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

Well, it has been one bumpy roller coaster! It has been difficult, and I admit I'm probably not the number one student in my class, but truthfully I have come a long way from the Preliminary task! When I planned the photos for my Music magazine front cover, I knew that I didn't want to cause a shadow like I had on my preliminary. Although shadows can be used effectively, I haven’t found out how yet. I have circled the shadows in red on my Preliminary magazine photo below and have shown how, in my opinion, the lack of shadow in my Music magazine photo looks a lot better.

I've also learnt how to layout my page better and how to fill in any gaps. You will rarely find and empty piece of page on a popular music magazine. In my preliminary task I had quite a lot of clear space. This made the magazine look boring and uninteresting whereas my music magazine has less space and looks full and appealing. I could possibly have improved it by adding something else.

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

Since I began constructing my ideal magazine, I have developed skills I never thought I could have. I obviously began by using Adobe photoshop.

This taught me how to use many basic skills, such as how to overlay images on top of each other, drop-shadow and how to use text-wrap effectively.

Furthermore, throughout creating my magazine I also analysed the creative aspects that would be needed to make my magazine look like a magazine. Although this sounds simple, the hours it took to find the right colour for the right font, or how to make the picture fit in well with the text were some of the most difficult I have ever had.


I also developed my picture taking ability. This meant that I would have to understand the properties of lighting for the picture, and also how to effectively work my camera. Such a simple thing such as the flash on a camera could make a shot, or ruin it. This took almost as long to find the right picture, and to edit as it did to do the rest of the magazine.

I also learned how to use adobe indesign, which although it doesn’t have as many of the picture editing abilities and effects that photoshop has, it was much easier to text wrap, to align all of my text and to make the article look realistic. This made it ideal for my double-page spread.

 











I also learnt how to operate a mac. This was completely new to me as I only use a HTP laptop at home. After a long time trying to figure out how to turn it on let alone use it, I finally managed to get to grips with it and the way it is suited to the Adobe programmes made it much easier for me to make my magazine.

The final technology I have learnt how to use is Blogger. Although it seems like an easy program, to make each post look presentable and professional was very difficult. But the benefits far outweighed the problems as the interactivity of it, along with the neat way the data is recorded, allows me present my work in an easy-to-read way which makes it easy for me to find any simple textual mistakes and to correct them.

 

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

Now that I know WHO I am selling my magazine to, I had to work out HOW I was going to sell it to them.



One of the ways I am going to do this is by offering the readers the chance to subscribe. Below is a picture of my subscription and a subscription from an NME magazine. Both our offers are on the contents page so that readers have to open the magazine to find it.

Offering the readers a subscription will not only attract readers but will also keep loyal readers. The promotions are bold colours that stand out well upon the page as to catch the reader's attention. The fonts are also bold and big so that the readers feel pulled towards it. The subscriptions use persuasive language and money saving offers so the readers feel they are benefiting from it. It makes them feel important and unique.


I have also used a unique selling point (USP) that will help sell my magazine. I have managed to only place one picture on the front of the magazine so that the attention is not shared. It shows the importance of the band on the front and it also leaves space in my magazine that not many other magazines have. It makes my magazine stand out from others and readers will be able to easily pick it out from a number of magazines.

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

To find my ideal target audience I had to research the audiences of similar magazines to mine, such as Kerrang! and NME. Here are a few stats I found that will help me decide who my audience will be.

For the full page click HERE

As you can see from above the last stat is ABCe Unique Users. ABCe refers to the social economic groups that magazine buyers fall in to.


A (upper middle class) – professional or at director level


B (middle class) – senior management


C (lower middle class) – junior management and clerical


E - Casual labourers, pensioners, unemployed e.g. pensioners without private pensions and anyone living on basic benefits


The groups above give an idea of my magazine's target audience. However, I also found that people are separated into different youth groups according to hobbies, interests and lifestyles. These groups include "Smart urban", "Goths", "Emos". To find out more about these groups visit HERE


From the information above, I am able to see that my ideal target audience are "Emos". Here are a few pictures of my ideal audience.

3) What kind of media institution might distribute my media product and why?

I have decided to use the Bauer Consumer Media institution to distribute my magazine as the magazine industry is dominated by top publishers Bauer and IPC, Bauer Consumer Media has a wide range of publishing rights in 15 countries, showing that my magazine will be read all over the world. Bauer manages an average circulation of 38 million magazines a week showing they are in high demand. One of the magazines I have used to inspire my own product, Kerrang!, is published and distributed by Bauer Media. Seeing as Kerrang! is quite similar to my magazine I feel it will be a perfect distributor. I did a bit of research and this is what I found:
Click HERE for information about Bauer Media

2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Before I took the photos for my magazine I had to do a lot of research into which type of audience I was going to appeal my magazine to. After looking at various other magazines that portray similar music interests to my magazine I had an idea as to what my target audience would look like. One of these magazines was NME. I found their website and found some interesting stats that could be useful.
See here

For my photos I used natural light so the picture did not appear too bright or too dark. My models chose what they wanted to wear as I wanted them to be a controversial act. The female is wearing dark eye makeup to enhance the eyes and the boy is wearing glasses to give him a mysterious look, as if he is hiding.

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I am going to compare some of the points in my magazine to other popular music magazines and explain why I have used them.
First is the banner across the top of the page. Above are two banners from two popular music magazines and the banner I have used on my magazine. I have circled certain words that attract the reader's attention such as "SPECIAL" and "GIVE AWAY". I have used this idea to add words such as "EXCLUSIVE" and "NEW". Using these words make the readers believe they are receiving something completely new and exclusive that hasn't been seen before. The banner also gives the readers a preview of what they will find inside the magazine. Both banner's from the other magazines are red and black where as mine is red and white. As my magazine is black I felt it would be more effective to use a white banner, where as the other two magazines have white magazines, they have used black banners. It is a different colour so the readers can see it clearly but so that it also fits in the page subtly to ensure it does not distract the reader's attention from the main picture.


Secondly is the sticker effect I have added. Above, I have taken a few sticker effects from other magazines and have circled the important words such as "WIN" and "EXCLUSIVE" and have interpreted it into my own magazine. Again, this type of wording attracts the attention of the readers as they feel special and unique. Most magazines have there own variation of this and it is usually used to advertise something about the main band/act. It gives the users a feel that they are reading something exclusive that no one else knows. NME's is used to promote a new album release as is mine, enhancing the exclusive effect.


Below is a picture of my magazine next to the popular NME magazine. I've compared a few of the main features to show where I got the ideas from.

Contents Page

And I finished my Double Page spread :)

I added a few changes to my contents too, so it SHOULD look a bit better now :)

Front Cover

DONE! :)

Since my first attempt I have changed some things, added more effects and here it is:

Let me know what you think :)

Pictures

Here are some of the picture's for my front cover!

I have changed the genre of my magazine to fit around these picture's and plan to remove the boy on the right as he does not want to be on the front cover! How annoying ¬¬.

Magazine Templates

I have finally found two reliable models and will be taking my pictures this Saturday. Due to my models pulling out and my lack of organisation, I have fallen behind with trying to get some pictures, however, this has allowed me to plan all sorts for my magazine; I've finished the interview which will cover my double page spread. I will uplaod this later AND I've finished a mood board of various magazines I like the layout of. I will also upload these later.
I managed to make a few plans for my front cover but I couldn't decide which ones to use and have managed to get it down to two choices.
Here they are:

I think I'm beginning to have regrets about this layout. The Main Band title going down the middle of the page looks ridiculous and you really wouldn't see it on a music magazine. The barcode is too small and the writing covers half of the picture. 

 I like this one better as the writing does not cover as much of the picture as the other layout will. I also prefer the Main Band Title going across the cover instead of going down the middle. It looks more realistic as a cover and I prefer the barcode being this side.

Interview Questions

Just thought I would say:


 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 


As you can tell, I don't do things in order. I will probably have a little clean up soon, get everything in order.
So I got a new camera today.. yay :)
I thought I had found myself a model that I could use for my front cover, but sadly he cancelled. I have two reserve models that I am going to be using and I just hope they don't cancel on me! I already have a few pictures for the contents page and I am planning the double spread interview now.
Here are a few questions I think I am going to use:


+ So... You're two of the youngest musicians in Britain. How do you feel about that?
+ You're everywhere at the moment, if there's a gig, you're there! Where's your favourite venue?
+ Everyone wantsta dress like you, but what's your favourite clothes shop? It's gotta be Topshop right?
+ You are possibly the hottest band around right now, but the question is... Are you both single


I am going to ask the real models these questions so I can get some realistic answers. Hope everyone has a good Christmas!

Research on Contents Layout

Haven't blogged for a while so thought I had better upload all my research on the Contents Layout.

Here are a few layouts I like:

This is from the magazine "Drummer"
I like the layout... it is clear and shows the pages. Like most magazine contents, this one has used the 'rule of 3'. This means that the magazine page is divided into three columns. The top column usually holds the title. This is typical for any contents. It would look rather strange having the title at the bottom of the page. This particular contents also has some pictures along side the title. This attracts some attention to the top 'section' of the page as readers may be likely to skip past the title as they see it every week. The colours also work well together as there aren't too many of them. Anymore colous and the page would look too busy and would look rather stupid. The centre column holds a larger picture with the main 'contents' this is usual in most magazines as it is the most important part of the page and should be broadcasted clearly! This 'section' is generally larger than the others as it needs to attract the readers attention. The image has a saturation of zero to make it black and white which allows the redness to stand out more. The final section is not too dissimilar from the top column. It holds pictures and in this particular image the 'Regulars' box.

The contents to the left is from the popular magazine NME. I like the layout of this page, as it follows the 'rule of 3' in a slightly different way. Instead of the sections going across the page, they go down the page. I am not sure whether this is for effect, but it makes the page look more organised and tidy. The first row (on the left) shows a band index. This is unique to the magazine and is slightly smaller than the other two sections as it is there every week, a regular reader will know it is there. The slightly larger row to the right of the page shows all the page numbers as most contents pages show. However, this is not the main section which may lead attention astray. It is more common for the actual contents to be shown in the centre, or on a large scale. The middle section is the biggest and is a photo. This is not uncommon, however it is usually as big, or smaller than the list of pages and numbers. The colours on the page look good, as the red is a main colour for the magazine and can be seen throughout the whole magazine. The yellow works well with the black background at the bottom of the page, and makes it stand out from the dark colours and red.

Front Page Picture.

Ideas!

Here are a few ideas of the sort of poses I would like to use!

This one is good, as the model on the front looks smart, but at the same time, he looks slightly casual. The effect on the background looks good too. The repetition of his face shows he is an important character and stops the background looking bare and boring. It is quite popular on a magazine to have a saturation of zero and then a bolder colour, like red, to make the page look more attractive.

This is a good idea as the model has their hands in front of their face and the lighting only shows their hands and face. This is a good effect as it adds a sense of 'mystery'. The readers become interested in the model as they are uncertain of who he/she may be.

This is from the same magazine as above. The models in this magazine have all been photographed separately then the final results have been all added together. I like this idea as I do not need all the models together at once. It is also effective as they all look like musicians. The moody/attitude look gives them a 'rock star' look.

I like the black and white effect on this image. It gives a serious feel to the photo and I like the space around the model. However I must be careful as I do not want my magazine to appear bare or empty.

Magazine Title

Moving onto the Main Task!

First I had to decide on a magazine title! Most possibly the hardest thing to do, other than looking for a font! Here are some words I randomly wrote down, hoping to find something inspiring.

A lot of these words are music related, such as Singer, Live and Backstage, which made choosing the words easier. I have chosen these words as they are the sort of genre of words that you would find on a magazine. They are short, sharp and snappy and grab the readers attention.

In the end, however, I chose Elektrodisiac as it is very suitable for my magazine. It is very modern and fits my magazine's genre.

After much hard work, I thought of an idea and began looking for fonts. I managed to get all the possibilities down to a chosen few:

I liked 'Catalogue' and 'Plasticine' as they look modern and young. The sort of font you would find on a magazine, however I do not think they will be suitable for my style of magazine as they are not 'sharp' enough.

'Ogred Weary' was a definite no as it is too stereotypically 'girly'. It would not fit the magazine and would look out of place.

And now to choose my final font!

Preliminary Task

For the Preliminary task, we were asked to produce a front cover and contents page for a school magazine. This was to show off our amazing (haha) photshop and photography skills! Here is my Preliminary task. Front Page and Contents. :)

Our school colours are the very attractive blue and yellow! Hence why my magazine are mainly these colours. On reflection, I feel I could have put more images onto the front page. It looks slightly bare and boring. I like the contents layout, and I am quite pleased with the pictures I took. The colours are suitable to match with the front cover, however the blue background AND blue writing make it look quite dull.