Evaluation of My music magazine

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The masthead is in a large red font. I liked the way the masthead stood so prominently on the page therefore I decided to adapt this into my magazine. I did however use a black font instead as I was using a gold and black background.

I believed portraying the masthead behind the image was very effective and gave a more professional look to the front cover. This is used in multiple magazines i.e. NME, therefore I decided to adapt this into my magazine.

I thought using different colours in one block of text worked well together So I therefore used this design in my own.

The use of the bar code in the bottom corner was better than making it prominent at the top of the page therefore I decided to keep this feature however changed it to the right hand side.

I believed the black and gold worked well together and gave a very professional and expensive look therefore I decided to use this as my colour scheme for my front cover.

As you can see I have made adaptations from the ‘VIBE’ front cover page. For example; I have enabled my picture to cover the Masthead to enable a more professional look. Also, I have included two different colours in one text; for example ‘50’ is in gold, and ‘GREATEST R&B SONGS” I believe is better than just using one block colour which doesn't stand out as much as the gold. To add, I have used a bar code in the bottom corner which is the same as seen in ‘VIBE’ I did make some adaptations from other magazines for example; I used a tag line above the Masthead which is featured in most magazines like ‘NME’ etc. I have used a puff which is frequently used in most magazines to entice the reader with a prize or contest which will make them read further in the magazine.

The use of ‘INSIDE THIS WEK’ looks very effective due to the font and the use of capital letters. Therefore, I decided to adapt this into my contents page.

The use of the extra box of ‘plus’ allows more insight to what is featured in the article therefore I decided to add this in as it allowed more articles than the ones featured. The use of the serif font makes it stand out amongst the other mainly sans serif fonts, therefore I decided to use this feature.

I thought the use of a larger subheading and then the secondary text below it looked really good so I have used this feature in my contents page.

i like the use of the large numbers as they stand out against the picture and look very effective.

I like the way the picture covers one full page and it consists of a close up. Therefore I have decided to use a medium close up to get the same effect that is used here.

I think it looks very professional and is very typical that the layout is in a 3 column format. I believe this allows the text to split up and not seem so over dominating and offputting.

The use of the page number at the bottom corner is ideal here and is a typical use in most magazines of all genre’s.

In this text however, I believe there is too much text. Therefore, I have took ideas from other magazines i.e. ‘VIBE’ which allows some text above the article which gives the reader some insight to what the article is about and allows some background knowledge on the artist.

The use of wthe red against the white and black really stands out and draws the immediate, direct attention of the reader.

A you can see I have taken idea’s from the magazine-Q, in which I have used the full one side to display the medium close up photo and the other side for the article.

The reasoning for the circles is to portray her new single-rising red.

The emphasis of the red on white background really stands out and instantaneously grabs the readers attention.

I have included the date and the journalist who wrote it which is featured in most music magazines. As you can see I have split my

collums into 3 different parts, this is used in most magazines for example; ‘Q’

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product would most likely represent a younger selection of social groups as my target audience if for a younger audience. I would suggest due to the images used, my magazine would represent quite quirky, youthful and energetic social groups. For example, those who enjoy spending time with their friends at a shopping centre or local park. Those who spend their money on branded and expensive clothing. Those who ultimately live a materialistic lifestyle. As you can see my images consist of mainly younger musical artists. For example, ‘the rizzles’ are an adaptation of the well known boy band ‘rizzle kicks’ that I designed, I believe the rizzle kicks have a reputation of being quite cheeky and youthful, and that is what I was aiming for in my photo-shoot, as I believe their pose represented innocence whist portraying cheekiness. In my double page spread I have photographed my model in a oversized extravagant hat in a serious model-like pose. This is to emphasise the expense and experimentation with fashion that the youth of the culture seemed to be affiliated with at this current age. Some of the articles I have included on my contents page and front cover are often associated with fashion, I believe this is a major part of the R&B lifestyle and therefore this must be reflected in my magazine. I believe the target of social class of my audience would be towards a more working/middle class background as; most R&B songs and often rap songs are often about their transition from a lifestyle in an area like ‘queens’ etc to the lifestyle of fame and glory.

As you can see they have been photographed in suits dressed down with jeans and with their shirt loose. I believe this gives a youthful feel and therefore took this into consideration when taking my photographs.

You can see that that has been adapted here through the use of a shirt and tie however dressed down with a quirky hoody.

As you can see their expressions are humorous and look innocent whilst at the same time mischievous.

As you can see the imagery of them smiling indicates a youthful mischievous grin as portrayed in the rizzle kicks photo.

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

I believe Spin would be the company to publish and distribute my magazine. They are the distributers of VIBE magazine, therefore, I believe as VIBE and my magazine both share some similar ideals, that I would be a suitable candidate for them to publish. I believe Spin does cover a range of music genres however, this shows that they are capable of publishing all genre’s and this gives me an understanding of how large and developed this publishing establishment really is.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my media product would not be aimed towards any specified genre. I would say it was both genres. I would say it would be targeted to a much more youthful genre, as R&B is often affiliated with rap, and this is often not indulged by the older population. They would have to have a passion for music. For the male side, My magazine would be targeted as those aspiring to make it in the music industry, those who rap on corners with their friends and are very socially included. For the female side, I would suggest my magazine would be targeted at those who aspire for the fancy lifestyle. Whom are associated with the new fashions and trends and who love their music as well as their materialistic values. I would say they are very socialised and involved with their surroundings. They often have an inspiration for sport, and are seen hanging out by basketball courts or in shopping centre’s. They also have some artistic ability and express their found talent through beautifully crafted graffiti on walls and buildings.

How did you attract/address the audience?

The use of a puff entices my audience with the chance of a prize, the use of the ‘Watch the throne IPad case’ shows that I have considered my genre and my audience, as; watch the throne is affiliated with Rap, and the use of the IPad, shows I have considered my target audience of a youthful genre, as I am considering the use of modern technology.

The use of the names I have used here engage the reader because; they are some of the most prominent names in R&B and therefore instantly grab the readers attention. The use of the gold on the surnames stands out as well as people will have a shared understanding by seeing their surnames.

The use of the prominent masthead dinstantly grabs the readers attention as the colour of black against gold gives a striking background, and therefore directs the audience straight to the name of the magazine.

The use of the coat with the fur hood is very modern in todays fashion therefore, it shows that even the use of men as the main image, I have still considered fashion and more feminist values.

The use of red instantly grabs the readers attention and intrigues the audience to find out more, which they will later discover is her album cover.

The use of the text being split in 3 columns instantly shows a professional look and doesn't of put the reader with too much text.

The use of the picture dominating one page, is very effective as it allows the reader to visualise some imagery without the text being too dominating too significant.

The use of the heading ‘music is my life’ grabs the readers attention as it is in red against a white background and instantly talks about music which is the whole aim of a music magazine.

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

When creating this product I used Microsoft publisher to create mock ups of my prelim and magazine and used this to create my actual magazine and prelim task. I found this was a relatively easy product to use as it was not my first time using it, and I believe its range of accessibilities helped me a great deal in creating my magazine.

To post all my blogs I used the website www.blogger.com When I first used this blogs there was some complications as it was my first time using it, however, Once I started to use it more frequently I grew more adjustable to it. I found it a very modern use of technology to create coursework on and I enjoyed creating blogs and posts for it.

When designing my photo’s I used Adobe Photoshop elements to edit my photo’s for my prelim and music magazine. I did not find it easy at first when practising on pictures for example, removing beer bottles of a wall etc. But once I edited more photo’s I find it got gradually easier. When I edited my photos for my magazine shoot I found the most frequently used tool was the clone stamp. I used this to edit a lot of things, i.e. is there was a mark on a chair, hat etc. Using Photoshop was of the best parts about my course.

When creating my evaluation I used PowerPoint in doing so. I found this relatively easy as it was not my first time using this document.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

When I look back at my prelim task I can see it looks very armature to my finals product. The use of the background colour and graphology of images and text lacks a professional element. As you can see I have developed a lot more from my first prelim task to my final front cover. When designing my front cover I spend more time when creating my photo’s, more time choosing fonts and more time researching magazines of which I aspired my magazine to look like, i.e. VIBE. I believe the transaction from my prelim to my final magazine shows mass significance and improvement and shows my development in skills.

I believe the development form my Prelim contents page to my actual contents page shows mass improvement. For example, the colour of the blue writing ‘contents page’ against a blue background does not look good and clashes against it. The writing has not had as much consideration as my contents page for my music magazine and the prelim contents page shows a general lacking of skill compared to my final contents page.