Evaluation

For my media coursework I had to first complete a preliminary task which was to create the front page of a new school or college magazine, ensuring that the image was taken in a medium close up shot and there was an appropriate masthead and text. After completing the preliminary task and having a chance to understand the use of DTP (Photoshop) I had to complete the main task which involved having to produce the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine, ensuring all text and images were original.


After completing my front cover I can see that I have identified and included the typical conventions of music magazines, for example, I have included the masthead, AMP (which stands for amplified music production) in the top left corner and cover lines down the left third. My masthead is quite large, in a bold and recognisable font, making it easy to read, look vibrant and stand out, another convention of magazines.


The cover lines featured are all down the left hand side of my splash which could be considered as challenging typical conventions as some magazines place their cover lines down both sides of the splash, however, the majority of magazines I have analysed have placed their cover lines predominantly down one side and therefore, this is the reason I have placed my cover lines down one side only.

The main image I have used takes up the majority of the splash, which links further with my understanding of typical magazine conventions. The image featured on my front cover is in a medium close-up, making strong eye contact with the audience, making them feel instantly engaged with the magazine, urging them to purchase it. This represents a strong character and makes the model look powerful and intimidation, adding further to the idea that the audience will feel urged into purchasing the magazine.


Further conventions I have recognised and clearly identified is the use of a banner, usually along either the bottom of top of the splash. On my magazine front cover I have chose to place my banner along the top of the page and with a yellow background. This sets it aside from the repeated colour scheme used throughout my magazine and also other magazines, making it stand out further.

I have also placed a bar code, price, date and issue number in the bottom corner of my splash. This shows further identification of conventions as on all magazine's these are placed away from the main features to ensure that the focus is not directed away from more important features. As the construction (as stated in the brief) is a new magazine I chose to price it at £3.10 to ensure that it is not too expensive to draw away readers but also expensive enough to make a profit despite it being a new magazine and therefore running the risk of not many people buying it.


Similarly when designing my contents page I kept in mind the typical conventions found when analysing existing pages. All contents page's I have looked at feature a large masthead at the top, whether it be the word 'contents' or the name of the magazine. I decided to feature the word 'contents' at the top of my page in large, bold lettering to make it clear to the reader what this page would contain. I also added a background to the text to make it stand out further and as the background is grey, make it link with the overall colour scheme of my magazine, linking it with each page and making a recognisable product.

A further convention also featured is the fact that articles are divided into sections and so I decided to use this idea and split my page into sections that would include features that were 'on the cover' and those that would be 'regulars'. This makes it easier for the reader to find what they are looking for and also makes the page look more professional. In the background of these sections I have placed a darker background to make it stand out from the white base. This separates, not only each section from each other but also both sections from the background, making the product look more professional and more easy to navigate around.


A further recognisable convention on the contents pages of music magazines was the idea that images were used as another way to direct the reader around the magazine, therefore I have decided to use this idea in my own contents page and featured an image relating to the main story shown on the front cover and also another smaller image, connoting something that is not as shocking as the main cover line story, on my contents page. The image relating to the main story has been placed in the middle of the contents page, making it the first thing the reader will see and the focal point of the page. The second image used is placed in the bottom corner of the page, still noticeable to the reader but not drawing the attention away from the main image and text.
Another conventional feature I have recognised on the content pages of music magazines have been editors notes and therefore I decided to create my own and use it on my contents page. In my editors letter I wrote about what would be featured in the magazine this month and things to expect over the year. I also featured an image of the editor and the editors signature (a further convention).

After completing my double page spread I can see that I have identified and clearly recognised the conventions, such as having a question and answer format in the article section. However I have also challenged the typical conventions by having the masthead/title as a quote from 'Lola' (the main cover star) which reads 'I'm just a normal girl'. This will draw the reader in as being the daughter of two famous stars readers would expect her to be very high maintenance, and so makes them want to read on. The double page spread also challenges the conventions of music magazine double page spread as on the three I have analysed the image takes up at least one side of the double page, however, I have decided to feature a smaller image that only takes up half of one side of my double page spread. I chose to feature the image this way as it does not take the attention from the main article and also, due to the article continuing over the page (stated at the bottom of the page) it gives the chance for a larger image to be featured on several other pages.


When planning my front cover, contents page and double page spread I thought carefully about what the target audience would be. I have decided to aim my magazine at people aged 15-25 as these are the people I believe take the greatest amount of interest in music. I have also decided to aim my product at people who have an interest in all genre's of music but predominantly indie and alternative music. This can be shown on my front cover by the main image, cover lines and banner as they all represent a different genre of music. Although most music magazines target an audience predominance of males I have decided to try and aim mine at an equal gender audience by featuring more male dominated bands on the cover lines but having a female as the main image/cover line.

I had a clear idea that I would target an audience that have an interest in music that is different, has different styles and has individual twists. This links with the main story in my magazine and the idea that Lola has a different style and is mixing music to create a different sound.

To attract my target audience to my magazine I took into consideration the colours of the final product. As my magazine is, overall, targeting those aged between 15-25 I wanted to make the colours connote youth and therefore used yellow's and red's on my front cover and through my magazine. I also thought about the model and wardrobe when constructing my product and therefore had the model as a young star. This will inspire the young readers and make them feel encouraged to follow their dreams. I also included a variety of different styles of outfits and clothes throughout my front cover, double page spread and contents page, such as a leather jacket (front cover), casual checked shirt and black tee (double page spread) and a dress (contents page). As there is a contrast between outfits it will target and appeal to a much wider audience who are interested in different things. These selected outfits also connote and add to the genre of the magazine.

When planning my images I knew that I wanted to take them against a blank canvas to ensure that, when editing, it was easy to crop the background out and/or replace it with a different one. I also knew that this would be a good location as the chosen background could be used through my magazine if no other background suited the page. Therefore I set my model against a blank wall.
Initially I decided to use props in my images, however once the images had been taken I decided against the idea as it did not look the way I had originally planned. However, I believe that this has worked out for the best as this way (no props) ensures that the attention is directed on no one other than the model.

Despite aiming my magazine predominantly at a younger audience I did not want to make other readers feel isolated and therefore included more neutral tones when choosing colours such as black, white and grey. This also links with the social groups my magazine is targeted for.

I believe my final media product represents a younger social group with an interest in different styles of music and a love for being an individual. It also represents people who have an interest in every genre of music. To ensure that my magazine was representative of this I had a young model with an individual style portrayed throughout the magazine (shown on the front cover, contents page and double page spread). As the model is dressed quite controversial it brings in my target audience other than if my model was wearing all pink, for example, which would only target a more young audience who only have an interest in one type of music.

Through the process of planning, designing and finally constructing my product I have learnt a lot about technologies and the process of making a magazine. Firstly, my understanding of Photoshop has increased as before I started this work I did not know how to work it. Despite the struggle and a trial and error approach of finding out which tool was suitable I finally created a product I am happy with. With the use of Photoshop I have been able to crop my images to a desired size and change the background image on my photo's which has been a vital element to ensure my product looked professional.

Institutions that would be most likely to sell and distribute my product would be IPC media (international publishing company) as they are the UK's leading consumer magazine publisher selling over 300 million magazines per year. This would be a good institute to distribute my magazine as it is also the institute to publish NME magazine and, being similar to NME in target audience and style, would give my magazine the right audience and therefore, become a popular and successfully selling magazine.


Looking back, I can tell I have learnt a lot since the preliminary task and making my college magazine. Before I started my music magazine I had no understanding of the concepts and what it takes to make a good and successful magazine. Since starting my music magazine I have gained a clearer understanding towards using Photoshop and the importance of editing to make a professional looking magazine. I have also gained an understanding of target audience and the importance of keeping the reader in mind throughout the construction. Research and planning is a further important aspect needed to make a good music magazine as a great understand of the key conventions are vital to make sure that the magazine made is similar and representative of existing music magazines today.

The development from the preliminary task of making the front cover of a college magazine to the main task of completing a front cover, contents page and double page spread for a music magazine included a lot more work and a greater understanding of magazine construction. For example, when constructing my college magazine the analysis of existing magazine was small in comparison to the full task of completing a music magazine. During the analysis of the college magazine the only requirements were of three front covers, however, when analysing for the main task an analysis of three front covers, three contents pages and three existing double page spread’s were needed. More planning was also needed and a deeper thought process into the final product was also required. The planning of the main task included various sketch drafts of the front cover, contents page and double page spread, to ensure that the final product was the best it could be, an IT draft and plans of our target audience, props, costume, setting, colour scheme’s and font ideas. I believe that, in comparison to my preminilary task, my final product is more represntative of the existing music magazines whereas my college magazine does not follow the typical conventions very well. I have also ensured that the barcode is out of the way of the main conventions and all text can be clearly read, ensuring that the final product looks professional. The layout is also more structed on my music magazine; the cover lines stay down one side, making the product as a whole look more neat. On my music magazine the text/cover lines are placed down the left third, away from the image to ensure that they do not overlap too much so the image is not clearly visable.


In conclusion I believe I have made a successful and realistic music magazine as I have identified the most important conventions and used them throughout. However, I have also challenged some typical conventions to ensure that the target audience is not bored of the seeing the same thing over again. Despite changing some conventions I have kept the main and most vital ones included so the readers are still aware that the magazine being made is related to music.
I believe I have successfully targeted my specific audience and kept in mind the things needed to keep the reader interested throughout the construction.
Despite the stress and hard work I have found making a media product, overall, a fun experience. I believe the strengths of my product include a good understanding of typical magazine conventions and the ability to produce my own version, making sure the include these conventions within it. I also believe the images selected to use are representative of the idea I wanted to portray with my magazine.
However, I believe the main weakness of my production to be time management. While planning I did not realise the amount of hard work needed to product a good product and therefore paced myself slow, whereas I could have planned and completed my product stress free if I had taken the hard work needed into account. The brief has also been followed as I have included five original images in my work including the front cover image, images of bands for the contents pages and an image for the editors note, along with the single image featured on the double page spread.

I can also see that by using a poll on my blog, that other people believe my product to be successful and has targeted the desired audience as the majority of people who voted said that they think the target audience for my music magazine to be 15-25. they have also stated that the images selected target the audience very well and the colours and main image are eye catching. When asked what I could possibly change on my product the majority also stated that they believe nothing should be changed to make my magazine more effective, and has therefore reinforced my beliefs that my final construction is a successful one.