Music Magazine Evaluation Finished

1. Vikki Stevens Magazine Evaluation

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products. Front Page The editorial image is the most prominent image on the magazine. This is used to show the artists superiority and importance to the reader. The main image also uses direct mode of address (direct eye contact with the viewer) making the viewer feel they are connecting with the artist. This article about the artist is the main selling point for the magazine. Coverlines are an important magazine convention which I used to create a layout to attract an audience. I used the colour palette of black and white to keep a constant theme running throughout the magazine. The black and white also contrast against the background making them stand out and eye catching. The use of flash words is another magazine convention I used. Flash words are used to attract the viewer . The words will hook the readers interest and make them interested in what the magazine has to offer.

3. The use of a masthead draws the reader in and catches their attention. To develop a suitable masthead I first examined the ones of similar magazines. I first chose an appropriate font, its grungy looking relating to the style of music the magazine is promoting. The black and white are both strong colours relating to the readers ideology of being strong. These menu strips are basically advertising the magazine, they hold additional information on what exclusives and artists the magazine includes. These often feature big name or well known bands who only need the band name to attract attention. I used white text on a black background to catch the viewers attention and help sell my magazine. The use of the main headline attracts the reader with the use of white contrasted against the darker image behind it. The use of a kicker underneath provides anchorage for the main headline. The use of two contrasting colours in the same sentence automatically catches the readers eye as it is unusual to have two different coloured fonts in the same sentence, this draws attention to the name of the artist.. Also the corner of the “i” leads the reader directly down to the images at the bottom corner. The use of the offset image draws the readers eye to the corner of the magazine because the rest of the magazine is all very justified in its layout it also makes them follow through from that image to the flash word “Plus!”

4. This is a typical magazine barcode to which i added the date, issue number and price. This helps to make the product feel professional. The use of these shapes helps attract the reader to them as they are white and stand out. I decided to keep with the black and white colour palette so as to not draw too much attention away from the editorial image. The use of inset shots of live concerts is a magazine convention that is frequently used to advertise and promote live events.

5. Contents For this page I decided to use a cluttered layout to link with the style of music the target audience listens to and the artists the magazine is promoting. The main image on the contents page is of the artist on the front cover of the magazine, this enhances the artists superiority and importance. This photo uses indirect mode of address unlike the editorial image. This provokes the readers interest as now it makes the artist seem quiet and subdued as opposed to the striking editorial image which shows a confident pose with attitude. I used the same font as on the masthead on the front page to create the contents header. I did this to keep the conventions of the magazine a theme throughout the magazine to make it all link together. I decided to use the same colour palette of black, white and red as the main colours to link it to the other pages and to reinforce the professional look of the product.

6. I decided to put a small copy of the front cover in the corner next to the short piece of writing. I did this to promote the magazine further and to show that the piece is written by the publishers/ editors of the magazine. This is a key feature in music magazines and this again makes the product appear more professional. I decided to put the kickers and coverlines on the right-hand side because the most important promoting points are arranged in the Z layout. In theory a human eye will travel from the top left hand corner across to the middle right then down to the bottom left and the information in those areas will be the most noticed. Therefore I placed the contents strip there to make sure that the information is as fully absorbed as possible and to make sure it stands out I kept the colours to simple black and white. The use of the small inset images is typically used in professional music magazines to promote the content of the magazine and catch the readers interest. I also added the page numbers so they can navigate around the contents easier and it intrigues interest.

7. The subscriptions banner is deliberately placed in the top left corner as this is the most uncluttered space so it draws the eye as there's a large empty area with small text inside. this doesn’t stand out hugely because I want the viewer to be attracted to the content of the magazine before looking to the subscriptions banner as this is only interesting for the readers who are really hooked on the magazine. Therefore it is moreimportant to get the viewer hooked on the content of the magazine before they notice the subscriptions banner. The album reviews and contests are placed at the bottom of the page. This will follow the Z layout and the viewer will reach them after reading the content of the magazine. This will also hook the readers interest as contests and album reviews are a key feature in all music magazines as it entices the viewer and makes them want to buy the magazine to find out about the contest information. Also from my research and by creating a readership profile from the information see http://vs2361.blogspot.com/2011/01/readership-profile-for-music-magazine.htmlI discovered most of the target audience will buy/ download one album per month and as this magazine is a monthly style magazine it will attract the audience as it promotes the recommended albums and new releases for that month.

8. Double Page Spread The jaunty angle I placed the headline and section headerat, reinforces the cluttered house style I chose. I also used the same colour palette for the flash and text as this ties the magazine together and makes it more professional looking. I decided to make the background on the second page a similar colour to that of the main photography image to link the two pages together. For this page I decided to follow through with the cluttered layout from the other pages to stick with the house style I used. I decided to place the main image and best use of photography on the left-hand side this draws the viewer in to the article as the light burst on the image leads the viewer down to the introductory text. I decided to use the playing cards from the editorial image on the front page to reinforce the house style I used. They link the magazine together. The “Blackfly” mast header also links the page to the front page making it all link together.

9. The inset images promote the article and relate to the main interview. These are placed in the two side thirds, this is a common feature in music magazines The use of an image on a plain background behind the main body of text draws attention to the image and text as they stand out from the uncluttered background. This creates a busy house style to link into the rest of the magazine to show there isn't a blank unoccupied space making the magazine seem jam packed. The use of pull quotes is a common convention of music magazines. The pull quotes are normally small entertaining quotes from the main article that hook the readers interest. These are strategically placed to follow the Z layout. This makes sure that they aren't missed on a cursory glance. The use of a shape behind the introductory text is deliberately used to make the text stand out and this is used in music magazines to make the reader notice that and read that first.

10. To reinforce the professionalism of the magazine I used a caption under one of the inset images as most music magazines will use these to explain the images. Also, the font I chose for the main body of the article was one of the fonts used on the contents page and front page linking the whole magazine together. This selection of font was a sans serif font, to keep the magazine informal and friendly looking which invites the reader in to the article. The headline font is also a sans serif font in white with a black outline for impact. This is placed across the whole of the three thirds to make sure it grabs more attention than the rest of the double page spread.

11. How does your media product represent particular social groups? Firstly the colour palette I chose uses certain signs and coding to represent my target audience of the emo/ scene stereotype. I decided to use primarily black, white and red to form my colour palette. Firstly black is the colour associated with the emo culture and the main colour they will wear, it can represent things such as depression, death and depth; these all relate to the feelings the target audience will have experience with. White can represent very positive emotions such as happiness and brightness but can also represent negative emotions such as bleakness and boredom. Finally red represents anger, blood, and violence all these emotions relate to the specific target audience. Furthermore these colours all contrast highly with each other which relates to the emo / scene style of dress. This will create the feeling that I am relating specifically to their emotions making them feel welcome and included in the magazine. This will, hopefully, help me to greatly increase the sales of the magazine. . Colour palette examples

12. Secondly the images I used were planned so that they would relate to the target audience. We found someone who had the correct look and designed the shoot to appeal to what the emo culture look up to and what they would like to look like. This was done through the choice of costume: We picked the costume to specifically relate to the emo look which is fashionable but not using blaring icons or brand names, see http://vs2361.blogspot.com/2010/09/case-study-powerpoint.html . I chose the poses in the images to relate specifically to the character of the emo social group, the editorial image demonstrates shyness in the way the artist has his hood up and is looking directly at the viewer from underneath; his expression also shows thoughtfulness and a sensitivity to emotions. This helps the magazine to represent and relate to the emo social group as it uses their own fashion identity and their ideology. Finally the language I used is informal and friendly which invites the viewer into the magazine making them feel comfortable and not like an outsider. The language also spurs imagination “The joker is on the cards?” this is an important thing because emo’s are interested in language and language is important so the magazine must use imaginative language to catch their attention. Fashion examples

13. What kind of media institution might distribute your music magazine and why? IPC media would be my logical choice of media institution as it is the rival of Bauer media who distribute Kerrang. As Bauer Media already have a magazine with the content and house style I chose it would be logical to try and distribute my magazine to IPC media. As Bauer Media distribute Kerrang I think IPC Media would be greatly interested in selling my magazine because it would rival Kerrang and not out sell one of their existing magazines. IPC Media use their own products to advertise themselves. As they own such a diversity of magazines each magazine can therefore advertise another of IPC Media’s products. They would be able to promote my product through the use of websites, cinema adverts and TV adverts. IPC Media own Time Warner Inc. meaning that my artists would be promoted very successfully due to the production of music videos and TV advertisements.

14. Who would be your audience for your media product? I firstly had to conduct initial research into who I could aim my magazine at so I interviewed people from my target audience to find out the key information about them and whether the magazine would appeal to them. After conducting the interview I created a readership profile which gave me key information about how to appeal to the audience. After conducting initial research I decided my magazine would appeal to teenagers. This is because the emo culture is most prominent in the teenage age bracket. Furthermore teenagers would be intrigued by the fashion, lifestyle and ideology my magazine promotes. I used the images of my artists to further appeal to the target audience through my use of costume. I chose the costumes carefully to appeal to the teenagers ideal of a emo look and also the poses I chose enhance the ideological aspects that teenagers know represent the emo culture. Here you can see the choice of photography I used for my front cover shot, this shows the artist in a typical emo fashion with the expression being plain and thoughtful.

15. Here the use of language and artist names is very important as the teenagers will want to see popular artist names they recognise. However the language must also be poetic and interesting to procure thought as this is a key feature of the emo culture ; poetic language is very important to the culture. Furthermore I used original and poetic artist / band names to show that this magazine is specifically targeted at that culture. The use of accessories and lighting help to portray the emotions of the artist. The lighting helps to create the shadowed face this creates the effect of the artist being out of the spotlight, meaning that they made it on their own and they dislike being the centre of attention which the emo culture will relate to as they are very self conscious and will keep to themselves. It also creates the feeling of pain or sadness by the use of the dark eye makeup which is smudged to create a moody portrait. This will also relate to the target audience as the stereotype emo comes from the word emotional.

16. I decided to use an image of a male artist to attract a female audience. Due to the attraction of a nice looking artist the female audience will be hooked on to the magazine. Also male readers will be attracted to the magazine because they will want to aspire to be like the artist and look like him. Also the price of the magazine is fairly cheap attracting the target audience because the majority of them will be in unskilled jobs or still in education which means that they will not have a lot of spare money.

17. How did you attract/ address your audience? Throughout the magazine I used poetic language to attract the reader because it is unusual and uses hardly any slang. The emo culture will be intrigued by this as most music magazines use a lot of slang to get their point across whereas my magazine will appeal to the emo culture because it is individual and unique both of which emo’s pride themselves on. The images I used will appeal to the emo culture because they imply the emo ideology. The editorial image does this by him having a shadowed face, wearing bracelets, having his hood up, not stood tall, looking at the camera but turned away. I also used a grungy masthead to relate to the style of music that the magazine is promoting. Also the use of exciting language will create a “buzz” for the “scene kids” such as “hype” and “fires up” it also has the gig info on the contents page which will interest them as it is a key point in their lifestyle. My contents page draws people in with the use of the “gig guide” and contest information etc.

18. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? For this product I used Photoshop to create the actual magazine pages, I learnt that this software is highly important in the industry. I learnt various techniques throughout using Photoshop. On slide 19 I referred to how I used adjustment layers and on slide 18 I showed how I learnt to use flowing text. Also I used a blog to conduct my audience research this was a highly useful tool as it allowed me to upload images, videos etc. all in one place and allowed others to comment on my work. I made use of a digital camera for the initial photography for the magazine pages this helped deepened my understanding of how lighting, poses and costume can be used for effect.

19. To help keep my audience interested I could use various technologies. I could have a radio station possibly to keep the audience attracted to my magazine as it would play the music they are interested in and would also promote the sales of the magazine itself. I would also have a website for fans to connect to and receive updates from it would also give them the opportunity to send in feedback and letters to the magazine of recent events. Furthermore I would link this website to a social networking sites such as Facebook to keep fans updated through using http://onlywire.com/ which updates all social networking sites at once. This would help keep my audience as my magazine would be a monthly so fans could still receive updates and previews as to what would be in the next issue.

20. Looking back at your preliminary task (the college magazine), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product? Firstly I learnt how to fully appreciate Photoshop’s capability to edit photos and create layouts. One of the key things I learnt to do was to create flowing text which helped me embed my pull quotes into the text and have the text flow round them. I also learnt how to use the pull quotes for effect, by simply using them to grab the readers attention by making certain interesting bits in the text stand out. Secondly I learnt about colour palette choices and layout choices. In the college magazine my layout was very spontaneous and used too many colours which made it look unprofessional. I learnt that to create a professional looking magazine I had to use a maximum of three colour choices. I also learnt that the way I positioned images and text was the most important part of the product.

21. Thirdly I learnt about the use of photography at live gigs and in a studio setting. This helped me gain a better understanding of semiotics and how it can be used to affect the viewer and persuade them into buying my product. I also learnt about editing photos and how to use adjustment layers such as hue/saturation and brightness/contrast with various filters to enhance my photography. Finally I learnt how to use fonts for effect, from the preliminary task to the final product I learnt how to make my fonts more accessible and simple.