The document describes the development of a music magazine media product. It discusses conventions used such as placement of masthead, images, barcodes and page numbers. The target audience is identified as 16-24 year olds. Strategies to attract this audience included using relevant images and designs, and offering free items. The creator learned skills in using professional cameras, Photoshop, and InDesign to construct the magazine, and how to effectively edit images and follow conventions.

1. Q 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
Ans. Masthead: The title of my magazine is on the top left of the cover. The font size is
the largest because it has to be eye catching and attractive on the title I have also used
the logo which describes my masthead.
Main image: The main image is covering left side of the page and the theme is red and
black. It is a mid-close up shot. I have use this image because It represents the inside
story of the magazine.
Small image: Small image shows variety of conventions on the cover. The small image is
mid close up. It shows who is mentioned in the side stories.
Side stories: The side stories are covering right side of the magazine cover I have placed
the story on the corner so the magazine cover doesn’t look empty and also every
magazine should have side stories to describe what is inside the magazine.
Barcode: I have placed the barcode on the left bottom of the page. It helped me fill the
empty of my magazine and the main reason I have placed the barcode is that mostly
magazines have barcodes for the identity of the magazine.

2. Title: The title of the contents is on the top and is clearly visible. I wanted to give a black
and white theme to the page so I wrote the title in white in a black bar.
Image: I have placed only one image which is the main image which is related to a
featured article.
Contents: Contents are written in the same conventional way first line–page number,
1or2words which could be the artist’s name or ambiguous text to intrigue
thereaderinboldtypeandoftencapitals.
In the bottom I have mentioned the page number.

3. Masthead: The masthead is in the middle of the double spread page. I have used
different attractive colors which match the main image of the page. I followed the usual
convention by making it the largest text on the page.
Article: Iused one full page of the magazine for my article. I didn’t use the common
convention of columns I have used something different. It is interview of the subject so
it is better this way than the columns.
Image: I have included this image because it is attractive and the costume and style tells
that the subject is a rapper. I have used the medium shot because it’s a usual
conventions found on double spreads. In addition the blue and purple matched my
magazine house style.
Page numbers: I have also used page numbers in my double spread because they look
professional and consist with contents numbers.

4. Q 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Ans. The social groups that are represented in my media product are in the 16-22 year
old range because the majority of male readers which is based against females, to solve
this I used a variety of images which resemble the 16 – 22 year old age group but in a
way which appeals to both genders. The 16-22 year old category are usually “heavy
spenders” e.g. buy the latest gadgets such as iPods, concert tickets and designer clothes.
They use social networking sites such as twitter, Facebook and my space, they are more
interactive and use their spare time in surfing the web, are normally involved in pop
music. I believe it effectively reflects my target audience, which are 16 to 24 year old
males and females. Background – my background is of a shutter of a shop of a typical
Lahore street. I believe that the background helps to represent the social group of 16 –
22 year olds, as it is where the youngsters usually spend their time or “hang – out and
chill”. So I believe that this will appeal to them as is resembles their lifestyles, their
habits also who and where the usually spend their spare time.

5. Q 3.Who would be the audience for your media product?
Ans. I believe that audience for my music magazine will be the social group of 16 – 24
year old these are the older teenagers who are turning into young mature adults who
are trying to build their confidence and become independent individuals. I believe that
my magazine helps to aspire young artist to follow their dreams and helps others to get
motivated by reading other young artist’s success stories and leading them on to
become hard working , and a completely individual and different persona . My target
audiences of 16- 24 age group as these are usually people who spend their money on
items, like music magazines. To learn more about the reader of the magazine I produced
a questionnaire and readership questions which helped me create the magazine for the
developing world of 16 – 24 year olds. The questionnaire was given completed by both
male and female consumers and music magazine consumers. This gave me an insight
into what was needed in my magazine to attract that specific audience.In the
questionnaire I asked open questions like Which artists/bands do you prefer? in
response to this question many people chose “JLS” and “Justin Bieber” who are new
comer artist and are around the similar age group, people also said that they related to
them as they were experiencing the same teenage difficulties as any other teenager and
so it was a good bonding between the artist and the reader. Who may never even meet
in real life it was just the connection which inspires young teenager to become a
celebrity one day.

6. Q 4. How did I attract my audience?
Ans.I believe I have attracted my audience though many waysfirstly by using pictures,
These pictures which I had used had a certain impact of what genre my music magazine
is about and who is it about just by looking at the main image. I believe it reflected the
true personality and lifestyle of the reader and what being a 16 – 24 year old is
about.The use of pugs for free items, also attract my audience of 16-24 year olds
because it offer an opportunity to gain something for free. In order to attract my target
demographic, I felt that the design is the one of the most important part in attracting
the audience. Magazine design was not the usual column layout and boring writing with
limited images. I tried to enhanced my readers and create a different simplistic view of
what an actual realmusic magazine should look like in order to do this, I researched
many similar magazines such as Vibe and Chaser so instead of the normal columns
layout I used one full page of the magazine to write the interview of the subject. I did
this to attract the audience to the magazine making them feel part of this universe of
celebrities making them aspire to be like the celebrities characterized in my magazine .I
used the relevance of the magazine to catch the attention of the targeted audience. I
used the language and lifestyle to address the audience. Using them to attract the
audience into buying the magazine.

7. Q 5. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Ans.I think that IPC would be the most appropriate media institution to distribute my
media product. Although they focus more on the women's weekly magazines like Bauer,
they have been selling a very successful indie magazine since 1952 called NME. Whereas
Bauer have only been publishing Q magazine since 1986. This shows that IPC have more
experience dealing with iconic magazines and making them as good as they are. And as
of yet IPC don’t have a pop genre of magazine, and having mine on board will add
variety to their current market.

8. Q 6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this
product?
Ans. Firstly I was taught how to use a professional camera and I have used a professional
camera to take the pictures which would be included in my magazine. I used two types
of software to create my music magazine. For the front cover I used Adobe Photoshop
and for the contents page and double page spread I used Adobe InDesign. The camera
gave me the raw pictures. If I wanted to edit my photos as any point that was all done in
Adobe Photoshop because I could do things such as cut-outs and make them brighter.
Then in Adobe InDesign was where I pieced everything together.

9. Q 7.Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full production?
Ans.Since creating my music magazine I have gained more knowledge for using the
different software’s. For Example I have learned how to edit my magazine effectively
without over editing them. Also I have gained more knowledge about using blogger
which has given me confidence to add more posts to my account. I have also learned
how to make my magazine fit with regular conventions and also learned how to use new
software’s such as InDesign and Photoshop. My music magazine looks a lot professional
from the image to the overall layout and from the use of consistent fonts and colors to
small details such as bar code and competitions.