Evaluation: Skills development

Looking back at my preliminary task I feel I have progressed in several areas which has helped me to create a full product which is to a higher standard. I feel I have a better idea of how to appeal to a particular audience through research into current magazines and the audience that reads each type of magazine. For example I had a better idea of what questions to ask in my questionnaire after what articles and features are commonly found in music magazines. Also I have learnt that when using Photoshop I have to spend more time paying attention to finer detail to create a more professional looking product. Using vector based images helped create more detail but using pixels helped with the editing more.

Evaluation: Technologies

I used Photoshop to create my college magazine and music magazine. I am quite comfortable using photoshop as my use of the program in the past. I did learn some new skills like how to add a stroke to an object which was helpful for my magazine as it brought out certain text. Also i used a lot more layers  on the design so i had to learn how to manage all of them and use them effectivly to give it a professional look. Having knowledge of the program made the music magazine develop quicker and give me time to perfect it and check for any mistakes.

Evaluation: Addressing my audience

When addressing my audience in my magazine i wrote in an informal way. This will make the reader feel comfortable while reading it.I have also created quite an eye catching front cover to draw the reader in. It hasn't got a very slick cover but it's messy style is eye catching and different to the market. On the front cover i advertised that the readers will be able to gain support for creating their own band. In the magazine the reader will be able to advertise themselves and seek bands to join. This will help get bands out there and give me extra bands to cover. Also i have included gig times and various other events for the reader. This will help them discover new bands and give the bands extra support.

Evaluation: Target audience

My target audience will be all of the sub-cultural group under Rock (eg.Metal head). The magazine will appeal to all of them as i will cover all genres of rock in my magazine. The age range i am aiming for will be 16- 20's but some older audiences may be attracted to the magazine. The look of my magazine is targeted at the younger people.

Evaluation: Institutions

The media institution i used was a independent publisher this would be the most appropriate institution to go for as I was targeting a niche market. Going for a smaller sized publisher will be a lot more cost effective than a larger distributor. The smaller publishing company would give me enough advantages to attract the target audience i want. I could also look into getting a larger publisher to publish my magazine. The avantages of getting a bigger publisher is that it would be able to produce the magazine at a faster rate and it will have dedicated advertising sales staff to increase the magazines profits.

Evaluation: Representation

I have represented youth by using images that are gritty and urban. This urban look fits in with the stereotype that i was going for. The magazine looked messy and the writing was all other the place like certain texts weren’t straight. I tended to stray away from the other magazines which are mostly slick and stylish and well presented. Hopefully my magazine will appeal to my target audience and make them pick it up. I stuck to two colours throughout the magazine, the only other colours present were from my photographs. I stuck to black and white as they work well together and represent the underground well. It also allowed me to make text and the logo stand out well. The layout of the magazine was unusual to most magazines as it was all other the place. But this layout fitted perfectly for the social group I was aiming for.

Evaluation: Forms and Conventions

My music magazine cover is quite unique compared to other magazines on the market at the moment. After researching various magazines I have never come across a magazine that specializes in underground rock. So after knowing this I decided to design one and give this my own unique look compared to other music magazines. My magazine does share some resemblance to other magazines like Metal Hammer and Kerrang! as their magazines are not very slick or stylish because it fits in with the genre of music they are aiming for. I decided to not add any bright colours to the magazine as the underground isn’t seen as a colourful place but seen as a gritty place. My music magazines layout seems to be all over the place but it fits well with the underground look i was going for. The typography in this stands out more than the picture does. and resembles the layout of a magazine from Kerrang! My picture didn’t take much of the cover up it took up about ¼ of the page. This is not seen much on any other magazine as most of them rely on the photo to draw the readers attention. I have used only two colours in my magazine black and white this borrows from Kerrang! Which uses three colours predominately. For my contents i again added the same style font from the front cover this makes it stand out more and easy to read.

Here is the mast head for my magazine. The font i used for the title of the magazine has a distorted look but fits well with the music scene.

Here is the photo i used for my magazine. Due to the backgorund of the final image being inappropriate i cut out the person and added a stroke effect to make it stand out. The image doesn't take up much of the cover which is not seen much in music magazines. Other magazines i looked at presented the main photo large and covering most of the text. Normally the featured musician(s) are well known and are mainstream. The large image could connote how big the band is. This is why i presented the image small to connote how small the underground scene is. I added the stroke effect to make it seem more powerful.

music DPS

contents music

Music front

Music magazine: Original images

Music Magazine Questionnaire

What is your gender?


Male [] Female [] Rather not specify []

What is your age?

Under 15 [] 15-16 [] 17-18[] 19-20[] 21 and above []

Do you regally purchase a music magazine?

Yes [] No []

If yes which music magazine do you buy?

……………………………….

Are you interested in underground music?

Yes [] No []

What genre are you mostly interested into?

………………….

Would you like to see a underground music magazine on the shelves?

Yes [] No[]

Would you like the magazine use a style similar to underground music?

Yes []   No []




I designed my questionnaire to see what audience i would be attracting. Using this i could design a magazine where it would attract this audience.

My own music magazine: Initial ideas

Working title of magazine: Underground Nation

Target Audience-Demographic
Age: 16- Early 20's
Males

Target Audience- Psychographic
Image- Various images depends on genre music covered in the underground scene, Mostly in the majority of the rock genre.
Music - Rock (eg. Classic rock, Indie rock etc.)

Price- £1.99

Weekly or monthly- Monthly

Contents:
-Reviews
-Interviews
-News
-Competitions

Style: Messy, Gritty style to match the underground look.

USP: The magazine provides information on underground bands or bands that aren't very well known. The magazine can be used to catch up on your favourite bands or discover new talented bands from the underground.

DPS

DPS
Originally uploaded by Marcin Rodwell

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Contents Analysis

picture-008
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Cover Analysis

Picture1
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Preliminary task: College magazine contents page

Preliminary task: College magazine cover

Here is my front cover for my college magazine. i usd the colours of the college logo to make it feel like it was part of the college and instantly recognisable.

College magazine cover analysis

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Picture1
Originally uploaded by Marcin Rodwell

College magazine questionnaire

What is your sex? male [] female [] rather not specify []


What is your role in college?1st year [] 2nd year [] 3rd year [] Tutor []

What are your hobbies/interests? (You may state more than one) sports reading ICT music other If other, please specify …………………………………………………………..

What do you enjoy reading? (You may state more than one) music magazines newspaper fiction books non-fiction books other

If other, please specify……………………………………………………………..

What colours would you like on the cover of the magazine? (You may state more than one) red [] blue [] green [] yellow [] pink [] orange [] other []

If other, please specify …………………………………………………………….

What sections would like to have in your college magazine? (You may state more than one) news [] gossip [] music [] sports [] lifestyle [] cafeteria menu [] other []

If other, please specify……………………………………………………………………………..

What house-style would you like on your magazine? bubble [] bold [] slim [] other []

If other, please specify…………………………………………………………………………..

Which font would you like in your magazine? Calibri [] Verdana [] Stencil [] other []

If other, please specify………………………………………………………………………….

What price would you like your magazine to be? 99p or less [] £1.00 - £1.99 [] £2.00 - £2.99 [] £3.00 or more []

Would you like a free gift with your magazine? yes [] no []

If yes what kind of gift would you like?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

How often would you buy the college magazine? daily [] weekly [] fortnightly [] monthly [] each term []

Where would you like to receive your college magazine? library [] form tutor [] cafeteria [] other []

If other, please specify…………………………………………………………………….

A student will appear on the front cover of the magazine, what kind of student would you like to appear on the front cover? (e.g: emo)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

If you selected a student or teacher what scenery would you like behind them? college [] park [] Church lane [] no scenery [] other []

If other, please specify……………………………………………………………………..

Would you like the picture in front of the text or behind it?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….



Would you like a new designed logo or the old logo? new logo [] old logo [] rather not disclose []











What three college colours would you like to see on the logo? Orange [] Blue [] White []