Evaluation (Continued)

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your music magazine and why?

I think that the institutions most likely to distribute my product are 

Social Networking sites (such as Facebook and Myspace), Digital publishers, Music stores such as HMV, Newsagents/convenient stores, Gigs and festivals as they are more subtle, and they are able to be seen in everyday life to appeal to all consumers.

Music stores such as HMV are most likely to distribute my product as it would target my particular target market better. Gigs and festivals are also a good way of targeting my social group of “indie kids” as that is where the social group is more likely to socialise. Digital publishing is now becoming more popular with 17% of magazines now available online. This would enable my product to be distributed on a larger scale.

4. Who would be the audience for your music magazine?

 My audience for my magazine would be teenagers from 16-20 years of age. This is because the layout of my magazine and the music inside them are Indie genre - which is normally popular to student environments. Independent music is popular because it is a lot more sophisticated than Hip Hop and other mainstream music.  I have targeted the magazine to both genders as I wanted to target a wider audience.
  Furthermore, in my surveys, the number of teenagers who bought magazines such as NME were considerably more than anyone older or younger.

  On various websites, people of the same interests talk about what they like and what they dont. Normally these are on websites for music channels where requests can be sent it, eg: NME Request Days.  This gave me a clearer view of what my target audience would like.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

 I have attracted my audience in a variety of ways. Eg: on my front page I have used an image which fills the entirity of the page to grab my audiences’ attention. The image i of Nicky who is 18 years old, so she is young and attractive. She appears as a role model for girls, and attractive to males. In each of the images I have used, I took into consideration what she was wearing as I wanted the audience with the same style to relate to the magazine.

I have used conventions in order to attract my target audience. Eg: a conventional layout which I felt would attract my audience. The fonts I have used are also conventional and are bold but professional-looking to attract the audience’s attention.

I feel the colour scheme I have used also addresses’ my target audience as high contrast colours such as Navy and Peach-Pink. 

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Throughout this project, I have come across lots of new software and technology which I haven’t previously used, such as Blogger itself. I have also expanded my knowledge on other programmes I have used before such as Photoshop and Picnik. I have learnt about lots of new editing skills using the programmes fireworks and Photoshop using tools such as the magic wand tool and bevel emboss. Learning how to edit images has proved very useful in this project and it will also help me in the future. I still find Picnik easier to use in order to develop my photography, but I will continue to broaden my Photoshop skills.

As well as learning to edit images more sophisticatedly, using new programmes has given me knowledge on how to construct a magazine. Looking at products in my research helped with this and I feel confident that in the future I would be able to create another magazine from the knowledge I have gained, and with less hassle.

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

 In my final piece products, it is clear that my photo-editting skills had broadened entirely to make my cover, contents and double-page spread more professional. I thought of more efficient and conventional ways to attract an audience, and after surveys and research, my knowledge of what consumers look for is a lot better quality. Even after looking at what I, as a consumer, look for in a music magazine helped me to develop a successful set of final pieces.

Evaluation

1. In what ways does your music magazine use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real music magazines? 

 

 To start with, I used the masthead of my magazine at the bottom of the front cover to make the cover different. I also think it looks a lot tidier, and this way it fitted in better with the image.  I used the "overlay" tool for the masthead so that the colours changed with the image. I think it looks sharp and professional.

 My contents page is organized in number-order instead of different sections. I'm not convinced that it was a good move, but the contents page still looks tidy and simple and legit.

  My doublepage spread continues with the colour scheme on the front cover. I wanted the magazine to look organized, and to follow some type of colour rule.

 Also, my choice of titles and fonts were original, I didn't base my design  on another magazine.

 

2. How does your magazine represent particular social groups?

 

 By the look of my magazine, you can tell it is more suited to teenagers who are more interested in independent music. It is directed at Indies and Hipsters. My style of photography portrays this, as well as the simple, efficient and to-the-point layout of the magazine. For the front cover, I used a drawing tool over the photograph, which i thought was more stylish and conformed more to the genre.

Magazine Survey

Original Images

Font Choices for Front Cover.

I decided on the bottom font called METALANGUAGE because I thought it looked more professional, sophisticated, simple and eye-catching.

Double Page Spread Design.

I like my choice of layout on my double page spread. It is very organized and neat, and the colour scheme works perfectly.
The images are perfect for the pages and the positioning of the model allows the writing to fit in just right.
I thought carefully about my questions for the interview with Nicky, and I think they were successful and real-life magazine-like.
The change in font works effectively and draws attention to what is necessary.

Contents Page Design

I like my design as it is simple and efficient. The page numbers are in order and aligned to the left of the page, so that the wording can be read aswell as the image foreseen.
I made sure my image wasn't too saturated as to draw too much attention to it. I also lowered the contrast, to make the light-coloured lexis legible.

Layout Design 2 - PRELIMINARY TASK contents page

Layout Design 1 - PRELIMINARY TASK contents page

Original Prints for PRELIMINARY TASK front page

Taken in The HENLEY College Studio.

Front Cover Design

 This is my design for the front cover of my music magazine, which I've named DYNAMIC, as it is musically appropriate.
 The model of my front page is my wonderful friend Nicky- a very talented, young musician.
 I chose her as my main feature as she has a very indie-style look, which is what I wanted for my genre of magazine in order to appeal to my target audience.
  I have included another feature in the magazine, as well as the date of the issue, the price, and the header I had designed.
  I decided to place the header at the bottom, centre of the page in order to be different. That's what being "indie" is all about isn't it?

Contents page example analysis 7

This is an analysation of Uncut magazine. 'Contents' is shown at the top of the page, indicating to the reader what the page will contain. The text font is averagely-sized and not too large to draw the readers eye away from the main features on the page, but also big enough for the reader to comprehend and recognize that it is there.
  The main content of the contents page is split into five different sections, eg; the 'regulars', 'features', 'reviews', 'the editor'  (a note from the editor about the issue) and a section titled 'in this issue', making is easy for the reader to navigate their way through the magazine comfortably. This makes the contents page more organized, as the page is extremely textual and can be hard to read clearly.

  The section titled 'regulars' lists features that are in the magazine every time it is published, therefore the section is smaller than the one titles 'features', which includes things that are only featured in the magazine that particular issue. The page numbers on all sections are not bolded, whereas the title of the feature is, indicating that if the title/subheading catches the eye, the reader can look further and register what page number the feature will be shown. 

  The 'features' section is slightly different. Firstly, the amount of space taken up is larger as these features are only shown once and are therefore more important in the issue, therefore the reader will be more interested in this section. There is also more text featured underneath each heading telling the reader more information about the one-off articles that are throughout the magazine. The 'cover story' is also indicated in this section so the readers can see clearly where the feature that made most of them buy the issue is, without having to search the page.

The 'review' section, although smaller than the rest, stands out due to the red background, as opposed to the white on the previous two. The text has the same elements as the 'features' and 'regular' sections in the sense that the page number is not as bold as the title, however the text underneath is both short and also more in-depth.

The editors note runs down the right hand side of the splash. The text size is small as it is the least important feature. It is done in such a way as to be noticed, but not draw attention away from the main feature.

An picture of a band that are in 'UNCUT' are shown in the top left corner of the page. The image also features the page number at the bottom which links with a feature under the 'features' section helping the reader navigate straight to the page.

  The final section towards the bottom of the page is 'In This Issue' which features three men who are linked to music in different ways. As these men are all ordinary, it connotes reality and relate-ability, linking with the theme of 'Uncut', and showing how anyone can do something they want and be successful.This creates a sense of self-belief and confidence, appealing to all readers.

Contents page example analysis 6

Another example of a music magazine contents page is Q. Similar to NME, it has a straight-forward layout with consistant fonts throughout to make it easy to read. There is a large image of a band which takes up most of the page. They have done this to hightlight the main page inside. The text box near the bottom of the image tells us a little bit about it. The featuresand page numbers are split up and organized into sections instead of page number order to make it easy for readers to find what they are looking for, this is particularly useful for regular readers who have preferences of what they like to read. The coloured bars inbetween sections stand out against the plain background grabbing the readers attention.
 The whitespace is balanced, so the contents page doesn't look too "busy" or too wasteful.
 The page includes sufficient information to entice readers to carry on.
The Courteeners are a popular band in the alternative/indie genre. This means that the audience this magazine is directed at are rock'n'roll, indie, alternative stereotype.

Contents page example analysis 5

  Another contents page example from Kerrang! magazine. The layout is very conventional in terms of music magazine content page’s. For example; the title of the page is displayed at the very top, making it the first thing recognised about the page. Though all text and images upon the page are displayed against a plain white background, the title is written against a black background. This is possibly because the title is written in yellow, and is therefore clearer and easier to read against black, but also because the colour theme of the Kerrang magazine is black, yellow and white, and therefore having the colours set out in this way continues the themes from the cover throughout the magazine. All items of content and their page numbers are then displayed in a list down the right-hand side of the page. Here, the list is split into several different sections, each with a headline. These headlines are set out in a similar way to the main title of the page, with a black background and yellow writing, however they are much smaller than the page title. Unlike NME and Q magazine, the items of content listed do not have descriptions; only their titles are displayed. Their corresponding page numbers are in bold font to ensure that they stand out further.
  Within the top, left-hand corner of the page is an image of the magazine editor. There is then a paraphrase in which she summarises this issue of Kerrang! and what it includes.  Also, the rest of the page is taken up by a collage of images, each relating to an aspect of content within the magazine. They each have their own corresponding page numbers written either below or across the image, but here they have a short description, implying that these are more important. There are also graphics used, such as the ‘explosion’ at the bottom of the page that contains lexis. This makes it stand out more than it would if it were simply written upon the page.

Contents page example analysis 4

Kerrang!'s contents page layout is in a unique style. The title on the page is followed by a picture related to the title. This gives you a rough outline of who/what is going to be on that page in the issue. It is all organized in a specific way for example; including pictures in the contents to show this is more interesting news, and other news listed down the side of the page under headers. The different pages are ordered under the different sections of the magazine, rather than putting them in page order. The header is done in yellow writing against a black background to stand out on the page and catch the eye of the reader.
The image is of a singer as if he is being chased by fans, this connotes that the readers of this magazine are heavy metal music listeners.

Contents page example analysis 3

  The "banner" placed at the top of the page includes the magazine title and the date of which NME issue was released. As the magazine promotes 'NME This Week', it indicates that there is a new edition of NME released every week. 

The contents page is quite "busy" and textual around the main images in the centre of the page. Two medium-sized images are placed in the centre, but there isn't any blank spaces or many gaps to break up the text. As opposed to the contents page I analysed previously, there is not enough whitespace in order for the reader to comprehend easily.
 The main pictures are accompanied by a small cut of information that is in bigger font than the text surrounding it, giving the readers some extra information about UK gigs/tours, and how they were received/reviewed. The bigger text draws more attention and entices the reader to want to see more. On the left hand side of the page there is a column of red text that goes all the way down the page, which is the "band index". It lists all the bands that are featured in the issue, as well as on which page people will be able to find them, allowing the readers to find bands that interest them and read that article with little effort, as they don't have to go through the whole magazine to look for artists that may interest them. The fact that the list is in red text makes it stand out from the rest of the page, and in respect, boasts and advertises the fact that there is a band list to make the reading more enjoyable. The right hand side of the page presents all of the main articles in the magazine. Each one has been categorised into different aspects in which they fit. This shows that even though the contents page is "busy", it is organized. It also would help the audience to look at the articles in which they are more interested in. The contents page includes arrows to highlight the articles featured on the front page making it easier to find articles that may have compelled the reader to NME magazine. There is also a box of information at the bottom of the page about subscribing to NME with details. The text is in a yellow font to help draw attention to the advert in contrast to the red and black usual colourscheme.

Contents page example analysis 2

  I like this contents page as it is quirky, simple and original. The image of Katy Perry is humorous and identifies her personality, therefore it will draw attention of her fans. Katy Perry is widely appreciated by fans all over the world, a very popular figure in the music industry, so including Katy Perry in a magazine is foolproof.
  The image could also interpret the magazine to be for people who listen to more mainstream music, rather than alternative music or metal/rock.
  The colour-scheme works with the theme, not against it, including the image, the colours and the fonts. The layout is clear. The only drawback may be that there is a lot of unnecessary whitespace, which could imply a waste of paper- which is unappealing to the more hippy-types. Also, the designer may have tried a bit too hard to keep the design "tidy", so the font for the pages is quite miniscule, making it difficult to comprehend.
  The quote at the bottom left-hand side of the contents page is a thumbs-up, as everyone wants to read about something with a good review, a critical review, or a word from their favourite musical artist.
 

Contents page example analysis 1

 This is a good example of a contents page is it is clearly set out and the colour scheme is simple.
 The use of different font is effective and eye-catching. The white-on-red letters clearly identify the purpose of the page, and the large, bold letters of the magazine name is clearly stated.
  The name of the magazine is also suitable for a rock and roll genre of music.
  Also, there are a number of images, to interest the reader and entice them to read the page, which number is placed in the top left-hand corner of every image. This shows that it is efficient for the reader, making it more appealing to magazine buyers.
 The page names are short, snappy and straight to the point, without giving too much away. A lot easier than having to riddle your way through the magazine, and a lot better than not having to read the magazine at all.

Preliminary Cover

I like the font for the title, and the title is appropriate for the type of magazine. I used the college studio to take the images on the cover. I created my own bar-code to make the magazine seem more realistic, and I also inserted the date of the "issue", and the price.
 I included a variety of different headings to induce different people to buy the magazine. I used different fonts for the headings, and certain words are in a different colour.
  The cover follows a consistent colour scheme of black, white and blue, making the cover organized and not too "busy".

Front Page Research

Front Page Research

First 4 front covers I briefly analysed.