2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
S IMILARITIES IN FRONT COVER
Both use plain white masthead in capitals and
quite bold, white is not complicated but stands
out on the page and looks clean.
Close up main image where eyes and lip on the
person stand out a lot. Main image placed behind
the masthead as the image is close up.
Barcode in bottom right hand corner.
All text on cover lines in capitals, making it seem
like what is written is important and to also catch
the readers eye.
Majority of text on my front cover filled in white
and VIBE magazine in black. Both plain yet
sophisticated colours, not over the top.
3. DIFFERENCES IN FRONT COVER
My magazine has a header and a footer
whereas VIBE magazine doesn’t have anything.
I included a header and a footer to put more
information on the front cover of the magazine
as I didn’t want to crowd the front with lots of
sell lines so that it didn’t look cluttered.
My image takes up the whole cover so there is
no need for a background whereas VIBE
magazine has a plain blue background. I would
have included a background if I had used a
different image but the image I chose I thought
would look good covering the whole page.
VIBE magazine contains less text on the page
and has one overly dominant sell line whereas
my magazine has more sell lines and also the
font size of all the text is pretty much the same.
I chose to do this as I have more text on my
page and wanted to fit it all in without it looking
cluttered.
My image has a more sepia effect and VIBE
magazines main image of Rihanna has a black
and white effect. I wanted this effect because it
brought out the eyes and lips better than black
and white.
The person in my main image is looking straight
into the camera making it obvious she knows
the photo is being taken whereas in the image
of Rihanna it is unsure if she knows the photo is
being taken as she is looking away and not
really posing. I did this because I wanted the girl
in the image to look powerful and make a
statement as she is supposed to be an
upcoming artist whereas Rihanna is already
well known and established.
4. S IMILARITIES IN CONTENTS PAGE
I got the style of separating the letters in
‘contents’ from VIBE magazine as it looks more
creative and gives an edge to the contents
page. It also allowed more space on the page
as I could place it in one corner on the page
instead of taking up the top of the page.
Both magazines use the main image as a
background, they both take up the whole page .
I did this as the photo is of good quality so I
didn’t need a background.
Both magazine have a smaller picture in the
corner, which has a white background.
Both magazines contain headings for the text,
separating the content of the magazine into
different sections making it easier for the reader
to follow.
All of the text on my contents page is in capital
letters and the majority of text on VIBE contents
is also in capitals. I did this to make it look more
clean on the page and look more sophisticated
and stand out more.
In both magazines, the smaller image in the
picture is looking straight into the camera.
5. DIFFERENCES IN CONTENTS PAGE
The main image in VIBE magazine is looking
straight into the camera but my main image is
looking away from the camera. I got the person
to look out of the view of the camera because it
is obvious she is already doing a certain pose
so she knows the photo is being taken and I
wanted to contents to look a little different to the
pose shown in my front cover.
The smaller photo in my magazine contains text
showing where to go in the magazine to find out
more and the image is also tilted and has a
black border around it whereas the smaller
image in VIBE contents is showing you a
magazine cover, does not have a border and is
not tilted. I wanted my smaller image to also be
noticed which is why I added a border because
the main image is so strong that without it, it
might not be noticed.
The background on my main image is green as
I got the person to stand in front of my green
wallpaper whereas the VIBE contents has other
people in the background and shows the setting
of the image. I choose a plain background as
her outfit has colour in it already and I wanted
white text.
Some of the text in VIBE contents has smaller
text underneath it adding extra information in
the page whereas mine doesn’t. I thought my
page had enough text on it without including
anymore.
My main image has colour and VIBE main
image is in black and white. I wanted colour in
my magazine as wanted it to be as bright as
possible.
My image is of younger people than the people
in VIBE magazine as I am aiming my magazine
at a younger audience.
6. S IMILARITIES IN DOUBLE PAGE S PREAD
Both images are on the left page and take up
the whole page. I chose to do this as I thought
the image was good so wanted to make it more
dramatic and big.
I used VIBE magazine to get the idea of using
initials of the person in big on the right page with
two different colours, one being black and the
other being red going with the theme of the
page.
Both images have page number, mine is in the
bottom corners of each page and VIBE
magazines is in the top right hand corner.
Both images are focused on the camera and
are mid close ups.
Both pages have two columns of text in them.
7. DIFFERENCES IN DOUBLE PAGE S PREAD
My main image has a white background
whereas VIBE double page spread has a black
background. I chose a white background as the
black background made the image look
obviously cropped out more than the white
background. The white background also goes
with the white background to the text.
My page has lines at the top as I wanted to
keep the theme of lines as was on my contents,
I also added a red line to go with the double
page spread. VIBE magazine doesn’t have any
pattern apart from the text and image.
Although both pages have two columns, the
layout of my text is where the first column is set
to the right and the right column is set to the left.
VIBE magazines text is justified. I wanted all of
my text to look like its all going into the middle of
the page which is why I set out my text in that
way.
8. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
9. Professional image Professional image
Female R&B singers are portrayed to be very
strong, powerful women and this shows through
their music as well as their image.
R&B singers usually look very expensive with
flashy clothes and their own style, for example
Rihanna’s hair style changes frequently and her
image is quirky and cool. I want my images for
my magazine reflect the same idea a lot which
is why I chose to take photographs of a girl with
big, choppy short hair and a girl with her own
individual style and also big hair as this goes
with the conventions of R&B, pop and hip hop.
Male R&B singers are usually portrayed to have
a lot of respect and are looked up to because
they have a high reputation.
Although female R&B singers look powerful and
My image My image
in control, they also look attractive and sexy.
Therefore my magazine attracts both a female
and male audience as the images of the girls
are strong making other females aspire to be
like them but as they are attractive it might
make males want the magazine as they are
attracted to them.
They are also known for their quirky style which
is commonly called ‘swag’, a word that is used
in relation to R&B and hip hop music.
I looked at images of
well established,
powerful female artists
and wanted to recreate
the type of look they
portray. My image
Professional image
10. What kind of media institution might
distribute your media product and why?
IPC Media produces over 85 media brands
Two thirds of their readers are women
Their brands when they come together reach over
20 million users each month.
They have knowledge in the music genre as they
distribute NME magazine.
Publishing my magazine will be a good
opportunity to expand their audiences and genres
of music as the audience I am targeting is
younger than the audience for NME and my genre
is also different so this would expand their
knowledge and would also be good for my
magazine as they are a well established, well
known and trustworthy company.
11. Who would the audience be for your
media product?
The audience for my media product will be aimed at
both genders even though in my magazine the images
are only of women, they should also attract men as the
women are attractive in the images.
People that enjoy R&B, hip hop and pop music, and
people that enjoy going to gigs and concerts that are of
this genre will also be my target audience for my
magazine.
My target audience will not just be aimed at Afro-
Caribbean which is the stereotypical audience but will
be targeted at people from different backgrounds
including ethnic minorities to broaden the audience.
I am also targeting both women that are confident and
powerful and can relate to the women in the magazine
and women that are not as confident and aspire to be
like the women in the magazine.
12. Typical Target Audience
Tom, 17 year old Student from
Solihull, favourite colour blue.
Likes music, socializing, going to
the gym, high interest in fashion.
Dislikes rock music.
Favourite music – MOBO (music
of black origin), R&B.
Goes to concerts, listens to
music on iPod at the gym,
majority of the time downloads
music onto his iPod or CDs.
13. Typical Target Audience
Name: James Browning
Aged: 18
Ethnicity: White British
Occupation: sales assistant
Favourite Colour: Blue
Favourite Artists: Eminem, Gyptian, Vybz Kartel
Interests: Jogging, socializing, bowling
High interest in music, goes to concerts, downloads
music to his iPod, collects vinyl's
14. How did you
attract/
address your
audience?
My initial target audience indicated certain things
they wanted from a magazine before I made my
magazine…
15. Target Audience based on focus group
For this task I asked a 4 people, a mix of male and female, who were interested in the Pop, Hip Hop and R&B genre what they would like in that genre of
magazine. I then summarised there results to see what would be best suited for my target audience in the magazine.
I asked them a range of questions and wrote down the main responses:
Summary of results
Section 1 – the front cover (QUESTIONS 1-4)
1. Front cover – what images would you like?
The images on the front cover should be one striking image, which should be of a male or female that is attractive to the audience and current at the
time.
would like to see on the front cover e.g. sell lines?
Exclusive interviews with current performers that relate to the genre, upcoming events that the reader may not have known otherwise, gossip about the
artists/bands and fashion that is linked to the artists/bands that will be featured in the magazine to show the magazine has extra to offer.
3.What colours would be appropriate?
Bright, loud colours which will pop out at the audience and also relate to the style of music.
4. What type of language would you expect?
The language should be informal, easy to read and casual. It should also use urban words that are used by the artists/bands as the audience listen to
them already so will be able to relate to that style of writing.
Section 2 – the contents page (QUESTIONS 5-8)
Contents page - what type of images would you like and how many?
There should be more then one image on the contents page, to show what will be featured inside the magazine but there also should be a dominant
image.
What would you want to be contained within the magazine?
The magazine should offer a wide range of things, all of which relating to hip hop, pop and R&B. it should also offer more than just about music such as
fashion and gossip to keep the audience interested.
How much images and text would you expect?
There should be a few images and some text to tell the audience about what features in the magazine and a message from the editor to make the
magazine feel friendlier. Images and text should be combined to both help show what will be inside the magazine.
What type of language?
The language should be informal and friendly, and the type of words used should relate to the genre the magazine is based on.
Section 3- the double page spread article (QUESTIONS 9-12)
Double page – what choice of images would you want?
There should be one main image that consists of who the article is about and should portray them in the way that reflects the artist/band in a positive
way. Depending on the artist/band they should be shown in the picture in the same light that they would be shown in their music videos or through the
songs they sing.
What would you prefer the article to be about?
A star that is current at the time and maybe one that has had bad press in the past so that during the interview you can see the real them and not what is
portrayed of them. Also about their personal life and information that you would be surprised at or never knew before.
How would you expect the language to be?
The language should be chatty and informal, and relaxed to suggest conversation rather than just questions and answers if it is an interview. It should
reflect how the artist talks to people themselves so shouldn’t be structured but flowing.
Would you prefer more image or text based articles?
Their should be a variety of pictures that link to the text content but there should be enough text that the reader has gained information about the artist.
There shouldn’t be too much text so not to bore the reader but shouldn’t be overcrowded with pictures as it would not give enough information.
16. How did you attract/
address your
audience?
I attracted my audience to my magazine by having lots of sell lines that
might capture the readers attention, such as ‘The Only Interview’ and ‘The
Glam Life of’ etc.
I used a dominant image with bold eyes and mouth to stand out and a
choppy fringe coming around the persons face which looks a bit different
to the usual hairstyle. The image is a powerful and strong one which
relates to the audience I have aimed at.
I set a reasonable price that all of my target audience will be able to afford.
I addressed my audience by not using overly formal language but used
simple and easy to understand language.
My target audience wanted one dominant image with easy to read,
interesting text on the front. They also wanted bright and bold colours
which I have not included as much as I could have but I went for my
relaxed colours instead to make the magazine look more sophisticated and
link with the genre as if I used bright bolder colours it may have related
more to a pop magazine.
17. How did you attract/
address your
audience?
The images I have used should attract the target audience
because I have used people of different cultures and
backgrounds to attract people from different backgrounds
also.
The main image is dominating the page so it is also used as
a background to make the contents more unique and
interesting and the smaller image is tilted. Both of these
changes I have made may further attract the audience.
My contents page addresses the reader through the regular
and featured articles listed because the singers and bands
listed would attract the audience as it is music they are
familiar with and most likely enjoy.
I have used all capital letters when writing my text and the
writing is in filled in white to stand out better against the
background. This will attract the audience as it will capture
the eye.
My target audience wanted a few images with one dominant
image, I have used two images and one dominant image that
stands out. The target audience also wanted more
information than music, such as gossip and fashion, which I
have suggested will be in my magazine in my contents. My
target audience wanted me to combine image and text so I
added some text onto my smaller image to indicate what
would be inside and also had text all around my main image.
18. How did you attract/
address your
audience?
The colour scheme I have used will attract my
audience as over the two pages the red flows from
parts of the text to the colours in the image.
The big heading at the front will capture the
audiences eye and the strap line which is all in
capitals will make the reader want to read on as it
gives an insight of what will be included in the article.
The big image which dominates the whole of the left
page is interesting and the girl looks powerful in the
image which will attract both males and females to
the magazine as females with either aspire or relate
to the image and men may find it attractive.
My target audience wanted a dominant image of the
artist being interviewed that portrayed them in a
positive way, the image looks powerful and strong so
I feel this is a positive image for the artist. They also
wanted a new and upcoming artist so I have included
that she is quite a new star.
19. Audience Feedback
LIKED MOST ABOUT THE HOW TO IMPROVE THE
MAGAZINE MAGAZINE
Realistic Masthead on front cover to
contrast with image a bit better
Professional – very good images
and manipulation Colours on cover don’t show up
Use of images very well
Overall, how would you rate this magazine?
4.5
4
3.5
3
Number of people
2.5
Number of people
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Excellent Very good Good OK Poor
20. What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?
Using cameras to take
photos for my magazine, Using InDesign to create
using different shot types, my magazine base and
editing the way the camera then my final magazine,
takes the picture using the inserting things into the
settings on the camera. Using PhotoShop I was
pages and also editing
able to edit the
things using InDesign.
photographs I had taken
on my camera to make
them look more
professional and
manipulate the image.
21. Front cover Using Photoshop
I have edited my image
for my front cover using
Photoshop. I have made
the image darker by
playing around with levels
and colour balance to
make it look a bit different
to the original image,
darker and more
professional.
Original image for front cover
I put my image and
masthead together to
make the base of my
magazine cover and to After editing my main image in Photoshop I
make sure that it went then made my masthead ‘VOLUME’. The
well. I placed the font used was Agency FB. I edited the
masthead just above the masthead by changing the font to a style
eyes as it will make the which I feel makes it look more like hip
eyes stand out more and hop/R&B/pop genre and made it larger. I
look more striking. also changed the colour to white as it will
go well with my main image and as the
image has darkness to it the white would
contrast well.
NEXT PAGE
22. Using PhotoShop (cont)
I then added some cover As I knew the image I am using for my contents page
lines and strap lines to the has a green background, I added the same colour to
page mainly using the font my swatches and used this colour to edit some of the
‘impact’ as it is bold and text on the front cover. I added some boxes that were
stands out yet it also filled with the green and placed them behind some text
looks sophisticated and which I have made black to make certain words stand
clean. I started off with the out on the page that I think the audience would be
text being all white as I attracted to. I also edited some of the colour of the text
knew I wanted my main and used effects such as drop shadow, inner shadow
colour on the page to be and inner glow to make them pop out. I also added
white. ‘NEW’ in green inside the ‘O’ in my masthead so that
my masthead had an element of the green on it to tie in
with the theme.
I edited the barcode
slightly so that instead of When I was happy with
it being black lines on a everything I had edited on
white background it was the page and where
white lines on a black everything was, I added
background and rotated it
the barcode which I also
on the page as I felt it
slightly edited and a
looked more flasher; filled in green and
sophisticated. edited using drop shadow,
with a white £1.50 sign
coming slightly out of the
After I had completed my circle to give it an edge
front cover I made the and make it stand out
layout of my magazine more.
front cover, contents and
double page spread using
InDesign and then placed
my front cover in there.
23. Contents Using InDesign
I did not edit the second photo as it was
already a strong picture, so I used it as
the image that was going to dominate
my contents page.
I took various photographs for my contents
page and decided on two photos.
I used Photoshop to edit my first photo, I
cropped out the background and then
placed it in the contents page.
After placing in the image, I rotated
it slightly and made a black border
around it to emphasise the photo
and make it look more professional.
I moved it to the right hand corner of
the page and left out some of it.
NEXT PAGE
24. Using InDesign (cont)
I added headings using the same font I
did on my front cover, in white with a
black background, following the theme
throughout the magazine. I also added a
pull quote and a page number to go to
onto the smaller picture. In the left hand
corner of the page I added ‘volume
contents’ which you will see in a standard
magazine on the corner of all pages.
I added text saying ‘contents’ with Agency
FB font like my masthead on my front cover
and used shape boxes filled in black to
make a shape going in the top left hand
corner to make the page look structured.
I then added text under the
headings and filled them in white, I
used Agency FB font tying in with
the theme of the magazine. For
the page numbers I used Impact.
All text is in capitals to make it
stand out on the page.
25. Using PhotoShop and InDesign (cont)
Double page spread
I placed the edited
photo in InDesign and
My original image for I then further edited
added page numbers
my double page the photo in
at the bottom.
spread. Photoshop
I shone a light on her to make her eyes
face while taking the stand out more and I then added text in the
photograph to make to make top left hand corner
her eyes stand out. the image look saying
harder and more ‘volume interview’ in
edgy. the same style as on
the contents page.
I added a strap line introducing
the person I’m interviewing. It
was written in capitals to make
it stand out to the other text that
I would be writing in lower case.
As I had used straight lines in the corner of my
contents page, I carried on the theme of using
lines, but as my main image had red in it I filled
in one of the lines red so it matched. I also
added a headline and to keep the theme of red
I made one of the letters red.
NEXT PAGE
26. Using PhotoShop and InDesign (cont)
I added my text and filled the questions in red
and kept the answers in black to make it clear
to the audience when they are reading. I also
added a by-line to show who the article was
written by.
I added a pull quote and placed it in between
my text to draw attention to the interview.
27. Looking back at your preliminary task, what
do you feel you have learnt in the progression
from it to the full product?
I have learnt how to make my magazine look more professional in the way that I have taken
better quality pictures and thought about the way I took them including the backgrounds, etc.
as the background to the images in my preliminary task haven’t got much edit to them and
have the original background making it look less official.
I have learnt how to manipulate images using Photoshop and also using InDesign to effectively
create my article. By using these programs my final magazine looks a lot more improved compared
to the preliminary magazine.
When making my preliminary magazine I didn’t look at other magazines to give me ideas for my
magazine whereas for my final magazine I compared it to real music magazines of the same genre
that I was doing which helped me make my magazine.
I have learnt how to place things on the page to make it look neat and well
presented rather than looking like there is no purpose for where it is put.
NEXT PAGE
28. Front cover
More professional looking as I got the girl in
the image to look more professional herself
whereas the preliminary image was not as
focused and serious.
Better quality image as I was aware of how
to use Photoshop and how to change levels
of the image giving me the opportunity to
make it of a better quality.
Better use of shot types as I had an idea in my head
of what I wanted the picture to look like whereas
before I just tried out different shot types which
didn’t really work very well.
Understood what my target audience want the
magazine to look like, used that to include the
text that I did whereas before I just used my own
knowledge when including text.
Better information in text as I thought a lot more
about what might attract my target audience
instead of just focusing on information like I did in
my preliminary task.
29. Contents
Used a better background that was plain
instead of busy in the background so it
looked more sopihisticated and not as
unprofessional as my preliminary task.
Less images in the final contents to make it
look more sophisticated rather than
cluttering the page with lots of images like I
did in the preliminary task.
Better use of shot types, making the
magazine look more interesting.
Text spaced around the page surrounding
the image instead of on one side down the
page, also the main heading ‘contents’ is
separated making it look unique and
interesting instead of placing it on the top of
the page.
30. Double page spread
Linked the colours
throughout the two pages
– understood how to Included a sufficient
make the double page amount of text –
spread look sophisticated around the same
and structured. amount as a real
magazine – but not
so much to bore the
audience.
Able to expand from preliminary task to
Manipulated my image so that it would look being able to make a double page spread
good as a dominant image on the whole of for my magazine using InDesign and
the page. Photoshop in order to help me make it look
professional.
