Final Magazine

These are my final magazine features, which includes a front cover, contents page and double page spread. I feel that all these aspects of a magazine that i have created myself, have succeeded in the best presentation, establishing the music genre, and also attract my audience that i have aimed my music magazine at.

I created my front cover for my magazine on Microsoft publisher, because didn't have programs such as photoshop and my computer at home, however i feel that i still seceded in creating a music magazine front cover. On my front cover i used the main magazine conventions such as a masthead, headline, subhead lings, a main image, dates, price, websites, bar code, colour schemes, all that is needed to create a successful front cover for my music magazine. The main image is in black and white, i decided to edit the photograph black and white because i think it would give contrast and create a good affect. I wanted to main text to be colourful instead of the picture, which i think i was successful in doing this, by using 3 different colours, black, white and red. I also think the layout of my front cover is successful in making everything on the page clear, so that it was easy for the audience to understand and notice. It also allowed the main image to stand out from the page, which shows the main artist and feature of my magazine.

The contents page, that i have chosen to be my final contents page was also created on Microsoft publisher, again because i didn't have programs such as photoshop to create it on. I feel like this contents page could be made better on a different program, but it was unavailable to me at the time. But still, i believe this contents page is successful in its purpose of giving out information to the audience about that is included in the magazine. On my contents page, i used conventions of what i need to make a successful contents page, these included a list of what was included in the magazine and also a title of the page, in this case i used 'contents'. I also used one main image on the contents page, with was an original one i took my self, i edited it in the page, with a black background, i did this by cutting out the model from the background, which makes the photograph stand out from the page.

I also created a double page spread using Microsoft publisher, this was harder to do because i needed to find out how you create a double page spread on publisher. Once i found out how to do it i started creating my double page spread by using the main conventions of a double page spread. I used two different images on my double page spread, one at the left hand side page and a smaller one at the top of the right hand side page, by doing this is created variety but also allowed me to use more of the original photos i took. I also created an interview to go on the left hand side page, underneath the picture, this took two columns up, which was the wright amount of text that would be included in an actual short interview with a celebrity. The colour i used for my double page spread, were different from the ones i used on the front cover and contents page, this again created variety by the different colours used. The colours i used in particular for my double page spread were pink, white and black. The pink brought back the feminine aspect of the artist gender, because it wasn't stated on the front cover by using darker colours such as red. I used a main headline and a subheading on the double page spread. the headline reads the name of the artists featured which is 'Gemma Love' and also the subheadings reads 'she speaks out about her new fame'. which are the main conventional aspects used on a double page spread in a magazine.

Overall i think i was sucessful in creating a front cover, contents and double page spread using publisher. I think i have used all the main conventional aspects that would be found in magazine therefore have created a good magazine that would be sucessful in attracting the audience of my magazine, and estbalishing the music genre in a presentable way.

Evaluation

In what ways does your Media product use,develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The music magazine I produced, followed the main conventions that any other product that has the same aims would. I learnt the main conventions of magazine whilst reasearching other music magazines and anaylising them, to see what they all included to make the magazine sucessful. All the magazine i looked at during this task were music magazine, because this a music magazine was what i aimed to produce.My front cover was made up of conventional features that would be found on any other music magazine, these are features such as, a masthead, a photograph, main headlines, sub-headlings, plugs, barcodes, price, issue number. My double page spread and contents pages also consist of all these conventions that would be found in a music magazine. The contents pages included conventions such as photography, a list of features that were included in the magazine, page numbers so the reader can find them easily and article titles. These features were also found on my double page spread, conventional aspects such as how a layout is presented in other magazines, edited photography and a headline.

How does your Media product representparticular social groups?
The social group i chose to represent in my magazine, is mainly young females that are solo artists or members of bands. Young female solo aritst have been represented through my orginal images that i have taken, i chose to do this so that it would appeal to my audience. Through my orignal photographs, i portrayed young females as happy and modern by giving a relax atomosphere, so the model could put the mood i wanted across the audience. Which could reflect on the audiences mood, i also wanted to represent the model in photographs as being fashionable and strong, i did this by styling the model to the mood of the magazine, so that it would give the audience someone as a role model to look up to. Props were used such as the guituar the model was playing during photography, i did this so that the audience what portray the featured artist to be talented and give off a good impression to the audience, and gives a positve representation of the music industry.


What kind of Media institution might distribute your media product and why?
A media distrutor which may publish my music magzine, may be an insitute such as EMAP, they have published magazine such as smash hits, which i think could be compared to my magazine, because they have chosen the same genre music but for an older age group, however smash hits, is more for a younger age group. But still they both 'smash hits' and 'flawless' focus on the same music genre, as they would still feature the same bands and artists. Therefore this publisher may be interested in distributing my product.

Who would be the audience for your Media product?
The audience i aimed by music magazine at would be both male and females, however in this particular issue that i produced, a female is featured in the cover therefore it might appeal to female audience, that would like to know more about the featured artist. The audiences age my magazine is aimed at are between the ages of 16-24 years old, which allows me to explore matters in much detail that i would be able to for a childrens magazine. However i would like people of any age group to enjoy my magazine, if they are interested in the particular genre of music that i have represented and promoted.

How did you attract/address your audience?
To make my magazine appeal to my target audience, i used different techinques to attract them. For example, i wanted my magazine to seem mature but fun at the same time, i represented this mood by the use of layouts and colour schemes for example, i used a range of different colours throughout my front cover, double page spread, and contents. On my front cover i used red, black and white, this gave it a relax mood and the colour red stood out from the main image background, which i think worked well. The double page spread colour scheme i used, was pink and white, which again stood out from the black background. Then on the contents page i used pink and yellow, which was a contrast in colour but still worked well. By doing this i created a happy and good mood that my music magazine gave off, this would appeal to my audience age and gender. The language i used, was stereotypically the language that a magazine would use, such as informal and chatty, so that it wouldnt seem like an upper class magazine for an upper class audience. The language used would also make the audience alot more comfortable with reading the magazine, and the langage is something that ages 16 - 24 would understand.
I also think that a styled the model well in the photograph, and also edited the image well to create the effect that i wanted to achieve. The way the model is styled is appealing to girls of her age and it is something that they would style them selves on, eg hair, make up and clothing. The way the photograph is edited sets to mood and expressions of the model, with i think looks very professional. On my contents page and double page spread i also used the same styled photographs which were black and white which created a rustic but classy effect, which i think would appeal to a young audience, therefore helps the magazine succeed.


What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? Whilst carrying out this task, i feel that i have learnt a number of new skills from using the technologies that were provided for me for example using photoshop, editing photographs and using publisher. I have also learnt alot about the technologies of making a magazine through conventions that would be within a magazine, but i have learnt More about music magazines in particular, and the techniques they use to appeal to there target audience. I have developed my skills is editing photographs i used on my magazine, how to create the effect that i wanted without being to drastic. The programs i used to create magazine, also give me the opportunity to explore the features that are included in it.


Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Producing the college magazine which was a task that was giving to us as part of the preliminary task, by creating this college magazine, it gave me some further knowledge and skills i needed to create the main music magazine task. The skills i learnt through the preliminary task made me more confident about creating my music magazine, such as exploring to take more extragvangant, individual photographs, exploring with different colour schemes, and choosing texts and languages that would suit my music magazine genre. I have also developed alot more understanding of the main magazine conventions, and how they are used to make the magazine much more sucessful to the targetted audience.

Contents

I have produced 3 different contents pages to go into my music magazine 'Flawless'

Two of these contents pages have the same layout but i have used a different colour schemes to see which looked best. Then I created another one which was a totally different layout, it is simple and easy to read than the other two, which i think is an advantage. I have also used one main image at the right hand side of the page, which i havnt used on the first two contents pages.

This time i will not ask people which one they like the best, and the one i feel is sucessful in doing its purpose within the magazine. I think the first two contents pages, fufill in informing what is in the magazine in a much different layout, however i dont like they fit in with the genre and mood of the magazine. Contents page 3, however i think is different in its own way, and the main image adds the mood to the magazine, and also tells the audience about who is featured in the magazine. The way the listings are set out on this contents page, is simple but easy to read.

Double Page Spread

Double Page Spread 1




















Double Page Spread 2



















Double Page Spread 3




















Double Page Spread 4




















I have produced 4 double page spreads for my music magazine. The first two double page spreads are the same layout but in different colours, this allowed me to explore and try different colour schemes to see which one looks best and which suited the magazine. The second two are both different layouts and different colour schemes, which again allowed me to see which looked best. I have used 2 different images on all of my double page spreads which varies and makes changes to them all.
I have narrowed them down to two double page spreads in which i prefer, these are double page spread 2 and 3. Iv chosen these because i think they look best and have both have different styles, layouts, fonts, and colour schemes, which gives a big contrast.
The reasons why i haven't chosen 1 and 4 is because i think 1 has the same colour scheme as the front cover, and i want my magazine to have a variety of colours, and i think double page spread 2 does this, but not drastically. Double page spread 4, i think is two plain, and only one image is used on it, and much of it takes over the page which doesnt give off variety and makes it plain.
Now that i have chosen two double page spreads that i like, and have advantages. I have to decide on my final double page spread, i will do this by asking 6 people to see which one they prefer, and then the one with the most votes will be the final double page spread

Double Page Spreads
#2 /////
#3 /

Most of the people I asked, chosen number 2, as the best double page spread, therefore this will be my final double page spread for my magazine.

Front Cover

Front Cover #1



























Front Cover #2

























I have produced two different front covers for my magazine, using different coloured fonts, and different wording. I now am going to decide which one will be my final front cover for my magazine, to help me decide i will ask a varity of different people and see which one they prefer.

these are my results:

Front cover Results
#1 ////
#2 //

I asked 6 people which one looked the best, by looking at the colour schemes, and the result was front cover #1 was the most popular, therefore this will be my final front cover.

Original Images

Drafts for my front cover, contents and double page spread

Front Cover Draft
























































Double Page Spread Drafts

Contents Drafts