This document evaluates a magazine product and discusses how it represents particular social groups, what media institution might distribute it, who the target audience is, how the audience is attracted and addressed, and what technologies were used in the construction process. The magazine uses design elements like mastheads and pull quotes to identify the publication and attract readers. It represents a social group of music fans through stylistic choices in imagery and colors. User feedback from surveys indicated the magazine style is similar to NME magazine and could potentially be distributed by the same media group. The target audience is teenagers and young adults interested in indie music. Surveys were used to learn audience preferences and gather feedback on the magazine design.

1. Magazine Evaluation

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? Masthead and tagline: identify the magazine, set the style, tone and focus. Barcode, date and price: inform the reader how much the magazine is and which issue it is – this could be especially useful if the magazine is often collected. Skyline: displays features featured in the magazine to attract the reader. Pull quote: attracts people to and sets the tone of the main interview featured in the magazine.

3. How does your media product represent particular social groups? The extensive use of coloured eyeliner and the coloured streaks in the hair are connotative of individuality and difference from social norms. The house style of the magazine is black, red, white and grey. These fairly serious colours are used to represent this social groups values and attitudes towards music. The image on the front cover appears natural – suggesting that the artists are comfortable with their individuality. The image on the double page spread suggest rebellion because of the alcohol, cigarettes and outfits.

4. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? The audience feedback that I received from the survey I created after I had finished designing my magazine indicates that people believe my magazine is of a similar style to NME therefore I think that because of these similarities it could be distributed by the group, IPC Media, who distribute this existing magazine.

5. Who would be the audience for your media product? I aimed my magazine at an audience of teenagers and young adults, typically ranging from sixteen to twenty-five years old who enjoy listening to indie music and artists that aren’t considered to be mainstream. The reader profile that I created explores in greater depth the characteristics of my magazines intended audience.

6. How did you attract/address your audience? To address my audience I created surveys using Survey Monkey. The first informed me of preference of my target audience. The second gave me feedback on my magazine.

7. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? Photoshop Blogger

8. Survey Monkey Slideshare

9. Looking back at you preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?