This document describes Sophie Williams' process of creating a music magazine for her AS Media course. It discusses the research she conducted on existing magazines to inform her decisions around layout, colors, fonts and content. It also describes how she used a questionnaire to research her target audience and how that feedback helped shape her final product. The document analyzes the choices Sophie made and how her initial research and audience feedback resulted in a successful final magazine that represented her target demographic.

1. Sophie Williams- AS Media
Magazine Evaluation

2. Introduction
• For this section of the course we was given the responsibility to create our
own music magazine. We started with research and planning gaining
knowledge of what needs to be included into a magazine and the different
layouts that consists of a magazine. Research of specific my target
audience was carried out from the use of a questionnaire this initially helped
with my overall product as to what should be and shouldn’t be included in
my magazine.
• We eventually began to create our magazine through the likes of
Photoshop, we continued each week to progress looking into photo
manipulation and eventually ended up with a finished product.

3. Stages of production- Research
For the research part of the task I based my
ideas around the three magazines, Q, Kerrang
and Rolling Stones. I focused on colours, articles
, fonts used , images and what the magazine
contained overall. Each of these magazines
seemed to use the colours red, blue, black and
white so I felt this was the way you would
recognise a rock magazine blue and black must
represent rock so I made the decision to use
these colours on my magazine. I then took into
consideration all of the models poses they all
seemed to be giving direct address or indirect. At
that point I knew I wanted my model to not give
direct address due to the fact I wanted them to
grab the readers attention.

4. How has this research informed your
understanding of what was required in your
production? What I‘ve learnt
This research help me chose specific colours and font as well as the initial layout
of my final product. The research made me realise a lot needed to be put into a
magazine until it was spot of to declare finished. Fonts had to be on-going, the
article had to be adjusted more than one changing questions, making sure it
applied to my specific audience and was slightly relatable, the colours had to be
on going everything had to be perfect and precise.
I learnt that audience feedback is a key essential when creating a magazine, it
is crucial to find out what exactly the audience enjoys and looks for in a
magazine. This helped me along my journey as I felt I could meet the audiences
standards and keep satisfactory to what they wanted.
I also learnt that the choice of colours is also important to a magazine as the
whole product has to link together and at least relate to the magazines genre I
chose to use blue, black and white as the colours matched my cover models
outfit also because my magazine was based around acoustic/classic rock I
wanted to give off a chilled rock vibe.

5. Conventions of chosen genre
• Rock
A simple colour scheme of black, white , yellow and red
have been used for this contents page. Images of the
magazines contents to inform the reader what they can
expect from the magazine. The word contents is in the
same text as the magazines masthead, but the colour
yellow is used with a black box around for it to stand
out from the rest of the text. The masthead is printed
on the contents but smaller. There are page numbers
on some of the images indicating they are the must
read article, pages. The Kerrang text is carried on for
the ‘THIS WEEK’ but the colour yellow is used again
carrying on the magazines theme. There are yellow
headings with black box backgrounds to separate the
type of content. There are smaller images used on the
contents, some of the images contain captions and
information underneath to explain what's going on or if
the musician in the picture has made a comment .

6. What research did you conduct in your target
audience?
• The research I carried out for my target audience was a questionnaire, this way I felt I
could ask specific questions and was able to finalise any of my yet undecided plans
for my magazine due to me gaining the audiences feedback of color decisions etc.
• The types of questions I asked were…
• Colour they preferred
• Selection of fonts for the title
• Price of magazine
• Types of music they was in to
• Age

7. How effective was it and how did it inform
your production?
• The feedback I received from my research I found was rather effective. I
found that most people preferred the colours blue and black, they liked the
title Classic and the price of £1-£2.50 was a winner. Instantly I felt I would
go with the audiences decisions and put all those points into the magazine.
This made production rather fast paced as the more important features of
the magazine had already been finalised. As audience feedback was
essential I wanted to meet their needs and give them exactly what they
looked for in a rock magazine.

8. Choices made when creating the magazine
Fonts- After working with a few of
these fonts I finally decided to use
number 1, I felt this would suit rock
a lot more than the others and
would instantly attract attention, i
felt number 5 would suit either a
pop or RnB magazine best and
number 4 I could see on a comic
or a children's magazine.
Classic
Classic
Classic
Classic
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
Colours- An important choice I had to
make was the colour theme for my
magazine, after researching I felt
number 1 would fit best as all rock
magazines seemed to feature those
colours
I realised
that was the
unique way
of identifying
a rock magazine
on the
market, and
would attract the audience due to the
bright colours.

9. A main choice I had to make was what would be my cover image.

10. From the ideas that you had and choices
made explain which were successful and why
Choice of cover image. I
chose this image as I felt it
would appeal more to the
audience and outline what
the genre of magazine is.
I chose these colours due to
their brightness and link with
the rock genre, the colours
also match the models
clothing. I felt this title would
attract the audience
because its easily
relatable to the music
style and is similar to
the a typical rock logo
which is recognisable to
every rock legend or fan.
I felt the fire coming off
would reflect the genre.

11. The final product- Analysis of final
product
Offers available to
reader
Date of
when it
came on
sale
Barcode
Cover image,
model is
giving indirect
address,
grabs the
readers
attention.
Masthead,
stands out
from rest
of text
Models clothing
indicates that she
aspires her music to be
classic/ alternative rock.
The pose indicates she
is looking into her future
of rock. She’s
controlling the reader
wanting them to know
what she’s looking at.
Natural
background
Guitar
Relates to
music
genre

12. Different font
carried out on
contents
(goudy stout)
Magazines title
still appears
throughout
Page numbers
to direct which
page to flick to
Lines
used to
divide
text and
images
Still includes
the cover
feature
throughout
Second editor
speaks to
audience.
Editing of
images

13. Font continues
throughout Pull out
quote
More
personal
image of the
cover star,
extreme
close up
Writing
includes the
stars biggest
secrets, grabs
readers/ fans
attention
Basic
overview
of what
the article
contains
Offer available to
the reader
Cover star is giving indirect address,
reflects personal life, struggles, also
links to the articles content.

14. In what ways does your media product use, develop
or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
• My magazine is unique from other rock magazines in the market due to its
simple layout. The age group is 15+. I have kept my magazine rather basic
and this is because I didn’t want it to be hard to understand and so there is
not too many things going off at once in it. There is one main image and
there not too many quotes. I have used the layout similar to other
magazines but designed it very unique so my magazine stands out in the
market. From my research I used a range of colours similar to other rock
magazines and similar layouts and image poses.

17. I also felt I had attracted my audience through the use of my cover model I felt
as she was more natural and laid back the audience could feel comfortable and
respect how they look rather than aspiring to be a showing bone, unattractive
model.

18. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
• My media product represents particular social groups due to the
stereotypical colours and contents I chose for the magazine. The product
would appeal to stereotypical rockers who are into the rock genre. I chose
a rather typical lady rocker for my cover so it was obvious what type of
magazine it was. The way she is acting quite relaxed sends off a calm vibe
allowing the age range 15+ to look up to her as a role model. I hope the
teens find inspiration within my magazines double page spread interview
and be able to relate at some point if they are interested in becoming a
musician. Pull out quotes and inspirational stories hopefully make my
magazine relatable to an audience.

19. What have you learnt about technologies
from the process of constructing this
product?
• When I first began with the process I had no knowledge whatsoever
what a music magazine had to include, I was unaware of how to use
Photoshop and had little ideas of the correct terms of magazines
(masthead-title). From the process I have learnt how to edit
photographs, use the lasso tool to cut out images and merge them
together. I also gained great knowledge of what to include in a
magazine which resulted in my magazine being successful.

20. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the
full product?
• At the start of the I had very little knowledge of how to even start a
magazine and what types of things were included in to a magazine. I had
no understanding whatsoever of how to use Photoshop. I had no clue of the
correct terminology and felt I would find this task quite difficult.
• By doing the preliminary task I gained confidence and my knowledge began
to progress. I was becoming much more familiar with Photoshop and was
finally able to use all the tools correctly.
• Overall since starting the course I feel I have gained much knowledge to
creating a music magazine, I was at first rather unconfident with the whole
task until my knowledge progressed. I feel rather pleased with my finished
product and would be successful if it was to go out in to the rock market.