evaluation

For my coursework, I was set the task to create a music magazine and create three pages; the front cover, the contents page and the double page spread. I had to make sure that I had a minimum of four original images altogether.

My magazine uses conventions of real media products, as the layout is similar to other magazines that are available to buy. The layout of my magazine is conventional as it has a masthead, cover lines, bar codes and a price. I have also included the issue number and the month of publication on the front cover. I have chosen to do my magazine in the pop genre, as I feel that there aren’t any magazines currently in publication available to buy that cover this genre. Pop magazines need to be eye catching and bold and bright, and the text needs to be legible as young people will be need to read it. As there aren’t any magazines covering the pop genre, it was hard to get inspiration for my magazine, so I decided to look at magazines aimed at young girls such as ‘Bliss’ and ‘Sugar’ magazine as these are the closest I thought I could get to actual pop magazines. The font I have decided to use for the masthead is conventional for a pop magazine as it is bold and eye catching. I had to make sure that the image on the front cover was conventional and not too small.

For the contents page I had to make sure that this was conventional, I had to make sure that the word ‘contents’ is on the top of the page otherwise this isn’t conventional. I split the contents page into three sections  ‘features’, ‘on the cover’ and ‘regulars’. This allows there to be a clear layout and no confusion of the magazine articles. I also think that doing this it looks better and also more conventional, therefore my magazine looks just like a magazine should. My double page spread follows the conventions of a double page spread as the main front cover star, has to be on the double page spread otherwise it isn’t conventional. I have also included the name of the girl group that the article focuses on. I have used the same font as I did on the front cover, to provide continuity and to make the magazine flow.  Also it is the girl groups’ identity. The colours I have used throughout the magazine represent pop as a genre as they are eye-catching. Also the magazine is aimed at young girls, therefore I needed to represent the audience and make it eye catching for them. The only thing I would improve on on my magazine is the fonts on the front cover, looking back now they are quite hard to read and complex, therefore they aren’t conventional.

My media product represents the social group of young teenagers, as I have chosen to use competitions as a selling point for my magazine. The competitions I have chosen to include in my magazine are backstage passes to t4 on the beach which is a concert in western super mare and includes all of the pop artists. It isn’t while the summer however it would be something good for them to look forward too. Also I have included a chance to win vip tickets to see The Saturdays, I have chosen to do this as The Saturdays are a band that represent the pop genre. I have chosen to make the competitions VIP and Backstage as this will make the young girls feel special.

I believe that my media product would be distributed by IPC media, as they distribute NME magazine. Even though NME and my magazine are completely opposing genres I believe that they would sell well on the same institution. NME is a magazine targeted at young males, however my media product is targeted as young females.

The audience for my media product is young girls between the age of 13-16 I believe this is a reasonable audience for the magazine, as the magazine is a pop magazine and girls conventionally listen to pop. I believe they would buy my magazine as it is eye catching and very bold and bright and those are the main conventions of a pop magazine.

Looking back at the preliminary task to now, I believe I have improved my technological skills. As during the preliminary task I didn’t really understand photoshop as a programme, however now I feel like I understand and know how to use it properly. I have also improved my knowledge of how to conventionally produce a magazine, as my preliminary task didn’t really follow the conventions of a magazine layout as the coverlines were rotated. I thought at the time that it looked good, however looking back now I can tell I was foolish in doing this. However I have taken that on board and made sure that the cover lines on my music magazine are conventional and the general layout of the magazine is conventional. I also feel that I have got more confidence with photo shop and I aren’t scared to try new effects or skills. I believe that I have generally bettered myself technologically. I have also put a lot more work into this task than the preliminary task as I didn’t realise the importance of research in a task like this. I am glad I did the preliminary task though, as other wise I would have been completely clueless as to how to start my music magazine.

audience feedback

From my questionaaire i have collated a lot of information about my magazine and how others view it. I asked ten people my questionaaire and here are there responses:

I asked the question 'what do you think the best page in my magazine is?' and i got these reponses:
front cover-1/10
contents page-4/10
double page spread-5/10

I asked the question 'how much would you be prepared to pay for my magazine?'
£1.50-2/10
£2.00-3/10
£3.00-5/10
£4.00 or more-0/10
this shows me that I under priced my magazine, as the audience I have asked have mostly said they would pay £3.00 for it and i charged £1.50

I asked the question 'what could i improve on?'
6/10 people said i should improve it by having more coverlines on the cover
4/10 people said i should make the text easier to read.

I asked the question 'what would you rate my magazine out of ten?'
4/10 people said 8
3/10 people said 7
3/10 people said 9
from this i can tell that i have done my magazine to a high standard and the audience are pleased with it.

audience feedback questionaaire

Audience Feedback

What is your age range?

16-17       18-19      20 or above

What gender are you?

Male   Female

What do you think the best page in my magazine is?

…………………………………………………………...

How much would you be prepared to pay for my magazine?

£1.50  £2.00  £3.00 £4.00 or more

Does the magazine appeal to you?

…………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………...

What could I improve on?

………………………………………………………

What would you rate my magazine out of ten? (1-poor 10-excellent)

1      2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Additional Comments

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final products

photos i have taken for my magazine

possible names for my magazine

As my magazine is a Pop magazine, I have to consider this factor as I think of names.

The names i have thought of are:

Shine
Love
Pop
Boom

I have chosen these names as they all fit in with the pop genre.

Inspiration for my magazine

The music genre i am looking at focuses mainly on female pop stars, therefore i believe that for my magazine they should be the main cover stars in my magazine. I have looked at other magazines for example, fashion magazines and teen magazines for inspiration because there aren't many pop related music magazines out in publication. I will look at the following magazines for inspiration on poses and masthead ideas for my magazine.

Music Genre

The music genre i have chosen for my music magazine is mainstream pop. I have chosen this genre as there aren't many publications at the moment which cover this genre. I have also chosen this genre as i have a interest it
I will look at artists such as

• Kesha
• Rihanna
• Pixie Lott
• The Saturdays

Liiar analysis of existing magazines (Q)

Q front cover:
Language: I like how the cover line is in two different colours split. Lily is in black, and Allen is in black.
I also like how the red around the logo, links in with the other cover lines on the top right and also the main coverline. The panthers on the cover also link in with the cover line as the cover line says 'Sexy beast' and the panthers are beasts.

Institution: Q magazine is a magazine published by Bauer Media. Bauer Media is Europe's largest privately owned publishing group. The media empire offers over 300 magazines in 15 different countries.

Ideology: The ideology of Q magazine is that you can be whoever you want to be, no matter what age you are. For example in the past Madonna has been the cover star of it, and Madonna is quite old. So it just shows that even if you are old you can still be successful.

Audience: Q magazine is a magazine aimed towards the older generation, such as 25+ i can tell this because the majority of the artists in the magazine are for the older generation.

Representation: The magazine represents that you can be your own person and you don't need to follow a crowd.



Q Double page spread: I like the layout of this double page spread, however i think there is maybe too much text. Although the article may interest some people. It may not interest a lot and others may skip through it. The photographs used are very effective and look good on the page. The colour scheme used is effective too.


Q Contents page: I like the layout of the contents page, the image shows the reader who will be the main feature in the magazine. Also i like how it splits the features of this specific issue and the features of every month.

Analysis of magazines (NME)

NME Front Cover:
Language: The photograph is a medium close up. The masthead of the magazine is red. Which links in with the colour of shirt that Lily Allen is wearing. The coverline looks like the lettering from a newspaper which could also represent the fact that it is gossip, and that Lily will be giving them gossip about her life. The colour scheme is red and white and is apparent throughout the cover.

Institution: NME is a magazine published by IPC advertising.

Ideology: The magazine cover looks very individual, and rebellious. It is like it is telling you you can be rebellious and don't need to worry. The cover line 'Lily Allen takes on the world' shows how one artist can influence the world.

Audience: The target audience for the magazine according to the IPC advertising website is men aged 17-30.

Representation: The magazine is representing that you don't need to be afraid to show you're wild side. There is also special features in the magazine that you wouldn't normally see in other NME issues. The features are specific to this issue.


NME double page spread
I like the layout of the double page spread, i like how the image overlaps onto the other page and doesn't just stick with staying on one page. 'The USA got the love' headline is a good play on words as Florence's new single is called 'You've got the love' and as Florence is taking on America they have incorporated that into the headline which i think works well. When looking to compose a double page spread for my own magazine, i will remember this feature, and try to include a play on words as i think it looks effective. The colours; Grey, White, Red and Black work well together. They are quite plain colours on there own but when they are placed together they work well. I also like how the first letter of the article is larger and in bold compared to the rest of the article. I think this works really well, as it looks sophisticated. This is another feature i will look towards using in my double page spread. The choice of type face is effective too as it is classy and sophisticated but it is still legible.


NME Contents page:
I like the layout of the contents page. The images used represent the artists that feature in the magazine, it gives the reader an insight as to what is going to be in the magazine.
I also like the layout of the name of the magazine, and also the 'this week'. I feel that the capital lettering looks effective, and makes it look like the magazine is something to shout about. Along the right side of the page are the actual contents of the magazine. I like how the headlines are placed in a high lighted box. It makes them stand out a lot. Another feature of the magazine i like is the band index on the left side, this enables the reader to see who will feature in the magazine. I will take all of these features into account when composing my contents page.

Music Magazine Brief

I must produce an original music magazine specific to a particular genre of music that i have an interest in, or will that has a good visual element. The magazine itself has to include at least four original images, no copyright images.

For this task, i have to design:

• A front cover for the magazine
• A contents page
• A double-page spread.

Evaluation

After looking myself at existing fashion magazines, my fashion  magazine for Wyke College follows many of the conventions that magazines have generally. For example the masthead is big and bold, and it stands out from the rest of the cover. The masthead itself covers the whole of the top of the magazine cover, therefore making it easier for the consumer to see when it is stacked on shelves in shops. I have included a price on the magazine, however i haven't included a bar code, as the magazine will be sold in college as oppose to in a shop. If the magazine were to be bought in a shop then i would make sure that a bar code were to be placed on the magazine cover at the bottom right hand corner. I have chosen to have the coverlines rotated a little, which wouldn't maybe occur on real magazines, however i did this merely to make my magazine unique. The main cover line for the magazine is in a bigger typeface than the others, to make it stand out more. I have chosen to only have one image on the cover of the magazine, as a main focus, whereas most magazines you see in the shops will have more than one on the cover to give you a taste of what is inside the magazine. However i didn't feel that my magazine needed extra images adding in as it would detract away from the main image i already have in place. The masthead itself is quite long, however it is a word that will stick in your head, and it is also a very recognised word in this sector of journalism, therefore i do not personally think that the customers will mind. If i could of gotten the same effect from a shorter word, i would of used it. But i think 'Catwalk' works well as it is quite snappy.

One of the cover lines on the cover, is about a fashion show. This could get anyone in the college together, therefore brings a sense of unity to the college environment, and make everyone work as a team. The college focuses a lot on equality and i felt that doing this particular cover line would reflect this as it would bring anyone that was interested in any aspect of fashion or be it textiles, they could join the fashion show and/or purchase the magazine and not be ruled out.

This particular magazine is aimed at students with a keen interest in fashion and textiles, however it is not aimed solely at them. There could maybe be other students around the college that are just as interested but do not study the subjects.

I have placed an image on the front cover of a student putting the finishing touches to a garment she has made for the fashion show. This could attract the audience as they would be intrigued as to what she was doing. Also with the magazine not only focusing on a fashion show for the college, but showing that 20% discount is available at most stores it could be aimed at any one with an interest in fashion. I have tried to include cover lines on the cover that people can relate to and want to pick up and purchase the magazine to find out more about. As i know i do that when i am out shopping for magazines, i always look for the interesting cover lines that then inspire me to buy the magazine and hope for a good read. I have included fashion tips, so not only students that study textiles or have an interest in fashion; but anyone, can spruce their winter wardrobe with the fashion tips. Therefore making my magazine appeal to a fair amount of the college. 

In the process of constructing my magazine, i have used such programs as Photoshop, Publisher and Word. Although i dominantly used photoshop, i realised that Publisher and Word could be used as well to help with layout and fonts. I have had a little bit of trouble with photoshop and found it difficult as it is a program i am not all that familiar with, however i tried my hardest and i have made a magazine cover and draft of a contents page that i am proud of. The skills i have learnt doing this preliminary task will hopefully enable me to gain a better relationship with technology and learn that it is on my side, and come out in the end with a finished piece i am proud of. 

contents page draft

finished magazine cover

final photo choice

I have chosen this particular photo as it represents everything

i wanted my magazine to represent. The student in the image is 

engrossed in what she is doing. This shows that students work

hard at Wyke. Also it fits in well with the theme of the magazine

which is fashion and textiles. It is the most suitable of all the images

i had taken, as on this image the students' face is not covered by her

hair, and even though the shot is taken on a side, it is still a medium

close-up and works well as nothing is hidden. The image links in well

with the main coverline, which is about a fashion show. As the student could be 

making the garment for the fashion show.

photographs

This photo is one i am going to consider using as my front cover image, 

as it shows Kayley, sewing the garment she has made, this fits in well with the theme of fashion and textiles, and also fits in with the main cover line which will be about a fashion show. This image is particularly useful as Kayley is looking toward the camera with a welcoming smile. This will draw readers in to purchase the magazine as they will see Kayley and wonder what the picture represents.

This image is of two dresses that students from the college have made for themselves, 

I like this photo as i could use it for my contents page rather than my front cover

to show dresses that will be modelled in the fashion show.

This is a close-up of one of the dresses.

I will use it in my contents page.

This again is a close-up of one of the dresses, 

I will not use it for my front cover, i will instead use it on my contents page.

This is an image of a student making the finishing touches

to a garment she has made in textiles, this could be a good 

image to use for my cover as it links well with the cover line 

about the fashion show as the garment could be featured

in the show. The fact the student isn't looking directly

at the camera works well as it shows that she is engrossed in

what she is doing.

This is again an image of a student making the finishing touches

to a garment she has made. It could be a good image to

use for my front cover as she is looking very happy

and showing a little of what textiles students get 

to do in their lessons, also it ties in well with the fashion show coverline.

This is a good image to use as my front cover

as not all of the student's face is covered by her hair 

like a previous image, you can see clearly what she is doing. 

She looks engrossed in the task she is doing, and again it links in well with 

the fashion show coverline so would be an ideal image to use.

front cover ideas

This my first idea for my front cover, i think it is pretty plain and simple. But it could work. However i am going to change it a little, and change the coverlines around a little.

This is the layout i am going to use, as it looks unique and i want my magazine to look original and not like any other. 

cover lines i am going to use

My magazine will feature the following cover lines:

• Wyke's annual fashion show- ( date and time)
• Kayley's fashion tips- look your best this winter
• 20% discount in some high street stores this month, get your NUS before it's too late!

I have chosen to only do three coverlines as i feel that if i were to do any more, the page would look too crowded and cluttered. The magazine of course will feature a lot more than what is on the cover, however the cover lines are the important stories of the magazine. I believe that these are the stories that will draw readers in and make them want to purchase the magazine.

sell-line ideas

My magazine is called 'Catwalk' therefore i will need a sell-line (preferably underneath the masthead) that goes well with the fashion and textiles theme.

My ideas are as follows;

1. Strut your way to success - I like this particular sell-line as it fits well with the masthead'Catwalk', as models 'strut' down the catwalk, therefore the readers of the magazine will think that because they have purchased this magazine that they will do well.
2. Succeed in style - I like this sell-line as again it fits in well with the whole theme of the magazine; fashion and textiles. It is along the same wavelength as the previous sell-line. That students who purchase the magazine will feel like they can succeed because of the content of the magazine helping them. 
3. Walk your way to success at Wyke- This sell-line is too long i think, however it was just an idea. Based around the fact that the magazine is called 'Catwalk' therefore students again will believe that if they pick up the magazine that they will succeed in college.
4. Go a long way - This is a slightly shorter sell-line, i have thought of it as it incorporates the masthead 'Catwalk' again, as catwalks are generally quite long therefore giving the impression that students that purchase the magazine will go a long way at Wyke, doing so. 

Final Decision- My final choice for the sell-line is number 1 : strut your way to success as personally i believe that it fits in well with the theme of the magazine and it will help sell the magazine as it is snappy and will stick in the readers' heads.Therefore will make them want to keep buying it every issue.

masthead font ideas and analysis

These are the three font choices for my magazine. Each one of them is completely different. 

The first font is quite 'fun' and is quite eye catching, however i do not think personally that the font is suitable for my fashion magazine as it doesn't represent fashion and textiles. Also i think that the font looks too messy. I want my magazine to be quite tidy and neat. The second font is my own take on 'VOGUE''s masthead. The font is  a lot thinner, however the upper case lettering states importance and my fashion magazine would need to portray that impression. The last font represents class and also importance which are the two conventions i particularly wanted to portray.  The font is also very neat and tidy, and these are also conventions i would like my magazine to have. Therefore from this analysis i can tell that the last font is the most suitable for my magazine. So i will use the third font in my magazine. Not only for the masthead but for all of the coverlines too as i think that the font represents everything a magazine based around fashion and textiles should represent. It is not too fussy or messy and it looks aesthetic pleasing therefore it will persuade readers to pick up and read the magazine as the font will attract them to it.