2. Research on existing magazines
I used VIBE, RAP- UP and Billboard
magazines to help me create my
music magazine. I followed the codes
and conventions of VIBE because
both our magazines are designed to
attracted the same audience.
I used VIBE’s layout because it is eye
catching and attractive, I thought this
was most appropriate for my intended
audience. I have not copied to layout
completely but I used most
features, the Mast head for example
,the position of the model and the
matching color scheme.
3. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The genre of music for my music
Is R&B/ Hip- Hop to create my music
magazine front cover looked at R&B, Hip-
Hop and which gave me a good idea of
how to design a magazine using an
appropriate colour scheme, layout etc, I
didn’t duplicate the VIBE front cover
completely for example I didn't use text
on the right side of the magazine because
I wanted to keep it original and not too
over crowded. I looked into different
magazines but VIBE appealed to me the
most.
I used the idea of the model being placed over the top of my Masthead to show that my readers are
expected to immediately know what the magazine is called although you can not see the whole word. I
thought this was very effective at showing that my magazine is very audience intended, I used a bold Impact
font with a drop shadow affect similar to vibe to make it stand out as well as giving it a sophisticated look.
4. I laid out my main headline similarly to VIBE. I chose the musty yellow colour for my headline because it
stands out against the light pink background I chose a different font for my main article because most
magazines have a number of different fonts as their house style but I kept it the same colour as the
mast head to make the layout look consistent. I used and intriguing cover line similar to VIBE to make
the reader want to read the article. The font for my cover line is Oynx because it matches my other
cover lines on my magazine and looks interested something that my audience would be immediately
attracted to.
I have put a barcode at the bottom left of my front cover to follow conventions of
R&B/ Hip- Hop magazines. I placed it at the bottom so it doesn’t detract from the
design of the magazine but it is visible for the people that will purchase my
magazine. Most magazines such as VIBE and Billboard also do this. I noticed that
the barcodes on those magazines have the price which is what I did with my
barcode to make it look more realistic and professional.
5. On my front cover I have placed my articles on the left side like
VIBE because people read from left to right so it is important to
place my text like this so immediately my readers will read the
articles that are in my magazine. This is following conventions of
a music magazine because VIBE and RAP- UP uses The cover
lines are a different font to make them clear and make my front
cover look organized and sophisticated.
I used a banner the same as VIBE to add something else to my
magazine and make the reader want to buy it. I kept the font
white and ariel so it wouldn't look too over crowed and detract
from the main information on the front. I just put names there
because my magazine is genre specific and the readers are
supposed to know who the artists are.
6. I have followed codes and conventions on my contents page by using the same layout design as
VIBE Magazine use on their contents page. I decided to use this because it appealed to me the
most for the genre of music I was doing my magazine for. I purposely didn’t use too much text
because my survey showed that my intended audience wanted to see more images rather than
text. I have used one image (the same model on my front page) because VIBE uses the same
artist on the front cover, contents page and double page spread, because it is such a large
image and it is placed on the right side of the page it is the first thing you look at, I did this on
purpose. I placed the article number at the bottom of the image because it is the main article I
want my readers to know exactly what page to go to.
7. I used the same layout as VIBE because i thought it was interested and
different, it is a good way of attracting my intended audience. I just Oynx
to match the font on the rest of the contents page to keep it consistent. I
pressed enter and aligned it to the right.
I outlined the main sections in black to
make it look more sophisticated and
organised. I used 2 fonts and added italic
and bold to some sections to make certain
parts stand out. I also matched the yellow
to the front cover to make keep the house
style consistent. I did not duplicate VIBE’s
layout because i wanted my magazine to
look somewhat original. I’ve kept the
background white and pink faded out so
that the text is clear to read and the page
looks professional. The artists names are in
bold so they are easy to locate. I have
included the page numbers next to the
articles names so that the readers can find
the article they want to read. keep the
house style consistent.
8. The double page spreads I looked at have
a quote so I included this in my double
page spread to intrigue the reader. I also
found that a lot of the double page
spreads use one whole page for a mid-
shot image of the featured artist and
write the article on the other page I liked
this idea and thought it would be
appropriate for my magazine because my
questionnaire results showed me that my
intended audience wanted to see more
images rather than text so they could
possibly use this image as a poster. I used
the same colours and fonts I also matched
my models dress to the writing to keep
the house style consistent the codes and
conventions are to have columns a big
headline and subheading a pull quote a
large image.
9. What kind of media institution might distribute your
media product and why?
Original Choice.
www.ipcmedia.com
Final choice
www.bauermedia.com
I would choose Bauer to publish my magazine because they
already publish my genre of music and I created a magazine
that is already on the market.
Bauer would be able to do that best because it has a
readership of over 19 million people in the UK alone it is also
well established in the TV and Radio industry, it is a huge
international company.
10. Who would be the audience for your media product?
My magazine is £3.99
because my survey results
show that my target
audience would prefer to
pay under £5.00. I also gave
my magazine this price
because most R&B
magazines that I looked at
were nearly always over
£2.00
The target audience for my magazine is 16-25 year old males and females, who are
interested in Hip- Hop/ R&B music, film, fashion etc... I have made a reader profile
about the target audience for my magazine, showing images of what sort of things
would be advertised/featured in my magazine because they represent my target
audience’s interests. My target audience would be interested in
fashion, partying, drinking, cars, technology etc. My target audience’s occupation be
mostly students at school or college/university, working part-time.
11. How did you attract/address your audience?
I created a questionnaire to find out what people thought of existing
magazines and what they would like to see more of in magazines . I used a
big mid shot on the front of my magazine to attract my audience, I didn't
include too much text because I am trying to attract my age range and I
thought they would rather see more images to text. I used yellow, pink and
black colours, these light bright colours are associated with R&B magazines
so I felt that it was appropriate.
I styled my model in dresses and heels to appeal to a male audience
as well as female. My audience would be able to relate to the clothing
because they would be interested in partying and modelling, i also
asked my model to pose in a “seductive” way because “sex sells” and I
wanted her to stand out so the reader is immediately drawn to her
outfits and makeup.
12. What have you learnt about technologies from the
process of constructing this product?
I used Photoshop CS5 to create my magazine and from this, I learnt how to
create an effective, attractive magazine cover, contents page and double page
spread.
I learnt how to use layers effectively to place text and images in the correct
places. I also played around with the programme and learned how to import
photos and edit them, making them brighter, cropping etc. I used the shift key
while resizing photographs which was very helpful.
I had most difficulty cutting out the images from, the background but i asked a
peer and this problem was quickly resolved.
I used the ‘fx’ tool on Photoshop to make my text stand out against the background images and
clearer to read. I used effects such as drop shadow, bevel and emboss and stroke on mostly my
images , text and mast header to make it bolder and more attractive on my magazine.
13. For example here i brightened and lightened the picture although it is a subtle
difference it makes the picture look more clear and therefore appear more
attractive in my magazine making it look sophisticated.
14. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you
have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I named my preliminary task
magazine ‘Negus News’ and used
the house style of blue, black and
red. I have learnt that the house
style is important when following
conventions because a consistent
house style makes the magazine
look professional. However, the
house style has to look attractive
too, the house style on my
preliminary task is boring and un
attractive. I also learnt that the
layout is a very important part of
creating a successful magazine as
well as the images and text used.
On my preliminary task front
cover, I used an mid-shot image of
students holding results. The
image is stretched and blurry i
quickly learned that the quality of
the image is also very important
when making a magazine.
15. • I think my music magazine is successful and it has turned out better than I expected
considering the problems I encountered, I think to make it better I could have added text on
the right side as well like “VIBE”
• On the contents page, I think if I managed my time better I could have taken different images
and include them however having one image worked to my advantage because i was
following the layout of the “VIBE” magazine.
• I am happy with my double page spread I think it looks professional and attractive.
