The document describes the process of creating two magazine covers, contents pages, and a double page spread for a college magazine and music magazine as part of a school assignment. The student learned how to use design software like Photoshop and layout programs to construct the magazines in a professional manner. Through trial and error, the student improved their understanding of magazine design conventions like layout, color schemes, images, and attracting target audiences. The process taught the student new technologies and skills in photography, design, and how to effectively address readers through magazine construction.

1. My Media
Magazine
Evaluation

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
College Magazine
My college magazine is conventional in the
sense that it is similar to other college
magazine’s. The magazine on the left is just a
college magazine image I have taken off Google
and below is the college magazine and contents
page I have created. Although the Google image
is an actual published magazine it has the same
purpose as my magazine.
My target audience is also for the students in
the college to give them information about
what's going on in the college and how to help
them through their studies. My magazine is
very stereotypical in the way that all college
magazines have a student on the front who
are looking very happy and all the sell lines
are there to help the students who get this
magazine through their education. I think both
are quite simplistic with the layout, images,
colours and sell lines and that was my aim
whilst creating it, I don’t think the college
magazine needs to be cluttered it just needs
to get the information across.

3. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?
Music Magazine
I believe its hard to say that my magazine is conventional
as there isn’t really a conventional music magazine out
there, they are all pretty different as they include lots of
different genre’s of music which makes the photography,
font and colour schemes different. Although, the
purposes for these magazines are to entertain the reader
by feeding them information about music and other
topics related to it. The magazine on the left is also a
magazine that I have taken off Google images.
The magazine cover on the right is the music magazine I
have created with my double page spread and contents
page above it. Not many music magazine’s give a clue
about the genre of music they are supplying inside
which I believe is also the case with my magazine. Both
of these covers have the same colour scheme but fonts
and layouts are very different. Also ‘MOJO’ tends to
have articles about classic rock and mine is an indie and
pop genre, this backs up my theory of you don’t know
what’s inside the magazine the outside may look similar
but they may be about completely different genre’s of
music.

4. How does your media product represent particular
social groups?
My music magazine will vary in the people who buy it. Its easy for me to
target an audience of 15-30 year olds but that hasn’t taken into
consideration of gender, race, ethnicity and social class. Social class is a big
part to take into consideration, lower class may not be able to afford the
magazine which then the magazine will be aimed at the middle class.
Higher class are most likely to not buy this magazine they would probably
look it up on the computer or other kinds of technology.
My college magazine is regional as it will only represent that college’s
students and high schools around that area. The age is also a big part,
people will only be reading it from 16 onwards as they will only be the
ones who will achieve something from reading it.

5. What kind of media institution might distribute
your media product and why?
These magazines are made to be distributed for the print industry, but will
most likely be available to look at on computers, tablets and smart phones.
Technology is growing vastly.
My college magazine will only be distributed by the college it is about and
maybe some of the high schools around that area. This is because the aim for
my magazine is to help students know about events around the college and to
help students with their studies and exams. The public wouldn’t be interested
in this and it would have no use to them. And we may send it to high schools
to let the year 11s who may be going up to that college get a feel of what its
like.
Where as my music magazine we would be out for the public to buy which will
most likely be sold in a newsagents, music shops, supermarkets, magazine
stores and the internet. This is because we have made this magazine to
entertain people who enjoy music and topics that relate to it. These are the
typical places music magazine readers would go to find one.

6. Who would be the audience for your
media product?
The target audience for my college magazine would be college students,
teachers and high school students that are going to higher education at that
college. The age range would tend to be sixteen years old and onwards. The
only reason why they are the only audience is because these are the only
people who will get benefits from reading this magazine.
My target audience for my music magazine would tend to be 15-30 year olds.
They would also be interested in music, films and artists. The genre of music
they would be interested in is indie music and pop music. I have said 15 as
children under this age may not be interested in the topics we include and we
will also include film reviews for mostly films with the restricted age of 15.

7. How did you attract/address your audience?
Music Magazine.
The date is in a different place
to regular magazines. This gives
it a slight twist. I used the colour scheme black, white and red, this stands
out to the audience. The Red font on top of the black and
white images and background really attracts the readers
eyes.
The black strip along the top lets me change the font colour
around, rather than having black I have white. It breaks it up and
doesn’t seem as plain and boring. Attracting the public to it if it was
on a shelf in a shop.
The masthead is big, bold and going across the whole top of the
magazine cover. This is what the readers will remember of the
magazine and look for the next time they want to buy one.
The main image address’s the reader by the
two girls in the image making contact with
their eyes staring straight at the camera
lense and drawing you in. Also it is a fairly
close photo and although its grey scale you
the picture is very defined.
The flash at bottom of the page breaks up the cover
giving it some thing slightly different and also highlighting
the main parts will draw the attention of the reader in
and make them want to find out what the pictures are
like.
Like most magazine the barcode is at the
bottom.

8. How I attracted my audience on my magazine contents
page. Ikeepinglike theseparate from onemy pictures it
really
them
lines/grid around
another making
easier for the reader to understand.
I use four large different images, all
including different colours. This will
catch the readers attention.
I use the same font for the
title on this page as the
same on the masthead, NME
inspired me to do this.
This is my way of telling the reader what else is in the
magazine, I have put this white text on a black arrow
facing of the page. Firstly the white text and different
coloured page numbers stand out on the black filled
background and the arrow pointing of the page is a
clever way to encourage the reader to turn over the
page.
I include texts underneath the images to give the
reader a guide to what it is about. Some of these
include quotes and some include rhetorical
questions. All of these will absorb the reader into
finding out what the page is all about.
I put the page numbers at the top of the pictures
so the reader knows what page this picture is
from. It also makes it stand out and I got this idea
from NME as well.

9. How I attracted my audience on my double page spread
I have added a picture to break up
the page so it doesn’t look like one
The quote at the top is also included on the contents page so as soon whole essay. I have added a
as they see that the audience will know what they are looking at. It is polaroid frame around it to give it a
also very colourful, large font and stand out. modern, fresh feel.
I include a drop
cap , this
makes the
page look more The Long shot
professional image is a
and I have also really good way
changed the to attract the
colour of the audience, it
letter which covers half of a
draws your page and the
eyes towards girls in it are
it. sharing eye
contact with
you which
I have changed the draws you in
colour of the font of and also they
which the blue is the are wearing
question and the very bright
black in the answer clothing which
to try and not makes the
confuse the reader. page stand out.
I have used the same colour font as the girl in the images clothing. This brings the page together, and also on a
white background as the colours are really bright they stand out to the audience and absorb them into reading
the interview.

10. How did you attract/address your audience?
College Magazine.
If you look at the logo, the colour
scheme for my front image is
following the same as the college
logo colours.
Having a sub-title for the sell line below draws attention to the reader as
it is also bigger font and different colour. The audience will notice this
before reading the actual sell line.
The main image is a medium close up
so it is very easy to see the features
on her face. Her eye level is direct
with yours and very inviting.
The sell line going across the page is in larger font
will attract the readers attention, and making the
number 50 bold as its a big number will get the
audience wondering what its about.
There is another image on the
page, it brings more colour to
the page.

11. How I attracted my audience on my college magazine contents
page. I have also included the colours from
the cowa logo. My front cover and
contents page are very similar.
Putting the red
square box's
behind the
images make
the image
stand out I have put this
more. image in the middle
of the contents
page because it is
my main story and
this has the main
focus on it.
Alternating the colours of
the font break the page up
so its not boring,

12. What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt how to use many different programmes on the computer by
creating these magazine’s. I have learnt more by doing the music magazine
rather than the college as I went more in depth with the music magazine
using Photoshop and quark express. Before I done media studies I didn’t even
know about the quark programme. I new about Photoshop but I didn’t know
how to use it correctly. By creating the magazine’s I now know how to use
these correctly and this will benefit me in the future.
I never had many skills with a camera but throughout this task taking photo’s
for my magazine I learnt how to use a camera properly and actually bought
one myself because I enjoyed it. I also learnt how different lights have effects
on picture quality.

13. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel
you have learnt in the progression from it to the full
product?
When I first got given the task of creating two magazine covers, two contents
pages and a double page spread I didn’t have a clue where to start. I had
never created one before and when we started learning about the layout,
colour schemes and images I didn’t realise how in depth these products
go.
Throughout the process you can tell I have improved my knowledge on how
to make magazine’s look professional and be beneficial to the readers. We
got given a sheet at the beginning of the task of how an ordinary magazine
layout looks like and that helped a lot throughout the tasks.
I have learnt ways to use camera’s correctly, the angles and lighting to make
picture quality good. I am now more knowledgeable about colour
schemes, what layouts work well with main images. The ways in which
audiences are attracted to front covers and how you relate colour
schemes and images to the audience you are targeting.

14. Finally, my preliminary task was basic. I didn’t understand how to
use programmes such as Adobe Photoshop to make my images
and layout of my magazine look professional. After gaining
knowledge on how to use these programmes and understanding
how to create a magazine my task to do so has turned out very
well and I am pleased with the results.
These are my final piece’s:

15. My completed college magazine front cover and
contents page.

16. My completed music
magazine cover.

17. My completed
music
magazine
contents page.

18. My completed double page spread for
my music magazine.