Evaluation 7

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

Planning and preparation was so important in helping me with my final product because it gave me a guide and plan to follow. When doing my draft copies and storyboard it gave me an idea of what my final product would look like. Doing a storyboard also helped me develop my ideas i already had and it gave me a clue of what viewers thought of certain things on my magazine.
I think when doing the preliminary task it has helped me organise my time much more efficiently. It helped me organise my time when completing my final task because I had an idea how long each section would take which made it easier for me as it was all laid and planned out for me. Although I did have to change some of my dates which worked should have been completed by due to different things like bad whether etc.
When using the camera the preliminary task gave me an idea of how to use the camera and it gave me greater knowledge on how to angle the camera when taking my pictures and also how to frame the photos etc. When taking my photos for my magazine for my front cover, contents page and double page spread I had a good idea of how to angle the photos and of how to take them and as you can see from some of the pictures in my magazine there at different angles and some of them are close-ups and some of them aren’t.
When looking at different magazines before designing mine it gave me some ideas of how to layout my magazine and what magazines are like in my certain genre. This gave me an insight of what things should and should not be in my magazine.
Doing the preliminary task before the full product helped me develop my post-products skills by helping me develop my knowledge and skills when I used different software’s like Photoshop and quark express. Whilst using these software’s I also developed my skills and I found it much easier to use after I got the hang of it. I found out how to use different things on Photoshop and Quark express which helped me when designing my magazine.
The biggest thing I have learnt from undertaking this project is how to use different software’s with a good sense of knowledge and a good skill level. I have also learnt different things about different media products and how to aim a certain media product like my magazine at a certain social group.

Evaluation 6

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

New technologies have enabled me to achieve my task as cameras helped me get the right image and access the images much more quickly. Cameras helped me achieve my task as it helped me get the right image for the right page in the magazine. After these photos was took I was then allowed to use different effects on the pictures which made them look better when they were on the magazine. Taking pictures using a camera is easier and makes the magazine look more professional whereas if there were no cameras you would have to get photos elsewhere and glue them on the magazine which would look fake and you would not be able to make them look effective.
Being able to use Photoshop and Quark Express it has helped me with the different effects I have been able to use on my magazine and also my pictures. Using different effects like the gradient tool has allowed me to have a certain background for my target audience. Other effects such as the crop tool and the magic wand on Photoshop have also helped me when doing my photos. This has helped me because I have been able to get rid of certain things in the photo which I do not need and this has made the picture look more professional. All these effects have helped me a lot and I could do these before on other software’s like word or PowerPoint as they didn’t have the tools which I needed to use.
Using blogger often when I kept updating my planning stages and posting my work on the blog has allowed me to look back over what I have created if I am unsure on how to do something. This has made it easier for me when wanting to know something out.
I have used different websites to help me research into magazines with the same genre as the one I chose to do and this has allowed me to develop ideas about different magazines which I could follow when designing my magazine. I have also used YouTube to look into different types of music and to see what sort of people listen to the genre I did which was R&B.
A lot of the technology has helped me when constructing my media products but I did find that sometimes the technology didn’t always work which made it harder for me to work and get the work done in time with my dates I set.

Evaluation 5

How did you attract/ address your audience?

I addressed my audience by using a graffiti font which instantly catches the eye of the reader a long with the background as it’s quite a bright blue. The image on the front cover of the magazine also attracts the viewer as it is in the centre of the page so it’s the first thing the viewer can see. The contents page instantly attracts and addresses the audience also due to the title as its graffiti font and the images also stand out due to the layout of the contents page. My double page spread addresses the audience by the language used as the language used is how the target audience’s use of language is like. It attracts the audience by the images which are located in the centre of the page as they cover both pages.

I did a questionnaire to see what people thought of my final finished product and to see if I targeted my intended audience as shown below:

1. How real do you think my magazine looks?

Joshua Scriven- ‘I think your magazine looks professional but it could also be improved at the same time. I think it looks good due to the title and the image on the page but I also think the image could be made larger to make it stand out more. I also think the features at the bottom of the page could be positioned somewhere else so it looks less made up’.

Ellis Brown- ‘I think your magazine looks both good and bad in different ways. I think the fonts used are good and realistic but I think the colours of the background on the front cover and contents page look a bit unreal and it could be made better with the image being stretched to a much larger size’.

2. Do you think the content in the magazine is appropriate for the target audience of the magazine?

Joshua Scriven- I think the content in the magazine is appropriate for the target audience as the language used is good. I think this is because you have used slang in the language used which is instantly intended for the target audience. I also think the images in the magazine are appropriate for the target audience as young trendy students will be interested in different things such as clothes and cars so they will be interested straight away.

Ellis Brown- I think the images instantly attract the target audience as they are linked in with students who are trendy and like to look good. I also think the language used and the layout of both the front cover and contents page will attract the intended audience as they look professional but not to over the top.

3. Are the font styles and colours appropriate for the target audience?

Joshua Scriven- I think all the font titles on the front cover, contents page and the double page spread are all suitable for the target audience and as they are cool and they fit in with the genre R&B. I think the colours used on the front cover and the contents page could be a bit darker to make it fit in with the genre more.

Ellis Brown- I think all the title fonts used in the magazine are good but I think they could be a bit bigger. The other fonts used on the contents page and the double page spread are also suitable but I also think that it could have been a bit bigger so it’s easier to use. I think the colours used are good on the front cover and the contents page as the magazine could be for both males and females.

4. Is the layout/design appropriate for the target audience?

Joshua Scriven- The layout and design of the front cover is well thought out but I think the features at the bottom of the page but be in a different position and I also think the image could also be bigger. I think the contents page looks professional and the double page spread is also but I feel it could of ad more writing on where the interview is to make it look more professional.

Ellis Brown- I think the layout and design of the front cover is very good but I think the image could be bigger and I also think the font could be bigger so make it stand out a bit more. The contents page is well presented with a good sense of layout which makes it look more real and professional. I think the layout of the double page spread could have been better with the images in different places instead of just the centre.

5. Do you feel the magazine was successful or not?

Joshua Scriven- I think the magazine was an overall success as I took a preferred reading to the magazine so I understood the text easily. I thought the most completed and professional page was the contents page as it was most like real media products but I did think the front cover and double page spread was well thought through.

Ellis brown- I thought the magazine was successful as you attracted the audience well due to the fonts and language used. I thought the text used was good as it instantly targeted the target audience when you began to read it.

Evaluation 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My audience for my media product is young, trendy students who enjoy listening to music and who have an interest in the music industry and have an interest in the genre R&B. I think the magazine will attract people who likes to look after themselves and people who likes spending most their money on clothes.
The audience would be achievers and aspirers who would be between D and C2 on the Jicnars scale as they are students. The reason for this is because it would be people who aspirer to be like their favourite artists and who would like to achieve something in life. I also think they will be D and C2 on the Jincars scale as they are students so they would only have part time jobs and they would be lazy.

Evaluation 3

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

My media product is an independent magazine so it will not be owned by anyone else so the artists can also have more freedom instead of being told what to do.
As my magazine is an independent magazine it will be distributed around colleges and universities as well as bin bars and restaurants. These places will suit my audience because as they are students they will see the magazine around their colleges and universities and they will also see it when they go out.
An independent distributing company like Boost independent music would be a good company to distribute my magazine as it’s an independent music store who sells different things for independent and unsigned artists to people interested in expanding their interest in music beyond the commercial mainstream.

Evaluation 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine is aimed towards people between the age of 16 and 25 who are students and who are in part time work.
I would say my magazine is mainly for males but also some females who are aspirers looking to be like one of their favourite artists and the genre of the magazine will be for people who are D on the Jicnar scale which is semi and unskilled workers. The reason why I say people purchasing this magazine will be D on the Jicnar scale is because they are students who have to study a lot of the time who do not have time for work.
I would say the magazine is stereotypical aimed towards males due to the background colour of both the front cover and the contents page as it’s quite a strong blue which shows power. Although the background could also be aimed towards females as its goes from a very dark blue fading into a much lighter and brighter blue which gives the impression that it can be a both dull and bright experience in the R&B World.
The images on my front cover like the title Street Cred has a graffiti font which is instantly aimed towards the younger audience as many young people such as students who are interested in the genre R&B would find it quite cool. The main image on my front cover is aimed towards ethnic minority and represents dominant ideology due to the position and posture of my artist as he is laid back and chilled out, the camera angle is straight which captures the artists top half of his body. The sunglasses and chains in the picture on the front cover represent fashion and style and it could also represent gangsters. The way the artist has pointed his hand in the photo could come across as a gun to people which also represents realism and stereotyping different people. The car image in my contents page represents d

ominant ideology as its aimed towards males and most males would enjoy looking and reading about cars. The three images on my double page spread are also stereotypical pictures due to the chain and beer shown in the photos and again they show dominant ideology as certain males would be interested in drinking beer and wearing big chains. As there are no females in the magazine it shows that males are the dominant gender in the magazine and the magazine has a lot of masculinity in it.

The titles used in my magazine also connotes something about my social group as only certain social groups would like the titles as they are graffiti fonts and they are quite bold, this could connote rebellion as many people do graffiti with a risk of getting in trouble. I think my titles both challenge and reinforce dominant ideology because a mainly males would like the titles used in the magazine but there would also be a minority of female who also like the titles.
The layout and design of my magazine could also represent a certain social group due to the big picture in the centre

of the page on my front cover and as the picture is of my artist who looks laid back and not worried about anything this could also represent different social groups. The layout of my contents page could represent the social group for my magazine because of the way the title and writing is laid out and also the way the pictures have been used. As well as this the fonts used for the page numbers could also represent my social group. My contents page is a very neat layout which may suggest that my social group is people who are tidy themselves who have an interest in looking good and taking pride in the way they look and what they wear.
The stories and features on my double page spread which is an interview with my artist would represent my social group as the language used is similar to how my social group would speak. The language used is in short from and there’s also a lot of slang used within the interview which many students now a days use.

Evaluation 1

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

True magazine

XXL magazine

My magazine

In many ways my media product is both similar and different to real media products. Both real magazines and my magazine use similar conventions as well as similar design features and language.
My magazine in comparison with other music magazines like True and XXL you can see both comparisons and differences. With True magazine and my magazine you can see that the title is in a similar position with smaller writing both above and underneath it which on my magazine is the puff. You can also see from my magazine and the real magazines like True and XXL and the coverlines are similar. The images on my magazines and professional magazines are different as the image on the front cover on my magazine is much smaller than the ones on the real media products. The backgrounds are also different as the professional magazines as shown above have much darker backgrounds where as mine has a much lighter background which could be aimed towards a wider audience. My magazine is also different to real media products as there’s much less text on the real media products where as my magazine there’s much more text on the front cover.
Looking at the real media products and my media product its easy to see that they are differed on what type of magazine it is. For example, XXL magazine is more of a rap magazine and you can tell what audience its instantly aimed at by the colours used and also by the image used, this is because the image on XXL is much larger and attracts the audience more has the artist does not have his top on.
Both my magazine and the real media products have all the parts to a magazine but they are styled in a different way to attract their intended audience which fits the genre and this is what makes my media product and professional media products different, apart from real products looking a lot more professional because of the money put into them and the difference in style which depends on the genre of music.

Finished Double Page Spread

My finished Double Page Spread for my magazine.

Finished Contents Page

This is my finished Contents Page of my magazine.

Finished Front Cover

This is my finished Front cover of my Magazine.

Post Production Updates

I have now finished my double page spread so therefore i am ready to post my final front cover, contents page and double page spread on to my blog.

For my main double page spread i have followed my double page spread draft copy with slight adjusments. I have put my title on the left hand side of the double page spread instead of in the middle as it gives more room for writing. Everything else i have kept the same. I have kept the image of my artist in the centre of the page which goes on to both pages and i have put the writing either side of the picture which i planned to do as shown on my draft copy.

Post Production Updates

I have now finished my Contents page which i said from my past update that i would have done by the start of this week which i have managed to do. Therefore i am now ready to create my double page spread which i am hoping to have finished half way through this week which i can then post my finished front cover, contents page and double page spread on all together.



After again asking for feedback on my contents page i adjustments some things which does not match with my original contents page plan. I kept the title the same as shown on the plan which is in bold and graffiti font which fits in well with the genre. I have changed the centre layout of my contents page as after getting feedback i decided not to just have one big centre photo so i have put small photos which go with the page number and the information on what the pages will be about. This also means the location of the information on the original plan has also changed. I Decided to put the information all over the contents page instead of just at the bottom as it makes it stand out more and look less dull. I have put a very light background colour on which was my original plan from my contents planning.

Post Production Updates

I have now finished my front cover page so i am therefore ready to move on to my contents page which i am hoping to have finished by the start of next week ready to move on to my double page spread.


After asking people what they thought of my front cover there are a few adjustments i made from my front cover planning draft to my main front cover now. Many things are similar from my draft of my front cover to my final draft of my front cover like the title and the writing above the title is in the correct position. The picture and the screamer is also in the position where the front cover planning copy shows. However i have changed the location of the writing i was going to put down the side of the picture. I have now put this at the bottom of the front cover as there was not much room down the side of the picture and the writing did not clear. Now ive changed it to the bottom of the page it looks much clearer and it stands out to the audience. Now i have located the writing here it will be very similar to the layout of which the contents page is meant to be like. Therefore i might change some of the layout of my contents page so it does not look to much like my front cover but i will ask the audience and see what sort of feedback i get back.

Planning Updates

Due to the bad weather i am behind in my planning so therefore this week i have been completing my front cover page, contents page and double page spread and coming up with new ideas for each of them. I have always been looking at different fonts which i think will go well with the magazine.
As i have done this i am now ready to move on to the production stage of my magazine which means i need to take my photos but as the person i need to photograph is ill i am slightly behind. I have now rescheduled to take these photos which i hope to take on the 23/01/10 which i will then post on my blog. I am also ready to start my main first draft of my front cover, contents page and double page spread as i have got enough ideas to be able to do this now.

Shotlists

I am now in a position to take my photos. As i need a minimum of four photos i am going to take some which i think will fit in well with the genre of the magazine and photos which i think will capture the target audience. I have planned taking my photos by using a shotlist which i am planning on following but there may be slight adjustments when i take my photos.

Photos i may use:

I took this photo on 24.01.10 at round 8pm and i thought this photo would be good as it looks natural and effortless. I also think it would be suitable for the target audience as he is also in the age range which instantly appeals to the audience. The photo was took in a garden which also makes it look more natural. There were no props involved in this photo and he wore very fashionable and modern clothes which would appeal to the audience and the clothes you would expect an r'n'b artist to wear.

I took this picture on Saturday 23.01.10 at around 2pm. It was took outside in a close with 3 to 4 bedroom houses in the background. The reason for taking this picture is because it shows that even though r'n'b artists make alot of money, they can still live a normal lifestyle, this also proves to the audience its a mainstream magazine. There were no artists photographed in this picture as this picture will be on the double page spread with another photo which will be of an artist.



I took this photo on Saturday 23.01.10 at around 11pm and the reason for taking this photo is because it also looks natural. The picture also shows that artists can go out and have a good time without loads of people surrounding them. The location of the photo was in Kidderminster at a bar called Code.

I took this photo on 23.01.10 at around 2.30pm. The reason why i took this photo is because it fits in with teh genre. There were a few props used like the sun glasses and the chain with also fits well with the genre as when people think of r'n'b they also think of gangsters and fashion which this photo is associating with. There is only one actor in this photo which is the artist. For this photo i was thinking of outlining around the shape of his body and not use teh background in the main photo.

This picture was took on Saturday 23.01.10 at around 2.35pm. This was took in a conservatory with a dull background but like with the other picture above, i would just use the outline of the actor in the photo and have that as a picture instead of having the background also in the picture. The sun glasses and the chain are the props used in this photo which looks trendy and cool. The reason for taking this picture is because i wanted to give the reader the sense that the artist is laid back in a cool posture.

I took this picture on 31/01/2010 at around 12.40pm. The reason for taking this photo is because it is casual and i think it would be suitable for students. The props used in this picture are the drink which attract different students and also the chain and the braclet as they look trendy and cool. The photo was took in a living room next to the window so it would be bright.

I took this photo on 30.01.2010 at around 3.30pm. The reason for taking this photo is because its trendy due to the clothing hes wearing and also its casual and i think it would suit a R&B magazine. There are no props used in this picture and it was took in living room.

Planning (Double Page Spread)

This is my frist draft of my double page spread. On the double page spread in the magazine it will be information on the artist or friends which relate to the main topic of the magazine or the picture on the front cover. I have decided to put the title at the top of the page which will cover both pages which will show the audience its a double page spread, there will be a certain font which I choose from. The picture on the double page spread is in a similar position like the pictures on both the front cover and contents page but the picture on the double page spread will cover both pages. This will also help fill both pages so the pages do not look dull and boring. The information/interview which will be about the picture will be either side of the image which also makes the pages stand out more and makes the reader want to read the information.

These are a few of the fonts I am going to choose between for my double page spread:

Planning (Contents page)

This is my first draft of my contents page. I wanted to make it look as simple as i possibly could but with all the necessary information on with i have put at the bottom of the page. I have decided to put a big picture in the centre of the contents page so it draws the reader straight in as they will be interested in what the picture is. Like on the front cover the title will be at the top of the page in a chosen font.

These are some of the fonts i am thinking of using for my contents page:

I have decided to use fonts like this because they are bold so they will it will stand out at the top of the page and the viewers will know what page they are looking at.

Planning (Front Cover)

This is my first draft of my front cover for my magazine and the idea was to make it suitable for both genders. I did this by using a colour which is uni-sex for the background. I got some ideas from the previous magazines i researched into such as XXL mag and The source. This is why i wanted to lay my magazine out like this with a large image in the centre and all the writing around this. I have not put as much information on as the magazines i researched as i want people to know its an independant magazine which i am going to publish myself.

There are many different fonts i could choose for the title but it needs to fit in well with the genre of the magazine. These are a few of the titles i am thinking about using:

Audience Research (Results)

What i did to get my results?

To get results for my magazine i did a mood board which helped me capture the audiences responeses, this way i got to see what the audience liked and what they disliked. To get my results i printscreened my mood board into Microsoft Word and created questions to do with things such as colors and pictures for the magazine. I then showed random people my moodboard and they then anwered the questions which helped me with final ideas.

This is my moodboard:

After getting these results back from the audience it has gave me a clearer view of what i am going to make the magazine look like and what sort of things i am going to put in the magazine. The audiences responses have also helped me with the planning of my final product to do with colours, images, information etc.

These are the results i got back from people:

Audience Research

The magazine is going to be an independent magazine and the audience I am going to try and attract is young, trendy students who enjoy listening to music and have an interest in the music industry. I also think the magazines will be aimed towards both genders who spend most of their money on clothes and looking good. I think the audience would be achievers and aspirers who would be between D and C2 on the Jicnars scale as they are students. I will be a independent distributor and I will publish the magazine myself and distribute it myself as I do not want the magazine to took over by other people. I will distribute my magazine around Colleges and Universities to read for as well as different bars, clubs, cafes and restaurants.

Research and Planning: Distribution

The difference between major and independent distribution strategies of magazines in the UK such as Vice being independent and Q being major are that you tend to find more smart and funny young people reading Vice whereas with Q it’s a much older audience. Another difference between major and independent magazines are that you would find a major magazine like Q distribute in big supermarkets like Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrison’s for quite an expensive price whereas you would find a independent magazine like Vice for free distributed through the living, breathing fashion boutiques, bars, record stores, galleries and cafes where our audience actually shops and socializes. Vice magazine do not just distribute in the UK they distribute Worldwide and they have 15 different editions in 15 different Countries. The audience profile for Q magazine are older people who have a big passion for music and who are aspirers, and who are also C1 or C2 on the Jicnar Scale. The Audience profile for Vice magazine are people who are young, trendy and smart people who enjoy listening to music. I think they are a mix between achievers and succeeders and who are between C1 and C2 on the Jicnar Scale.

Detailed Research into Forms and Conventions

The genre i have chosen to focus on for my magazine is R&B/Hip-Hop. I did not really challenge the forms and conventions of different magazines as i researched magazines each with similar genres which obviously made it easy for me to choose the genre i will focus on. My genre for my magazine will mainly be aimed towards students between the ages of 16-25 and who are aspirers looking to be one of these artists , i also think the genre will be for people who are D on the Jicnar Scale which is semi and unskilled workers. The reason why people buying this magazine will be D on the jicnar scale is because they will mainly be students who have or do not have part time jobs.

How these 3 magazines appeal to their audience.

These 3 magazines are very similar as they are based around the same genre or similar genre which is Rap/R&B/ Hip-Hop. The front cover of each magazine appeals to their audience straight away as they have a well-known artist on. This gets the readers attention before they have seen anything else as they may be a fan of that artist. As well as this, all 3 titles are bold and in a similar font style. XXL magazine and True magazine is more of a dark title which may not stand out as much as The Source magazines title as that’s bright and bold which catches the readers eye instantly.

The contents page in all 3 magazines are both similar and different in different ways. All 3 magazines have the page numbers and page information going down in a list which makes it easier for the reader to read and to see what’s on each page. Both on XXL and True magazine there’s pictures of artists who are being featured in the magazine whereas in Source magazine there’s many different photos which match up with the information on the contents page which gives the reader an idea of what that certain page is about. All 3 magazines have similar titles on the contents page as they are bold and quite big at the top of the page.

The double spread pages in both XXL and True magazine are similar as they are interviews with different artists. Whereas the double page spread in The Source magazine has different advertisements on and also has double page spreads on different sports like American Football.

Why i had to do this Reserach?

I did this research so it i would get a good idea about different R&B/Hip-Hop magzines and see how similar and different they are. I think this research may affect my final ideas because i have see different ideas from each magaziens which i could put together to make one big idea to make my magazine stand out and appeal to the audience.

Initial Research into Forms and Conventions.

What am I doing it and why have i been doing it?

I have been looking and researching 3 different magazines which have 3 different genres and which are all different in certain ways. The reason for doing this is because it gives me an idea of what genre to choose for when i create my own magazine.

The first magazine I decided to look at is XXL which the genre is rap. I think the audience of this magazine is quite a young audience between the ages of 16-21. The magazine is all about the latest raoppers and rappers lives with features such as latest songs and featured interviews. I would say that the brand identity to the magazine is aimed at students who consider themselves trendy and cool. The image on the front cover also relates to the name of the magazine as he looks quite a broad man who looks like a rapper because of all his chains around his neck.

The second magazine I looked at was called Pop Star which had the genre of Pop music. I think the audience of this magazine is intended for teenagers from the ages of around 10-14 as its all about the pop. The magazine is about the latest popstars and the pop World which instantly relates to manily female teenagers. The brand identity for this magazine is for younger audiences that want mainstream commercial pop acts. These images fit in well on the front cover with the genre as its got young pop stars on which also fits in with the targeted audience.

The final magazine i looked at was called Vibe whos genre is Hip-Hop and R&B. I think the target audience for this magazine is both for males and females between the ages of around 16-21. The main contents of this magazine is different interviews with different artists such as 50 Cent, theres also different posters of the audiences favourite R&B and Hip-Hop artists. I think the brand identity of this magazine is aimed at students who consider themselves trendy and cool.

After i researched each of these 3 magazine with different genres it has gave me a clearer idea of what genre to use for my final decision for my magazine.

Main Task: Magazines

The task we have been set is to create an magazine that appeals to a target audience which we have chose. We have to get our own photos and our own genre which we think would appeal to a certain audience. In order to pick what genre i want to choose, i need to look up different magazines. If i am going to complete the task successfully theirs some key dates which i must follow. These are the 4/01 in which the deadline for the research and planning is, the 15/01 in wgich the production deadline is and the 12/02 in which the post-production deadline is.

Evaluation 4

How did you attract/ address your audience?



We addressed our audience in a different way by giving facts and figures about the subjects on our front cover which were about different sexual tranmitted diseases and alcohol, this way it would instantly attract the readers attention as its an important topic. We also attracted our audience by putting a bold and eye catching title which was 'Techers Pet' and the image of the girl on the front cover would also catch the eye of the reader. We used Sans Serif font which was in bold which and this is a modern font which many different teenagers use.

Evaluation 3

Who would be the audience for your media Product?



On the demographic scale the magazine would be aimed towards people who are D and C2. These are people who are semi, unskiled and skilled manual workers. The psychographic profile for the magazine would be underacheievers.

Evaluation 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our magazine represents different social groups as the magazine would attract different social groups. The social group which this magazine would be aimed towards is mainly males who are confident within themselves. It is quite a stereotypcal magazine as the way the magazine has been formed and by some of the laguagae used. You would mainly see a typical male student buy this magazine by the pictures and languages which would attract them to the magazine.

Evaluation 1

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


Our product uses, develops and challenges forms and conventions of real media products by having simular conventions such as masthead which was in simular position of that on Stuff magazine. The masthead is also bold which is also simular to the two magazine we looked at which was Stuff and FHM. The puff on our magazine which is 'The No1 Studnet Mag' is simular to stuff magazine and these are used to get the readers attention. Also the coverlines we used are to inform the reader of the content inside the magazine.

Finished Front Cover

This is our finished Contents page.

Finished Cover

This is our new finished cover.

Contents Page

The contents pages we researched have similar features.The Magazines we researched were FHM and Stuff. On a contents page you would expect to find page numbers, information about the articles, an issue number/date, bright colours and pictures to catch the readers attention. There are also similarities in the layout and design. The contents pages have a masterhead, and columns listing all the articles whitin them. Also half the page is taken up by the model at the front of the page. The language is short and to the point aswell as snappy. It highlights one word within the sentence to catch your eye and make you read on. They also use alot of slang. They appeals to their audience by having a beautiful women taking up most of the page which appeals to men in particular but also women. The main points are brightly coloured and have bold writing. They is a house style between the front cover and contents. They both use the same colours and fonts aswell as featuring the same women in the frontcover.

Audience Research

The subject matter of my magazine will focus on different college equipment such as laptops, calculators etc. It will also focus on students problems such as drugs. The magazine will be aimed towards males ages 16-19. The magazine will be between D and C1 on the jicnars scale and the magzine will be for Achievers and Aspirers.

8 Statements for target audience:
1. Confident people.
2. They shop at River Island instead of Primark.
3. They watch Hollyoaks instead of Emmerdale.
4. They want the latest equipment.
5. They go away with friends instead of parents.
6. They would prefer to eat takeaways than any other foods.
7. They would rather to to aq theme park than watch opera.
8. They are interested in girls and always have them on the mind.

5 Things which will capture the target audience:
1. The girl on the front cover can be eye catching.
2. The different fonts and colors used.
3. The interesting screamers will catcher the readers eye.
4. The advertisments of equipment which students would use.
5. The price on the front cover being cheap.

Research

I found 3 covers of magazines aimed at the same auidence as the magazine I am going to look at. All three magazines i looked at was Stuff magazine and the subject of this magazine is about the latest technology and gadgets.



All the backgrounds on the magazine are normally very boring but they have stand out headings as they are bright red and bold. The fonts used all over the magazine are all very bold catching the eye of the reader both with bright and dull color font, especially the titles.



The models they employ on all there front covers are very good looking and stand out. Most of them cover up the main masthead which is Stuff. This attracts the male audience to look at the magazine as they see a nice looking model on the front.



The language on Stuff magazine is very simple, this is good as the magazine is aimed for males aged from around 16+ which makes it easier for them to read and as Stuff magazine has many pictures in of the latest gadgets theres not loads of reading required.



The design and layout of the covers are very simple and everything is spaced out and not over crowded. There are not many pictures on the front cover which also gives the magazine more space on the front cover.



There are a few freebies and offers on Stuff magazine which many hints, tips and previews which attracts the readers to buy the magazine.

Preliminary Task

The preliminary task is to produce the front cover of a school/college magazine featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some approximately laid-out text and a masthead. We also must produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of the program.
I looked at some examples of last years front covers to help give me an idea of how to go about completeing my own cover. The college magazine which i chose to use as an example was Squash. I could recognise this as a magazine front cover because of the different advertisments and different fonts used. I think the magazine is intended for males between the age of 16-20 and its sucessfully targeted its audience because of the use of color and font. The font it bold so it stands out and immediately catches the readers eye. The magazine also targets the audience effectively by the use of language and advertisments used.

Initial Analysis

My second task was to undertake an analysis of the magazine front cover that id used to evidence my understanding of the key conventions.

Magazine Front Cover:Key Conventions

My first task of the year was to learn the key conventions of the front cover of a magazine and then upload the labelled front cover to give evidence of my learning.

I am Jordan and i am taking AS Media Studies, feel free to view my work.