshop.
• A individual more in depth skill I have gained throughout this project is
actually knowing and been able to take photographs that are suitable for any
part of a magazine. For example on my preliminary task I used an image that
was poorly shot and bad quality with no real composition of where the people
on the photograph were positioned or the location they where in, nor what
sort of contact I wanted them to have in regards to looking at the camera or
not.

14. • Throughout the designing of my
magazine the photographs in which id
taken for them I uploaded and made
contact sheets on Adobe Bridge which
organises the images in order and
lays them out in a way that make it
easier to observe what images and
the quality of them I have taken.
This is a also a new programme I
haven’t used before but was a quick
and easy ways to display my images.
• Therefore overall by making my
magazine it has taught me and
allowed me to use lots of new
programmes I had never used before
but enjoyed the process of creating
my magazine on them and I think that
using them gave me an insight on how
real publishing companies make there
products look sophisticated and
attract their audience in the
correct way.
• I also think that learning the
basic skills on these programmes
will help me in the future to have
the confidence to expand my
knowledge and skills on the
programmes.

15. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do
you feel you have learnt in the progression from
it to the full product?
• Looking back at my preliminary task I feel like I have gained a
lot more skill within different design programmes but also I
think that my style had developed too and what I like within the
publishing industry in relation to design and contents.
• Another thing I think I have learnt is what font and text size
looks best for the style of magazine I wanted to create, in my
preliminary task I used a font that isn’t used very much within
published magazines because it doesn’t look very sophisticated
or valued in graphic design and typography which for the style
of magazine I wanted to design, young creative people are who
hopefully my magazine would attract therefore the font I used
for my preliminary task wouldn’t be a suitable font to use. I
also think that the font size and the different coloured writing
the way in which I have done it doesn’t look very professional
and now from magazine research and experimenting myself I know
what does and doesn’t look right for the style of magazine I
like.
• to interest creative people in my magazine I wanted to create a
magazine that contained really nice, well shot images for both
the front cover and contents of the magazine. I image I chose
for my preliminary task doesn’t have the good quality a magazine
would have with poor composition and a randomness within the
people and location in the frame; therefore not suitable for the
audience I want my magazine to attract. Compared to my actual
finished outcome I believe that I have expanded my knowledge of
what kind of image and proportions of image I need for a
magazine.
• I think that the image I used didn’t suit the font I chose and
therefore they didn’t go very together and just looked as if it
had been thrown together rather than been thought out. This
shows that I have found the sort of style I really like and was
able to show it in my final outcome and improve from my
preliminary tasks quality in design.

16. • I also think I have learnt and progressed in
my skills using design software as I can see
from my previous posts on my blog to now. The
ways in which I present my work, the font, the
colours and the style have all changed since I
began my magazine course work. At the
beginning I loved the idea of a retro style
magazine in the genre of old, jazz, classic
music. However after market research I
discovered that it would be difficult to sell
my magazine to a range of different people and
therefore would have to have a very specific
target audience. I therefore decided to do a
genre of music more people would be interested
in and chose acoustic which Is another area
I’m interested in, this is why my preliminary
task front covers font and mast head were in a
retro style of type.
• My first experiments at designing a front
cover I used Photo shop and experimented with
using banners to lay the mast head over the
top so that it stand out and without it,
borders, different compositions of photography
and how it looked on the page. These were all
things I wasn’t aware would make such a
difference on the page and I soon found the
style of layout I like which was a full page
image with the mast head laid over the top.
• Overall my style and skill from the beginning
of this project has developed which has
helped me to further my understanding of how
professional publishing companies design and
write their magazines.