2. In what way does your media product use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

3. I used 4 fonts throughout, the bold block like font to attract attention, the handwritten font to look personalised and feminine, the italic Times New Roman font to look sophisticated and the small neat text used on both the contents and the DPS to look professional and sleek. The main image was put on a neutral background to focus the attention to the image and divert the reader’s attention away from the subject. The casual tee tucked into a plain bodycon skirt is a key indie trend and reflects the genre of the magazine. I positioned the barcode underneath the masthead and out of the way of any text; it’s not very big and is found in a similar area on a lot of magazines. Masthead in a bold, red font to catch reader’s attention, masthead letters slightly scattered to reflect the name of the magazine ‘Compilation’ which generally means a bit mixed up, pulled from different places. It’s dominant and immediately catches your attention with its red font against the neutral background. I relied on the left side third to display the important information about the contents of the magazine; I highlighted the main artists and events in gold, and put them in bold to entice my readers and to give them some information about what they would be reading about in my magazine. I wanted a minimalistic layout so I kept all of the information on one side, so it didn’t manipulate the reader and didn’t look cluttered or too over powering. I used three colours for my colour scheme, red, black and gold, which look sophisticated and compliment eachother well against a white/neutral background.

4. The colour scheme of my magazine is very similar to the style of the images of these existing magazines, with also similar layouts. I chose the colour scheme Red, Black and Gold because I think connotes sophistication and the colours compliment eachother well and fit in with the genre of my magazine. The few examples of magazines I have found all use similar colour schemes, black, white and then one contrasting colour, it’s quite obviously a popular key convention as most magazines you see now follow this style of colour scheme if not challenging it slightly.

5. I included a message from the editor in my contents as I thought it would personalise the magazine more, I’ve seen this in some magazines and thought it would be a good convention to include. I used 3 fonts on this page which follows the 3 font scheme; I used the handwritten text at the beginning and end of the editor’s message to make it look like the editor wrote it herself and to create an element of unity between my readers, the font is stereotypically girly at it connotes as being delicate and feminine. I kept to a three colour scheme, which I have done throughout my magazine to show fluency and to keep the magazine from looking to busy, which I think I have achieved. I decided to keep my page as minimalistic as possible to prevent confusion for my readers, I chose not to include any images other than the one of the editor and the front cover as I wanted to go for the ‘sophisticated look’ and challenge the typical convention. I have used common techniques to entice the reader, such as colloquial language and alliteration, to grab their attention. I used an image of the font cover and then wrote about the stylist, make-up artist and photographer, I have seen this used on a variety of magazines, and I liked the idea as it gives the readers some background information.

6. The magazine’s website(used as a logo) run’s through the contents and double page spread of the magazine in the top corners of the pages, also a conventional banner runs through every page, with the page number in gold. I included a contrasting font for the title which is a common convention in magazines, I used this font because it looks like it’s been written by someone, and makes the page look more edgy and more busy. I have again kept to the common convention of a three colour scheme to create continuity throughout my magazine, however I have used a 2 font scheme to keep the simplicity and focus the reader’s attention on the article, I used a bold artistic font to break the page up and to add reader interest. I haven’t included any advertisements or lures on the page as I wanted it to keep it as original as possible, I used a rhetorical question as the title grab the reader’s attention. Again, keeping to the convention of a simplistic layout, for my double page spread I used one side for the image of my featuring artist, and the other for the article, it is a common convention which can be found in many magazines, and I think it looks professional as it looks sophisticated and original. The article directs the reader using rhetorical questions which are colloquial and also uses colloquial language, I feel this creates a unity between the readers and forms a relationship, whilst gaining readers trust.

7. My magazine represents teenage girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 30 who are into the indie/alternative genre. You can tell from the front cover that the target audience is aimed at females, this is evident by the main image, the photography, the elements of fashion and artists included on the left side third and the hand-written diary type front across the page which connotes feminity. The pose used on my front cover was one inspired by VOGUE’s The Power Issue which featured Jennifer Hudson, my model isn’t laughing however, but then the stance and the positioning on the page is similar yet my model has her hands on her hips and is looking into the camera, she looks serious and her facial expression connotes an element on dominance, unlike Jennifer Hudson. The colour scheme I chose to use was Red, Black and Gold, I picked these colours because I wanted my magazine to appeal to teenagers and women who are looking for something a little bit more sophisticated than your typical music magazine, i have seen a variety of magazines who have used a very similar (or if not the same) colour scheme and I think it looks very professional and appeals to my target audience. I included elements of fashion throughout my front cover, contents and double page spread as I thought it would appeal more to my readers rather than it be your stereotypical music magazine. I would definitely say my magazine is aimed at females or there is a much higher level of female dominance, it represents an Indie/ Alternative style as it features bands, fashions and festivals which all belong to the genre and my featured model represents the genre well. I chose to use a minimalistic/simplistic layout as I didn’t want my readers to feel manipulated and feel the magazine is too busy.

8. How does your media product representparticularsocial groups?

10. They both have similar styled hair, except Alice’s hair isn’t as wild and is all brought to the front.

11. Either the make-up or the clothing ties in with the colour scheme, making it stand out and be more noticeable.

13. How does your media product represent particular social groups? I wanted my media product to appeal to teenagers and young women between the ages of 14 and 30 who have a keen interest in music and fashion. I didn’t want my magazine to represent any particular social group, which is why I chose and decided to use the title ‘Compilation’ ,to connote that my magazine didn’t particularly focus on one genre/style of music and/or fashion. I chose to include the element of fashion within my magazine as most teenagers and young women share a keen interest in it, I thought this would bring a kind of unity between my readers and would appeal to a wider audience. The fonts I have chosen I think represent the genre of my magazine perfectly, the bold, red, jumbled up type writing on the masthead catches your attention, whilst the use of gold and black text on the cover lines and left side third compliment eachother well against the white background, I chose my colour scheme as I wanted my magazine to convey the element of sophistication on first glance, I haven’t seen many music magazines who’s target audiences are females but the ones I have seen usually use a typically girly colour scheme, the colours I have used however don’t necessarily connote the typical female stereotype (e.g. pink, white, purple etc.). The genre for my magazine is Indie/Alternative, so I had to be careful about the featured artists that I used and the layout, I wanted my magazine to be an easy and enjoyable read like magazines such as VOGUE and LOOK, I know that these are fashion magazines but I think the target audiences are rather similar, which helped me with my layout, I want my readers to feel like they can take my magazine anywhere and be able to read it in public places and around friends etc. My cover, contents and double page spread all share a personal element to them, the font cover has hand written text strewn across the artist, which feels like someone has actually hand written it themselves, the contents has a message from the editor, which unifies the magazine and feels like the editor is talking to my readers personally, and the double page spread also has a handwritten/painted like text as the title, which looks again, like someone has written it themselves, which is a common convention among most magazines.

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

15. What does a Publishing Company do? A publishing company deals with and publishes magazines, newspapers, literature and other forms of material. Publishing is the process which includes the stages of the development, purchase, copyediting, graphic design, manufacture, printing and the marketing and distribution of works dealing with information, including the electronic media. The publisher usually controls the advertising and other marketing tasks, but may subcontract various aspects of the process to specialist publisher marketing agencies. In many companies, editing, proofreading, layout, design and other aspects of the production process are done by suppliers. Once the form of work is accepted, commissioning editors negotiate the purchase of intellectual property rights and agree on royalty rates (how much the maker of the piece will receive per piece sold). The final stage in publication is, Distribution, making the product available to the public, usually by offering it for sale and then making a profit. The money in which to publish a magazine if it is a large publication comes from shareholders and investors, however it may come from a bank if it is a smaller publication or you may even take out a loan. Regardless of where the money is from, you need to prove that your media product will be successful, which means making a decent amount of profit.

16. Who would publish my media product? My magazine could be produced by a leading UK Magazine Publishing company such as IPC Media, who have published magazines such as NME, Nuts, Look, Country Life and many more. I think this would be a suitable distribution company for my magazine. IPC's diverse print and digital portfolio offers something for everyone, with a focus on three core audiences: men, mass market women and upmarket women. My target audience it one of the three core audiences, mass market women, IPC have produced the likes of ‘Marie Claire’ ‘InStyle’ ‘woman&home’ and other lifestyle/fashion focused magazines which are published for females. From researching the company I think IPC already reaches out to my target audience of teenagers/young women, and from seeing what magazines they publish, such as NME and LOOK which both target teenagers/young people, it would be a great opportunity for a leading publishing company like them to take on ‘Compilation’, as it is a new style/genre of magazine which fuses both fashion and music together which could potentially be very successful. As from seeing how popular the magazines IPC have published, I think this would be a promising company for my media product if they were willing to publish my magazine.

17. Who would be the audience for your media product?

18. Someone like my friend, Fay would be the perfect audience for my media product. She keeps up to date with the current fashions and is always listening to music, mainly of the Indie genre but obviously likes other genre’s as well, she goes to gigs frequently and is also going to Glastonbury 2011 along me and some of our friends, her musical interests include, Two Door Cinema Club, Biffy Clyro, Ellie Goulding Florence and the Machine etc. Shopping in high street stores such as Topshop, Urban Outfitters and H&M and reading fashion magazines such as VOGUE and Look allows Fay to keep on top of the new and up coming fashions. Fay’s style, musical interests and interest music puts her into my target audience and her suiting it perfectly.

19. How did you attract/address your audience?

20. The first thing you notice on my front cover is the masthead, it’s in red and is bold which immediately catches the eye. I wanted it to be an eye catching colour because it’d be the only thing you’d see if it was on the shelf, the main image also helps with the eye catching element by looking directly into the camera. My magazine attracts teenage girls and young women who are into Indie/Alternative music and who have an interest in fashion, the cover lines on the magazine relate to some artists and their interests. The colour scheme reflects an element of sophistication which you wouldn’t normally see in this genre of magazine, I wanted it to be music focused, but with an element of fashion intertwines. The artistic and sophisticated fonts I have used give my magazine some personality, the hand written like font almost personalises the magazine as it’s randomly strewn across the page, over the picture and is in an eye catching colour, it looks like it has been written by the artist herself, which could gain reader interest and trust. I think the layout doesn’t make the page look to busy, as I want my readers to see my magazine as casual and easy reading. My artist looking directly into the camera almost screams ‘BUY ME!’ , I’ve noticed this on some magazines before, if the image isn’t eye catching, then I don’t buy it, which is what made me choose this picture, her casual attire and look of ‘feistiness’ connotes and Indie/Alternative genre. The bands listed give a good indication about what my magazine includes, I think this would be the point of interest and determine whether it gets bought or not, the bands are of an Indie/Alternative genre which would hopefully attract the reader.

21. I wanted to keep to a minimalistic layout throughout my magazine, and I thought the contents page is one of the most important aspects of the magazine. I used a simple yet stylistic font when number the features artists and so on, so my contents page is easy to navigate. I put the page numbers in ascending order so my readers can find what they want easily and wont feel manipulated by the layout. I used red lines to break up the listings and to carry on the red, black and gold colour scheme, it looks professional. The image of the front cover would be on every issue along with the information about the stylists, make-up artists and photographers, to add reader interest. I included a note from the editor, which is a convention from Look magazine which inspired me. I included what the issue was about, the fact summer was coming up and festival season is upon us, as some of my target audience would be going to festivals this summer, I wanted to unify my readers and to gain reader interest within the first few pages, I used the handwritten font to make it seem like the editor had written it themselves, which gives a personal element to the page, I also added a picture of the editor because I wanted the readers to know who they were being spoken to by, I think this is a great convention when making a magazine as it can gain reader trust and determine the success of the magazine. The information in the contents is informative yet blunt at the same time, I didn’t want to give too much away in the beginning of the magazine, which hopefully would make the reader want to read on and find out the contents of the magazine!

22. The main image connotes attitude which I think is important when trying to portray an artist, my artist looks relaxed but isn’t showing much emotion, leaving the article to reveal her personality and gaining reader interest, my artist is wearing casual clothing which again relates to the Indie/Alternative genre, and she is wearing dark eye make-up, natural face make-up and red lipstick, which it the only element of red on the page, which I really liked. The information at the side of the image about the stylist and the artists clothes and make-up are also a common convention on double page spreads. In the article I used colloquial language and even some swear words which relate to the Indie/Alternative genre, I used first person and humour to build a relationship between the reader, enticing them to read more and want to know further information about the artist. I introduced the setting of the interview and included some information about the artist before the interview started to gain reader interest and to set the scene help the reader depict the interview in their mind whilst reading. The colour scheme runs through the tree pages, but the only element of red on this page is the red lipstick my artist is wearing. I chose red, black and gold as they aren’t stereotypically girly, but they connote sophistication and attract girls/women, I think it has been used in a skilful way, as the colour scheme isn’t too pronounced, or in your face, creating a laid back approach to the page and it not looking too busy or manipulative to the reader.

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

24. Throughout constructing my magazine, ‘Compilation’ I have developed general IT skills and how to use Photoshop properly, prior to this task I had no idea on how to create layers, cut out an image or even use the programme, but after this task I am comfortable with using the programme and it has taught me a lot. I have become more confident in cutting images out since I discovered the magnetic lasso tool, and the feathering tool, which smooth's and perfects fine and slight any small faults you may have. The ability to change the colourings and effects on a picture is great, it helps the picture gain quality and can change some features dramatically, like hair colour, skin colour and even make-up. During the process of my magazine I had learn to use new (to me!) technologies such as Blogger, Photoshop, Animoto, Scribd and Slideshare, learning how to use these programmes have now changed the way i portray things, for example when doing a presentation etc. I feel I have gained a lot of knowledge by being introduced to these programmes, out of them all, initially, Photoshop was the one I was most wary about, as I had never used it before, aspects I found in Photoshop which were always helpful were converting pictures to black and white, the crop tool and erasing the background of an image, playing around with the colourings helped me decide my final colour scheme. Learning how to use programmes such as Scribd and Slideshare made it much easier for me to share my work on my blog, as it’s so easy to use and helps with the presentation side of the work, the tools on Animoto are also very helpful, I had previously used this but I really like how it turns a boring slideshow, into a music accompanied presentation within minutes, this really helped me when trying to initialise my ideas in the first few tasks of this project.

25. Looking back at your preliminary task (the school magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

26. Preliminary Copies Draft Copies Final Copies

27. My journey, and how I’ve improved. Immediately from looking back at my preliminary task, and my drafts which I have included pictures of, I have massively improved, not only on technique but I have gained a much wider knowledge on Photoshop, on conventions and even important media vocabulary. When we started the prelim task, I had no experience prior to that lesson about Photoshop or any of the other programmes I’ve used throughout my project. From the start I had a very rough idea of what I wanted to do, on the layouts that is, obviously the fonts, the colour scheme and the images come together after some thought and research, when looking back at my prelim task, I think I had all the basics there, the masthead, the barcode, the main image and some cover lines, only recently over these past few months had I learnt about the importance of the placement of the barcode, the main image, the cover lines etc., and it helped improve my magazine massively. When I received the feedback from my draft, it made me want to change everything, and I did, the layout, the colour scheme, the main image, and even the cover lines I changed as I wanted to make it look as appealing as possible to my target audience, I wanted to keep the minimalistic layout and I think I have still maintained that throughout the task. Overall I think I have progressed massively between the two tasks, looking back I think ‘what was I thinking’ but now I realises it was just a learning curve in which I have improved on and personally I think I’ve done well in, I’m really happy with my final pieces and I’m glad I changed what I did in the amount of time I had to do it in, gaining the knowledge in Photoshop, DaFont and various other programmes have shown how much I’ve improved since the first task, and shows what you can do with just a few clicks on a mouse, I am very proud of what I have achieved, and I really hope my hard work pays off!.