magazine description

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



Looking back at my preliminary task I feel that there has been a huge improvement. I feel my skills have widened. I think that my magazine pages look quite professional and a better quality than my preliminary task. You can see quite clearly the great difference between the quality of my final piece and my preliminary task. I believe analysing and investigating other music magazines helped me with the production of my magazine layouts. The photos taken for my preliminary were taken via mobile phone, which was 5.1 mega pixels.

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

To create my magazine pages I used Photoshop, which I was comfortable with using because of previous practice in class. I worked on the Mac computers. At first it was a bit of a struggle getting used to them Macs as I hadn’t used them before but once I had gained some understanding, I was able to use all the programs that would have helped me. I used my KODAK FUJIFILM 12.2 mega pixel camera, which I used to take the photos that used in my magazine. There were many things that I had to think about when capturing my photos. Location, lighting, model and background are key things I had to think about. I wanted to shoot my photos in different locations to convey more of my need of having a variety. I wanted my photos the give off different elements of interest. My magazine title is called Eccentric Vibesz so in order to live up to that name I would have had to make everything correlate which includes the pictures. My model had a pink belt, which clashed with my theme. So I used photo shop to colour her belt red. Many tools have helped my magazine look far more professional than I would have ever thought. I also used Scribd to download my font for my headlines. This helped me find the perfect font that made my magazine stand out in the way I wanted it to. I feel like all these technologies have given me a great understanding on how the magazine process works. It will also be key things that can be used in the future.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My chosen target audience would be Dennis Mensah. As previously stated he would be a perfect example of someone that would read my magazine. This is due to the fact that he is interested in everything my magazine has to offer. The sleek look of the magazine would attract him as well as the attractive model. The price is also very affordable considering the fact that the age range consists of young people who are in education. This enables them to have a lustrous yet reasonably priced magazine that can offer the kind of entertainment. My magazine is able to attract to any gender that in my opinion is a bit of a struggle in order to get the balance. However, it also shows that you want to create something that caters to everyone. This is what my magazine does. It enables a wide age range as well as it not being made for a one sided gender. Dennis is a very eclectic person because of the vast range of music he listens to. My magazine will exert a pull to him because I am trying to make it available to a large target audience.

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

I think that the publisher Dorchester Media would be an excellent company to publish my music magazine. They are known for publishing the well-known magazine Black Beat. I think that by publishing my magazine, Dorchester Media could really inflate their company. It would be the UK version that would still cater to the same target audience. Dorchester Media would be a good publisher for my hip-hop and RnB music magazine as they have a clear understanding on how a music magazine like mine would work and with my target market of young people between the ages of 13 and 21. My magazine has a lot of similarities with the magazine Black Beat.

evaluation

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I chose specific models that would suit the style, theme and target audience for the music magazine I created. When constructing my magazine I wanted it to really reach out to the audience that like hip hop, funky house and RnB. I felt as though the magazine could enthuse these particular groups. My magazine represents the social group of teenagers like Dennis who I used for my target audience. My magazine represents social group in a encouraging form. Just as music for many people is an escape, I aspired to make my magazine have that same affect on readers. The magazine is peculiar because it jumps out at you and catches attention to those that are young and vibrant. I used models of different ethnic backgrounds to show equality and diversity. Also the genres of music my magazine is based on have celebrities of all ethnicbackgrounds. My models all ranged from the ages 17 to 26 to have familiarity to the readers.

Evaluation

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











The intense research on different magazine layouts made good use for my own final product. I was able to analyse a various amount of the front covers, contents pages and double page spreads in order to have a greater understanding on all the conventions of making a magazine. All of this helped me identify all aspects of a magazine that where presented in every magazine (e.g. pugs). While constructing my magazine pages I referred to the proficient magazines for info that could help build my magazine. I came up with my own title ideas and title and photographs. The magazines helped me recognize how and where to place everything. This was to gain the finest layout for my magazine. I wanted it to look as professional as possible. For it to stand out in a shop as an actual specialized magazine. I analysed Vibe magazine to help give me clear vision on how I wanted to layout my front cover. The similarities between my own magazine and Vibe magazine include the position of the title, bar code and the main photo. The photo is in the middle of the page but is slightly edged to the right hand side. It also covers a small part of the title. The bar codes are both located on the bottom right corner of the front covert. Also the headline and the supporting stories curve around the shape of which the celebrity ‘Beyonce’ has taken. Also took the idea of putting the all-inclusive headers across the top of the magazine to show what was to be expected in the magazine. Although, in Vibe magazine it entitles celebrities, the palce of which this was stated seemed like a good place to put my information. I also used the colour scheme to help give me some initiative to how I wanted mine to look. I thought the red and black writing helped compliment the white background which gave it a great finish. By using these ideas I could develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products to fit my own design.











How does your media product represent particular social groups?




I chose specific models that would suit the style, theme and target audience for the music magazine I created. When constructing my magazine I wanted it to really reach out to the audience that like hip hop, funky house and RnB. I felt as though the magazine could enthuse these particular groups. My magazine represents the social group of teenagers like Dennis who I used for my target audience. My magazine represents social group in a encouraging form. Just as music for many people is an escape, I aspired to make my magazine have that same affect on readers. The magazine is peculiar because it jumps out at you and catches attention to those that are young and vibrant. I used models of different ethnic backgrounds to show equality and diversity. Also the genres of music my magazine is based on have celebrities of all ethnic
backgrounds. My models all ranged from the ages 17 to 26 to have familiarity to the readers.

These are my finished piece's. My front cover, Double page spread and contents page.

This is the contents page for Mizz magazine. The layout is very simple and clear. This is the usual way in which contents pages are presented. All information is put in a clear concise way on one page. Miley Cyrus is the main feature for the magazine. This is shown by using a rather large head shot of her on the contents page. This also makes readers understand the main coverage of the magazine.


The supporting pictures enable the reader to have a look into what they can expect from the featuring stories. Mizz has used more pictures than text to make things simpler for the target audience.

The third magazine front cover I’m analyzing is NME. The colour scheme for this magazine is black, white and red. The colours give a sense of intensity and a hardcore nature.

The main feature of the magazine is a host of different celebrities. This is to show the diversity and variety the magazine is offering. NME has used popular artists and bands to attract their desired target audience. The target audiences they obtain are people between the ages of 15 and 25.

The font is one of the things which grasp your attention. The big 2010 title shows the new things NME are offering within this year, which makes readers feel like there is a lot to take in. NME is plotted on the left-side third of the magazine and has been layered in a way that makes sure that it’s directly on top of the collage of celebrities.

This is Mizz magazine front cover. This magazine is targeted to young females between the ages of 10 and 16.

The main colour schemes are white, pink, yellow, purple and orange. This is to give it a funky, flavourful essence. This indicates the bubbly essence of a teenage girl. The main feature is the teen sensation Miley Cyrus. This is to have someone that the target audience aspire and can relate to. Her look represents a young girl transforming into a young woman. She is standing against a white background which captures her fair skin and chocolate brown locks of hair.


The title of the magazine is Mizz in pink and has been layered in a way that makes it directly on top of the photograph of Miley Cyrus. The cover lines are detailed and advertise the stories published in the magazine. This suggests that there are articles in the magazine about the named celebrities on the front cover. From a far distance you would be able to notice the title as well as the picture because everything just pops out to you. This is to attract the readers into enjoying their pop magazine. The cover stories all have titles that draw your attention. Although the main picture is aya catching this front cover is made to make your eyes jump from one thing to another. This is to ensure that there is plenty aspects of the magazine that would be interesting.

These pictures were the pictures I was most interested in to use as my magazine front cover

In the duration of my photo shoot, I took up to 78 pictures of my model Yetuned Johnson. Here are a few pictures that I took much interest in.

This is Dennis Mensah. He is best suits my target audience for he is very eclectic and adapts to how my magazine will be created. He lives for music and dancing is a main for take of his. He listens to hip hop, rnb, grime, garage, funky house, electro and drum&bass. His clothing is rather contemporary but with an urban twist. when it comes to clubbing, he is some what an expert. Dennis knows how to party and ensure that those are around him enjoy themselves. A rave that has not got a clear concise range of music he considers to be a bad aspect for a good party. Dennis is surrounded by music one way or an other. Ipods, tv, internet and the radio are all involved in his daily routine. Choice fm, kiss fm and bbc 1xtra are popular radio stations of which he is interested in. Dennis shops at clothing stores such as blu inc., g-star, republic, topman and river island. He is interested in artists like wiley, funky dee, ghetts, jay z, drake, kings of leon and many others.

I believe my magazine will attract to him because it will entitle all of the mixture of aspects that he is interested in. My magazine will have the ability to appeal to those that are interested in the music at hand. The fashion and celebrity aspects will attract those that generally re not as excited about rnb or house. It will be sold at a decent price which would be affordable to my target audience.

Q magazine has an unusual contents page than other magazines have. Instead of the conventional way of having the contents page on one side, it uses a double page spread. The logo is clearly shown at the top left. The colours red, white and black carry on the essence of darkness and a hardcore nature. Another picture of Cheryl Cole is featured on the right hand page. Q has cleverly used the gothic colours throughout the contents page. The colours have incorporated into the font. White background allows the black or red font jump off the page and catches your attention. The main black bold text had a red underlining to make it obvious to read.

The pictures that are being used for the contents page all correlate to the texts within the magazine. The main story has the largest image on the contents page. The image is large and in bold letters the page number, you can easily locate the article that is about Cheryl Cole, who is the main attraction in this magazine. The label’s all the supporting pictures so you can locate what you want to read easily. All the headings are in bold, with smaller font bellow it outlining in small detail what your about to read.

The contents page is set out in two divisions. The features and the regulars are set apart. By doing this you can clearly see the difference in what you’re reading and what categories they are under.
The contents page is laid out in a way that allows you to understand what you looking for by having a quick glimpse. The large font that explains the images are attention-grabbing.

At the bottom of the page, there is a small logo on both sides page. This is a constant reminder of the magazine you are reading and to show off its great quality. All in all Q magazine have shown that they are able to layout their contents page to a high standard. By beating the conventional way of having a one page contents page, they are showing their diversity and flexibility.

The first magazine I am analyzing is Q magazine. The main colour schemes of the front cover are red, black, white and silver. These colours indicate a loud, dark, and gothic theme. The colours are contrasting to make the title and the picture scream at you. The texts on the cover are immense and catch reader’s eyes. Times New Roman font is printed boldly in order for it to look clear and concise. Along the bottom of the front cover are the largest bits of the text.

Cheryl Cole is the main feature if the front cover. She draws a specific target audience, which consist of young males and females. She is seen as teenage role model. Young boys are attracted to her and young females aspire to be her. Cheryl Cole’s look represents almost a dark and gothic theme. The image almost seems vampire like. She is wearing very dark eyeliner to bring out her eyes, also bright red lipstick that compliments her pale complexion. Her wet hair shows sex appeal as well as looking mysterious. All the elements of what she is representing, compliments the earlier details I described.

The title of the magazine is ‘Q the UK’s biggest music magazine’ which is plotted on the left-side third of the magazine and has been layered in a way that makes it directly on top of the photograph of Cheryl Cole. The cover lines are brief and advertise the stories published in the magazine. This suggests that there are articles in the magazine about the named bands on the front cover. The title, cover lines and photograph are closely crowded together which gives the cover an urgent and packed feel. They draw the reader’s attention as the magazine is about music and popular bands are highlighted inside. This attracts the reader, because they are interested in the specific style of music. At a momentary look you can recognize the contents because of the six cover lines listed on the left-side third of the cover. The layout’s size is understandable and concise. The bigger cover lines are evident and the title of the magazine is simple to read. From a distance you would spot the image and the title, were as the smaller texts would not be very easy to read. This is why the front cover must stand out in order for people to notice no matter how near or far they may be.