1. Media Evaluation
By Autumn Gordon

2. In what ways do your media product, use develop or change forms and conventions of real media products?
These are more conventions which I felt challenged me most and I developed more towards my final production of
the final front cover. I collected a numerous amount of front covers from my chosen genres, to see how their style
varies in different issues of the given magazine from my experience. The main photo challenged me the most as I had
to chose an image which best represents the indie/rock theme. The image is a key element to the reader as they
analyse it through both connotations and denotations meaning that a lot of time and planning has to go into the
development of my image in order to create the best effects possible, these effects of my image can be altered by the
saturation, contrast, brightness etc. My photo challenges my whole magazine as I need to be able to clearly represent
rock and indie through my image.
I made sure whilst conducting my research I chose a magazine which corresponds with my own to produce the most
accurate insight possible which I wouldn’t obtain home living magazines. I have chosen to centralise my main image
and produce a medium/close up in order to show the diversity of my music magazine and what it demonstrates . On
the whole most of the magazines I researched are lout in a way in which makes them look heavy and hectic. I tried to
adapt this in my own way by using this concept but simplifying certain aspects of it.

3. Who would be the audience for your media product?
I researched three music magazines ; Kerrang, Mixmag and Q. By doing this I was able to recognise the genre and
target audience of these and felt they linked closely with my own magazine. I am able to recognise what genre a
magazine belongs to by its context, such as rock and indie/metal magazines use red, white and black colourings which
are both bold and symbolic. Whereas young girls magazines e.g. Bliss; contain pinks and purples setting distinctive
themes within genres. Magazines use colour to entice the appropriate target audience by undergoing research
particularly focusing on Q magazine I was able to extract structural aspects like how they layout their there front
cover, contents, etc. This enable me to pick key elements out from the examples I have to make sure my layout is
appropriate in order to convey key themes and ideas.
By using cover stories relating to my indie/rock theme, such as; ‘Exclusive interview with RIOT.’ It shows the genre of
my music magazine and who the target audience is.
Throughout creating my music magazine I used the colours black, white, purple and blue as I feel that these colours
best associate with my theme as the black and white are the main colours throughout. These colours contrast drawing
attention to the blues and purples of which allow the rock/indie theme to be bought to life these colours give the
impression of a gig scene through the vibrant choice of colours.
By producing my music magazine I believe I have attracted my audience by exposing a niche. I have done this by using
a variation of different pictures, plugs and colours this magazine would appeal to people aged between 18-29 who
listen to rock/indie music.

4. How does your media product media product represent particular social groups?
I brought and read a selection of magazines in order to inspire my own ideas. Each
magazine represented original styles which portray the genre of magazine I am
interpreting and the growth of the genre in the media industry. This will appeal to
the more mature audience which I intend it to. You create your own image based
on the style of music you like this becomes evident when you see the different
types of music magazines people read. I chose this genre as when looking at
recent statistics I fell that indie/rock has become one of the most popular genres
due to national events such as; V festival, Glastonbury and Leeds etc. These
festivals focus predominately on my chosen genre making it the most profitable
for me to produce my music magazine around. Concerts like these attract social
groups stereotypically linked to my work. They apply to my age range (18-29) but
also my target audience.
Picking pictures challenged me. I decided to apply the ones which best represent
the genres I picked, medium/close-up. I chose images at this shot to show the
individuality and style of which I aim to portray. Each photo represents emotion
and prepare the audience for articles, interviews etc.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?
Through analysing my research I was able to identify ways they attract their audience. I discovered that the
more simple a design the more modern and stylish it appears. Therefore I used a western font for my mast
head which conveys the rustic edge of theme I have chosen. By using an arrow head to advertise their
exclusive interview with the band, it has directional effects on the audience enticing them to turn the page
and read on.
I have used contrasting colours (black and white) those of which are used in popular music magazine
Kerrang. My masthead and Kerrang’s are both very similar in design simple, bold and edgy.
I feel I have addressed the reader by having exclusive news corresponding to the relative indie/rock theme I
have made direct references to the audience, making them feel like the magazine is made exclusively for
them.
I have tried to
make my contents
basic in keeping
with the modern
theme which is
shown in other
popular music
magazines fitting
to the same genre
as mine (Q).

6. What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I feel I have learnt various different technologies from this process. First I took advantage of my abilities to use adobe
Photoshop. In order to distort my cover image and add ambiance using my colour theme to make the image edgy
and creative representing them clearly. This allowed me to be able to play around with different components of my
music magazine in order to create this.
I also had to crop the image and
remove certain aspects of the image
such as the hair in the bottom right-
hand corner as these aspects are not
relevant to my main image.

7. What kind of media institution might describe your media product and why?
Hearst Magazines UK, Hearst Corporation’s principal
business in the UK, is one of the UK’s leading media
companies with 20 magazine brands and 20 digital assets.
Hearst Magazines UK is the trading name of National
Magazine Company Ltd, established in 1910 by William
Randolph Hearst and is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Hearst Corporation, one of the largest diversified media
companies. Its major interests include magazine,
newspaper and business publishing, cable networks,
television and radio broadcasting, internet businesses, TV
production and distribution, newspaper features
distribution and real estate.
in the UK, the business includes the core wholly-owned
business plus interests in two joint ventures: NatMag
Rodale, a 50:50 joint venture with Rodale Inc. of the USA
which focuses on health and well-being; and COMAG, a
65:35 joint venture with Conde Nast, one of the U.K.'s
largest magazine distributors.
I discovered Hearst Magazines UK on the internet and researched the history of their business and its success to give
myself an idea of what its like.
Hearst Magazines UK publishes 20 consumer titles in the UK: All About Soap, Best, Company, Cosmopolitan, Country
Living, ELLE, ELLE Decoration, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, House Beautiful, Inside Soap, Prima, Red, Real
People, Reveal and Zest. The group publishes three magazines, Men's Health, Runner’s World and Women's Health
through Hearst-Rodale UK.
I feel that by using this publishing company there is already a large chance of success as they are already established and
extremely commendable for their success in the industry and therefore would be able to give me the most accurate advice
in order to make my music magazine publishable, They focus on a target market similar to mine and there is defiant room
for a magazine of my type within their company.

8. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The kind of media institution that could possibly distribute my media product could be a music magazine publisher. I
believe that my product would attract a large amount of buyers as my magazine covers a variations of different topics
to entice my target audience. There is a mixed variety of genres associated with my magazine. This enables it to
appeal to a larger audience. One main issue with this magazine is that to a music publishing distributor, is that there is
a large amount of existing competition endorsing similar qualities to them.
Therefore I decided to undergo a small amount of research into how music magazines similar to mine and how it
could be constructed best.
I decided to print screen a selection of front covers of magazines from certain magazine publishing companies to
collect data on existing competition.
If I annotate different elements of my music magazine, I believe this could make it appeal more to publishers.
I would re-do my magazine and add more professional aspects to catch the audiences eye. However my niche should
be recognisable without any drastic changes.
I need to find a published who's specification fits to me the most. In order to reduce future adaptations of my own
work as by making certain changes it could significally alter the originality. Although constructive criticism would be
essential for the further development of my music magazine.

9. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
The main thing I fell I could of improved in order to make my overall result more effective, was how I planned out my
work and researched I feel that I didn’t preform these tasks usefully. I did not broaden my research enough and allow
myself to venture in other genres and the possibilities to adapt my own which could evoke some strong similarities
between my magazine and existing magazines as it could be misconstrued as copying through the positioning of
mastheads/fonts/images etc and entail bad press for my magazine. On the other hand it could be seen with evident
connections to the indie/rock theme. For the preliminary task I drafted my front cover, contents page and also my
double page spread in order to gather reviews on ways in which these elements could be adapted in order to gain the
best result for my work . I did this by asking people in my target audience to give me their feedback on my work and I
used the advice to adapt my music magazine ready for my final draft.
Secondly I feel I have improved dramatically since the beginning of the media course on how I conduct my work to
ensure its of good quality. I make sure I am aware of certain media terms before I use them in my work to improve my
professional appeal when putting them into context. I believe that the more images I use the more it appeals to me
and allows me to remain focused in my own work and for me to still produce relevant and purposeful work.
Throughout the process of my work I have tried to remain as organised as possible in order to ensure that all my work
is up to date and as precise as possible as I have the correct amount of time to produce the appropriate pieces.
Fourthly I feel that I have drastically improved my skills in terms of being able to use certain software such as
Fireworks as this programme allows me to adapt my images in order to make them in keeping with my theme with
the options to distort them or adapt the contrast this gives my images the edge I need in order to of made them
effective. And from my drafts you can see the improvements of my ability to use this software.
I believe that I have improved since the preliminary task I have learnt how to manage my time better. By doing this it
allowed me to see a similar task in draft first to show me areas of my work that need improving and areas that don’t
so I can focus on the areas in need of improvement in my main task. This was overly beneficial to the end result of my
work.