Evaluation: Looking back at your preliminary task (College magazine) What have you learnt in terms of progression from that to the full product?

 

By comparing the front covers of the two magazine I created it's easy to see how much improvement has been made. The preliminary task was to get used to the basic of photoshops, like changing the brightness and adding in coverlines.  After learning the basics it became easier to learn how to change colour and add in different effects. I realised after creating my college magazine that having the writing horizontal instead of slanted made the magazine more professional so in my actual magazine I made sure I didn't slant any of the coverlines. I also added in more coverlines as the preliminary magazine looks very plain and has a lot of blank space so I made sure any blank space was filled in without the magazine looking untidy .
By improving my basic skills I was able to learn how to air brush images, however I didn't need to use this skill as simply by changing the brightness improved the image and there wasn't anything to airbrush out.

Evaluation: In what ways does your media product challenge forms and conventions of real magazine products?

I decided to use simple conventions as I felt using more complicated ones would make my magazine tacky. However the genre pop is popular with magazines and it was hard to find a basic style to follow except for smash hits which is now out of business. Some structures of smash hits front cover was easy to replicate and change. Every smash hits magazine had a colour scheme that they followed so I decided to add this into my magazine.

In order to make my music magazine look professional, I took the essential features such as issue numbers, barcodes, advertisements and often a twitter link. I also noticed that most magazine front covers have a plain background so when planning my photoshoot I found a pale wall that I could use instead of a white screen. By doing this it made it easier when constructing my front cover as i didn't have to remove much of the background except a few marks and unnecessary shadows on the wall.

When researching other magazine I noticed that for each coverline on the front cover the font changed so it was easy to seperate each coverline. So I made sure that I did this for every coverline so that it was easy to tell them apart when they were in a list format.

Evaluation: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represent young teenage girls and the images I used were of people in girly clothes, such as jeans or leggings. In one of my images the model is wearing sunglasses as this is something that this social group tend to wear, especially in summer. I have also represented this group by adding in a free one direction poster as this band is one of many artists that this social group listen too. X factor is a program that this social group tend to talk about so I featured contents and some other things about the X factor in my magazine. My media magazine represents this social groups with the style of images and the models used in them, the articles featured in my magazine and the colour scheme used.

Evaluation: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Media instituions like HMV might distribute my media product as the shop sells media products such as DVD's, CD's, computer games, posters, books and some music magazines. My media product would fit in the section where the music magazine and books are. HMV is a media based shop and sells all kinds of media so they might distribute my product as it goes along with the style of the shop.

Evaluation: Who would be the audience for your media product?

My media product is aimed at girls between the ages of 11-14. I chose this to be my target audience as they are more into pop music and pop artists like Justin Bieber, than any other age group. The genre of my magazine is pop so it's perfect for the target audeince. My target audience also like girly colours which is why I chose pink to be one of the colours that would feature through-out my magazine.

Evaluation: How did you attract your audience?

In order to attract my audience, I made the front cover colourful by using a colour scheme of pink and green. I also made the main image quite big and bright so that it caught my audiences eye. I made the main coverline big so that they could see what was in the magazine and I also used images that were associated with other articles in the magazine, this made the front cover more interesting rather than just having written coverlines all over the page.

Evaluation

Double Page Spread after feedback

After the feedback, I have added a barcode that readers can scan to order the artists new song. This has filled in the empty space that was there and make the double page look complete.

Audience Feedback On Whole Magazine

I showed some people pictures of my whole magazine so they could see how they looked once next to each other:

Most of the feedback I was very positive and for my front cover and contents page there was nothing I should change. The poeple I asked said they could tell each page belonged with the others because of the colour scheme and style of these two pages. They also said that the layout wasn't too complicated and therefore it complemented the colours.
However a few of my repsondents said I should add something to the top right of my double page spread as there is some empty space, once this was done they said the magazine would look really good.

Finished Double Page SpreadThe article itself is structured in 3 columns so it doesn't look messy. Each column have answers to 3 questions so 9 questions in total. This double page spread is like my style model as their is a quote that has been made bigger above the article, and the article also has questions and answers. The image itself is different from my style models, as its a long shot not a mid shot. I think the double page spread looks organised and the colour scheme targets it at my target market.



Double page spread layout.

I used an a3 size page so that when it was split in two each side would be a4. The main article will be below the quote on the right and the question will be above the answer in pink writing. The quote is taken from the article and has been made bigger so that the readers will be intrigued to read the article and find out about the quote. The line underneath describes what the article is about in more detail than the coverline on the front cover. The colour scheme has been copied through out the magazine, I decided to use green writing across a pink bar as this is the opposite to the way it is on the contents page.

 Image for Double Page spread.

I chose this image as the model represents the target audeince well. The model need to be closer, so I am going to crop the image, and get rid of the unnecessary background around the edge. I am also going to make it brighter, so that the model stands out more then the tree behind her.

This is the edited image of the original. The model is more central and the focus is completely on her as I have cropped out the unnecessary background. The brightness enhanced her clothes, and made her stand out more from the tree behind her.

Double Page Spread Style Model

The style model through-out my magazine has been smash hits, except for my contents page where I used Q magazine.
This is the layout and structure that I want to use on my double page spread. The only thing I will change is getting rid of the mini picture, and the box under the article. I will also swap the two pages around so the the image is on the left as when you turn the page you see the image before the article so it doesn't catch your eye when reading the article. I also like the idea of having the magazines name at the top of the article to show its the main article/interview.

Double Page Spread Example 2

This article is in the question and answer structure that I want to use in my double page spread. The question is written in blue and the answer in white. For this I will use my colour scheme, and ask the question in either pink or green.

I don't like the layout of the page, the writing on the image is too busy, and takes the attention away from the article. The second image also does this and there isn't much writing on the page. In my magazine I will only have one image and that will be on a seperate page to the article so it doesn't take any attention away from it.

Double Page Spread example

This double page spread has the article on one side and an image on the other. I like the layout of this double page but I don't like the structure of the article. With my article I want it to be questions and answers as this will give it a better structure.

I think I will use the layout of this double page spread by having an image on one page and the article on the other. But I will change the structure of the article.

Finished Contents Page

The advertisments will in the space, without having too much writing which an editors letter would of.
All of the space on the page has been filled, which it have been on all of the contents pages I have looked at. I think the image fits in really well with the rest of the page and it doesn't draw too much attention away from the coverlines and advertisements. I noticed in a few contents pages that there was a twitter account featured on it, so I thought adding one would make it look more professional, and it also filled in some empty space.

Almost complete

The coverlines take up most of the page, but the image breaks this up and makes it look organised rather than messy. The empty space thats left I am going to fill with the competition off the last contents page, and some other advertisement as I think there is enough writing on the page with the coverlines.

Contents with Picture

I think the picture works really well with the colours on the page. Dulling it down made it fit in better. The box on the image shows that the image is for the main article and what page it can be found on.
I put the page numbers in pink as it mades them stand out more, but also brightens up the coverlines a bit. When I have added the rest of the coverlines this page will look quite full, but will be organised so it doesn't look messy.

Contents page image

This is the image I have chosen to put on my contents page. I am going to make the picture slightly duller, as I think it will be too bright and won't fit in with the rest of my contents page as the colours are like pastel colours. I am also going to crop the cars and the othrer tree out of image.

This is the edited picture, the image isn't too dull but the brightness is less noticable. The crop made the focus more on the model than on the background as shes more central and closer.

New Contents Layout

Aswell as changing the layout I added in different subsections to the contents to give it more order. Monthly and Monthly Specials are the ones I have added in. In the green bar I have put the issue number as when looking at contents pages they all had the issue number on.

New contents style model

I looked at different contents layout to see which one would work best with my magazine. I like this one as all the space is filled, which was an issue with my contents page. I also like that there's different sections with in the contents page. The box at the top is similar to my contents page, so I will keep that feature. This layout is simple, but tidy. Instead of having a review at the bottom I will have more coverlines and some advertisements as I needed more of them.

Contents feedback

When I asked people what they thought of my contents page, some people said they really liked it but it was missing something others said:

1. Doesn't look professinal, look at other contents pages and copy the layout
2. Colour scheme works well, the layout doesn't.
3. Puff doesn't fit in
4. Looks quite empty, need to fill the space around pictures
5. Need more advertisements
6. Can't read website, too small

I am definately going to take on board point 1 and look at some contents pages. All the feedback I have shows that I need to change my contents page, especially the layout and then tweak the other things.

Unfinished Contents

After adding the coverlines that are in my production plan, I don't feel like the layout of this contents works. So before I finished the contents I am going to get some audience feedback to see what they think about it and see if I need to change the layout.

Layout of contents page

This image shows the layout my contents page will have. The colour scheme of pink and green I think works really well.

I decided to mount the pictures on an image of a polaroid paper as it stopped them getting lost in the background. Backing the images meant I could overlap them into a collage. The space at the bottom of the polaroid was perfect was putting the coverlines on, as you would with a real polarioid photo.

The puff is a competition to win backstage tickets to a pop stars tour, and it also has the magazines website address on where you can enter for the competition.

Contents Pencil Mock Up

The images on the contents page will be part of the main article as this is the main feature in this months issues. I will also have a puff that will have a competition featured on it. The coverlines will mainly be at the bottom of the page and the rest along the right side. The bar at the bottom with say ' The Pop Magazine of the year, 2012 - Exclusive interviews with the newest artists on the block'.
On the contents page I will have an editors letters, as most of the contents pages I have looked at all have one and I feel this would fit in with my magazine.

Smash hits contents page.
This contents page is from the smash hits Lady GaGa special. The black and white colours are also on the front cover using this on the contents page carries on the style of the magazine. Having the articles along the bottoms makes the contents page look really tidy. The editors letter at the top of the page lokos really effective on this contents page but on my contents page i'll have it in a different place, the pictures above the articles also makes the contents page look tidy, and they advertise different articles in the magazine rather than just having writing.

Front cover after feedback

After reading the feedback I decided that I would change the layout so that it was for like my style model. I think this makes the magazine look more organised and a lot more like a professional magazine. By changing the pink box it also makes the coverlines at lot neater as in my audience feedback said they looked messy.

I also changed the puff so that the colours were the same as the rest of the front cover. This makes the puff stand out less so that it doesn't take attention away from the main image. It also makes it fit in better with the rest of the front cover.

I made the barcode, price and issue number bigger so it's more noticeable as before it was too small and blended in with the coverlines that were above it.

One of the main thing that needed to change was the main coverline as it was hard to read. So I took on board what the feedback said and made it bigger and ligther which makes it stand out a lot more, I also made the other part of the main coverline straight as it didnn't fit in having it on a slant.

On some of the coverlines I made the first few words a different colour so that you could tell which were which as this was a problem with the original front cover. Changing the colour seperates them without having big gaps between each one.

Front Cover Feedback

I printed off a picture of my finished magazine and asked some people what they thought of it. Some people really liked it, however others thought it could be better with a few changes.

1. 'Free 1d poster' - too bright, doesn't fit in.
2. Pink box doesn't work
3. Coverlines on the left look messy, hard to tell that they're seperate.
4. "Going Solo" would look better lighter and could also be bigger.
5. Need to make the barcode slightly bigger. Aslo enlarge the price and issue number.

After reading my front cover feedback I am going to make the changes that have been suggested, as I feel this will improve my magazine.

Front Cover Finished

This is the final draft of my front cover. The coverlines fill in the space so that it doesn't look empty. I think the colour scheme works really well with the image the model is portraying as quite girly.

I am going to get some audience feedback to see if there are any changes I should change to make it better, and to see if there is anything they would add or take away.

Front cover in progress

The pictures added in the box show different articles in the magazine and the coverlines show what they are. The puff follows the colour scheme which makes it fit in with the magazine. The main coverlines also follow the colour scheme which makes them stand out and helps it show that they are the main coverlines. The rest of the space with be filled in with seperate coverlines so that it doesn't looks as empty, because it looks quite plain at this stage.

Front Cover Image

This image has enough room along the left side for coverline. However the brightness needs to be altered as it's too dull for a front cover image. The model fits perfectly with the style image I want the magazine to have.

   This is the image after it has been cropped so that the image is along the right hand side. The brightness has also been changed so that it's not as dull as the original. The title shine has a camera flare on the top so that it looks like something is shining on it.  The space along the left hand side is enough to fit a box in like my style model.



The pink box follows the line that the models body is creating so it fits in well with the main image. The green boxes with be the backing of two images that will be cropped to fit in the boxes. The coverlines on my publication plan will be spread out so around the model and also underneath the pink box.

Photoshoot Plan

Audience Portfolio

These images show that my target market like a lot of pink, which could be part of the colour sceme in my magazine. My target market like various different artists like Rihanna and Justin Bieber. They also like festivals like V Festival and often listen to their ipod. Knowing that they like these kinds of artists will help me with feature articles as I will include these artists in them. My target audience also like flowerly dress and high heels. This shows me  they're very girly so I will make my magazine very girly so that it appeals to them.

Publication Plan. 

Synergy

Every magazine has a front cover and a contents page to match. Each contents page is matched to the front cover, whether its with the same style pictures or by using the same colour scheme. On my magazine I will transfer the color scheme of green and pink from the front cover through to the contents page, this will carry the genre through the magazine.

 These are some magazine front covers that i looked at before deciding how i wanted to set my front cover out. All of the Q magazines have the title in the left top corner where as the other magazines have the title along the top. On my magazine i will have the title along the top.
Some of the main images on the front covers have writing over them which is think its a really effective idea and will use this technique on my magazine.
Most of the backgrounds on the magazines are very plain, which keeps the eye focused on the main image.

I like the idea of having the main image along the right handside, and having the secondary coverlines along the left hand side, i think i'll use this on my music magazine. Although the image isnt central it's still the first thing that catches the readers eye. Every music magazine ive looked at all used different style font all over the front cover. Each front cover is different and they are all full, almost every space is filled in with writing or pictures.

 This is my finished College Magazine

I decided to use a girl on my front cover that was in casual dress as its for a college magazine. The pose is quiet casual and smiley which shows that this is a laid back magazine and represents the students. The writing at the top is handwriting style, which again shows that this is a laid back magazine. I also decided to use a pink colour scheme that would follow through onto my contents page. However you can tell that this magazine has been done by a student as it doesn't look like a real magazine. The front cover needs a lot more cover lines to entice people to read it.

I followed through with the handwiritng styled writing and the pink color scheme in the contents page. I print screened the front cover, and used arrows to show which page each article advertised is on. I decided to do this as i've seen it on several different contents pages. I then put different articles that would feature in the magazine in the bottom right hand corner of the page. After analysising this I can see that the page has too much spare space, and it also needs a lot more articles that feature in the magazine.

When I created my music magazine I will use the color scheme idea, and carry on it on throughout my magazine.

Q Magazine Front Cover Analysis

The main image covers the whole of the front page which catches the readers eye and entices them. The face on the main image is very central which expresses the importance of it. The coverline on this photo is short but edgy. It doesn't give any of the article away which makes the reader curious about what questions were asked about what Cheryl Cole said.

The font on the front cover changes with every sentence. This emphasises that each sentence represents something else in the magazine. The front cover is packed with information which shows readers that the magazine is well worth the money as its full off different articles/pictures.

The colour co odrination on this magazine makes the magazine for attractive. I think colour co-odrinating a magazine front cover is a really good idea and will use it on mine.



Smash Hits Style Model.

This front cover has a blue and pink color sceme which they follow through with on a quotation from the main article. Avril Lavigne covers three quarters of the front cover which shows that shes going to be the focus for the main interview. Underneath the picture is a coverline saying 'Avril Lavigne on bad lads, glamming up and celeb crushes', the coverline gives a bit more detail on what the interview questions will cover.

Down the right hand side of this front cover are 3 secondary images displaying what else you can expect to find in the magazine. If someones not interested in the main article, these secondary images can encourage them to buy the magazine.

The color sceme on this front colour is very girly, which would imply that the main audience are girls. This is also carried out with the flirty writing, everything about this front would appeal to mainly girls.

This magazine inspires me as I like the way this front cover is set out. I think having the the main image to one side helps to seperate the main article from other articles within the magazine. The focus is on the main image first, then the focus moves to the side and then onto each individual element on the front cover. The colours work really well together, and the sceme continues throughout the magazine, I will use a colour sceme on my music magazine. I will recreate the layout of this magazine by having my image to one side, and I will also recreate the idea of having a colour sceme, except I wont use pink and blue. I will possibly use pink and green.

Barcode, Price, Edition are straightforward features but need to be perfectly placed, they shouldn't intervene with any of the main features on the front cover. The edition is placed on a magazine so that when they are stored people know which magazine they have quoted from, and incase someone as missed an edition they know which one they have missed.

Mode of Address is the way that a magazine communcates with its audience. Some magazines use a direct mode of address and will directly point at the reader or by using 2nd person pronouns such as 'you'. These directly involve the reader as they feel the maagzine is speaking to them.

Puff draws attention to and promote elements of the magazine. They are often on colourful background or surrounded by a shape. This helps them stand out to catch readers eye when they can the front cover.

Pugs be a little corner piece that either tells you the price, a promotion or a small section simply about the magazine.

Secondary images are smaller, less significant images. They help to promote other images on the front cover, this shows readers what else to expect in the magazine other than the main article. Most readers are enticed by pictures rather than coverline text.

Coverlines are placed in various places on a front cover, they tell readers about specific articles they'll find. They're usully 6-12 coverlines, this lures people into different aspects of the magazine.

Anchorage is a term that refers to how images are referred to. In magazines, pictures are anchored by a caption.
For example on the front cover of 'Hello Canada' Tom cruise is the main image and next to him is a caption about his interview about his daughter.

The tagline on a magazine goes under the masthead, and sometimes can be attached to it. It will either show what the magazine is about or who its aimed at. For example Q's tagline is 'THE ULTIMATE ROCK 'N' ROLE'.

The central image is the most important part of the front cover on a magazine as it's this that catches the readers eye. The image will be relevant to the magazines purpose, audience and it usually strongly related to the main article within the magazine. Alot can be denoted and connoted from the central image.
*Denotation - what you can see thats obvious.
*Connotation - idea that you take from the image,
                         - the way you interpret an image.

For many magazines a cover model is used, usually a celebrity or well-known individual that is connected with the magazines genre. If a magazine has a well-known celebrity on the front it will help the cover sell because they have their own connotations for example people might expect to hear about fashion from Victoria Beckham. Photographic models also help sell the magazine because people that "it could be me".

A Mast Head is the title of a magazine. It's almost always at the top because its the first place you look and when its in a rack you can only see the top half of the magazine. The font is also chosen to work with the genre of the magazine, if its quite a laid back magazine the writing can look as if its been handwritten, where as if its a girlly magazine the writing can be quite flirty and swirly. Using lower letters would also show that the magazine is laid back but if its in capitals its as if its shouting out at you, so the magazine would be quite serious most likely to be a factual magazine.
The colour of the font is also important as it can relate to what sex the magazine is aimed at. If the writing is pink its more likely to be aimed at women, likewise for blue being for men. Pink is the stereotypical colour for women.

I researched how different front covers from different magazines. This helped me to design the front cover of my magazine and also what different genres magazines cover.

Vibe is a magazine about about music artists, actors and other entertainers. Its owned by Quincy Jones. Mainly covers R&B and Hip-Hop music artists.

Rap-Up was originally a website about hip-hop but was later made into a magazine. It's sold in more than  20 countries

Q is published monthly in the UK. The magazine has an extensive review section which features: new music releases, music compilations, film and live concert reviews, as well as radio and television reviews.

This is this image i am going to use for the front cover of my magazine.

I called my magazine Student Voice. I chose this name as it will have different students opinions on the topic of the week. The Topic of the Week will be a debate where students can express their different opinions so their voices can be heard. The topic can be about anything the students wish, even an issue within the school. Also in the magazine, will be a list of different TV Programs we think students would watch.

This is a mock up for my magazine. Instead of calling my magazine The Student Voice, i have decided to change it to Student Voice.