Final Front page

Final contents page

Final double page spread

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have larnt in the progression from it to the final product?

If we look back at my preliminary task, we can see a huge difference in the professionalism from the first attempt to my final magazine front cover.  as my front cover looks so much better that my preliminary task (named 'goffs gossip'), is that i have learnt a great better knowledge from when i done to my preliminary task to my final piece.

the first thing i found out from doing it the first time and then learning from it, is to definitely have a plain background as if there are shadows or roughly the same colours behind it is so much more difficult to cut out with the lasso tool on photoshop elements.  which means i had to learn of how i would have to place my model on a easy background and so that the model and the background do not blend in.  When doing this i had to learn about the media conventions of the magazines, such as the pugs, cover lines, the images and the barcodes with prices.  They are all there for specific reasons and play their own art to complete the magazine, i have learnt how to do these successfully.  

When doing all of this and the from the run p of my preliminary task i have learnt a great deal of techniques which are used on photoshop elements.  i now understand what each icon is used for, which was enough for me to construct my magazine.

Over the period of time when doing all of this i feel i have made such an achievement in learning all of the technologies used, overall i feel that i have learnt a lot of different things within the space of time when doing my preliminary task all the way up to my final pieces of my magazine.

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

When doing this task there was 3 main parts of technology that i had to get used to.  These were using a camera, using the mac computers which included using photoshop and then lastly using the website of www.blogger.com.  At the start of this product i did not have a clue of how to use any of these, i really didn't like the way the macs are and i had to overcome that.  

When first using the cameras i was quite comfortable using those, but then i wasn't really sure how to focus somethings and get all the lighting sorted out.  i could figure out the camera angles i needed and how it would be placed on a page but there was too many buttons on the camera for me to take in.  

When i was using the second piece of technology was using Photoshop elements software.  I have never used the mac computers before so it was difficult to navigate around them and then also learning how to use photoshop, that was a different matter. When going through my stages of the saving process i had become quite annoyed as some elements of it didn't save correctly and had results in me starting somethings again.  When using the photoshop i had then become more comfortable with using the mac computers, and it had become a lot easier to use after learning about it more.  

With after using the macs and photoshop i then had another software element i had to use, which was on blogger.com.  This technologies hadn't meant anything to me before doing these tasks.  But with the only way to get my work uploaded onto an electronic database was by on a blog.  So i had to gain an understanding of it fast for me to be able to get a good layout on my blog, with the knowledge i had learnt i think i had made an impressive and neat layout on my blog.

All of these technologies has gained my knowledge on lots more of things that i can use again, i believe that i have done really well in using all of these for the first time, and i would love to use these technologies again in the future.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract my target audience, I tried to include everything in which they would of wanted to see and everything that related to them.  My double page spread is to make it look chilled out and that a rock-star can do what he wants.  this is to relate back to the genre and address to the target audience.  the front page model is addressed to look cool and that kind of stare where he is looking at the readers saying i don't care.  this appeals to the audience as they may want to be like him or because he is familiar with one of their favorite members of another band.  The wording around the magazine appeals to the target audience as its punchy and sometime aggressive.  Also within the interview with the artist its relates back to the fans and gives the opinions from the artist, this is what the target audience like to see when reading about their idol.

With the title on the front page looks cagey and scratched which relates again back to the rock feel about, it also looks different and stylish at the same time, people would want to see this instead of a just a big bold font just on the front of a page.

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

The target audience for my magazine would be the previously described as rock/indie people.  i have already explained my chosen target audience person and this would be based around Laura(see below).  Their main artists of choice would be Pink, pixie lott, the kooks and scouting for girls.  This is a wide variety of  artists which fall beneath the title of indie maybe pop music.  There is a diverse range of artists here which are both from the UK and USA, which would appeal to my target audience.  These are the kind of artists in which would be featured in my magazine and would interest my target audience.  

3. What kind of media institutions might distribute your media product and why?

The choice of having the right publisher for your magazine is essential if you want it to be a success.  With having the right amount of funds for the publishing itself, the advertising and the nearby printing of the actual magazine, whatever it is, its crucial to make the right choice.  While i was looking for the right source which would be ideal to publish my magazine, i had found an institution which may distribute my type of magazine.  This institution is called IPS media, and they are poplar and well known for distributing magazines.  But in this case they only distribute NME magazine.  The web address where you can find these publishers is on www.ipcmedia.com.  When i chose this i thought that they were the right choice and because they only actually distribute one magazine.  In this case i believe that they will be looking for more magazines and to expand their business.  However with IPC they may actually want to distribute my magazine because of their small business in their music magazine sector.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

With my reference to my target audience, it is aiming at the younger generation, both male and female, with the mid teens early 20's age range.  When i have used the colour scheme, selected genre and the artists featured to reflect on what the audience is receiving from my project.  I have used the colour scheme of Red, purple and black, these are the colours that represent the genre of rock/indie music. The images that were used had kept to the rules with the model dressed in a leather jacket and a guitar on his shoulder, this doesn't apply to all models as this style of clothing is not mandatory.  The rock genre is addressed in all sorts of ways with it coming to dark colours and a rocky look about it.  The model used in my magazine is of a white middle class person, which is what most of the rock community is, with the choice of equipment that the model is using, and also the background of the wall, shows that rock feature, this is the ideal room to rehearse in as being a solo artist you have to start somewhere. 

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

With my media product I think that it sticks to most media products conventions such as having a masthead and a pug, but in some cases there might be signs of not sticking to the conventions of them.

A pug like this one with some kind of offer on it, which is on the front page.  This one is positioned on right hand side of the page, as it is out of the way and is quite out of view of eye view point.

On my front page my pug is also in the same position, this is to get more eye view onto the bigger picture, although the pug is illustrating a competition and wanting people to win it can still be over looked by the picture.

There other ways that my front page keeps with conventions and still develops them further, it would be the sub heading at the bottom of the page, it is made not too large so it can fit other things around it.  Myn is slightly slanted and above the bottom of the page, this is again to add more information around my front page. 

In some ways this does make it look quite unusual, but it still fits in well for me to be able to get other things to fit in underneath, like the barcode and also a tag-line along the bottom which matches it at the top of the page.  With the colours that i have used they are relatively new and i haven't seen a magazine with these specific colour schemes.

With the exception of the magazines that i have analyzed they are quite bright colours that have been used and some of them are dark colours for example the Q magazine is quite a chilling look as there are dark colours and a bright red.

With the magazine of NME they use a medium close up of The gossip, with them looking into the camera in a cool looking way.  The way i have used eugene in this picture has tried to represent this, with him he has got his guitar and this represents the title about the solo question.  With having my model being partly covered up by text this makes the objects and text around him stand out better, this is making my magazine works effectively at challenging the conventions which makes it work.

With all of these effects taking place the rules for my magazine will be making it stand out and to be something different. With shops being interested in having my magazine, with it on the shelf will make customers catch a glimpse of my magazine and be intrigued of how unique it is.

Step by step for Front page

Step 1

I started off with a blank white background, and i have added a picture of eugene, i had used 2 copies of the title to get it with the purple outline.  i had used a neon colour of purple and had colours it in so it comes through to the front of the top title.  This shows the creative side to it.  By having the barcode in the bottom left shows a similarity to any day magazine and has to be sold with one on it.

Step 2

With these next steps i have added a top and bottom banner, where i can input text over the top of it for it to stand out and makes the reader look at it more when buying the magazine.  I have placed a pug on the front cover now which is introducing a co

mpetition where you can win tickets.  I have started to write the first part of this weeks stories with going solo which is a font off the website dafont.com.  With 2 pictures added also on the front this adds another story to the magazine. 

 

Step 3

With this last step i have added a caption to the 2 pictures which i had added and also i have added the rest of the title which has a block of white around it which makes it stand out more.  There is more stories that has been added now.  All of the fonts on this page are from the website of www.dafont.com.

Step by step of Contents page

Step 1
I started off with using a large picture of eugene, i then put the title to the left hand side of the page.  The word contents is from the website of dafont.com.  I think that it works well as it matches some of the other text on the front cover.

Step 2

In this step i then added the captions of the photos and also some detail which is to go under the title.  With the date and the website added this is important for the readers as it gives them another chance to read the magazine online.  I then wrote in the subheadings in with the page numbers.  I also added the title from the front page and added it to the bottom this gives it that touch to say its from the same magazine.

Step 3 

I then added some more captions and some pictures.  i have added a another special effect under the sub heading of special features.  I added the 2 more pictures of the brit awards this is to add some more features for the magazine.

Step 4 

This is  the last step that was made for the final product.  i had added the subheading for the special features.  I also have added two pictures of they are of a drum set and a collection of guitars.  This is to t\relate back to the rock theme and gives it same connection with the artist who is giving the interview.

Step by step of Double page spread

Step 1

When doing the double page spread i have used a plain black background, with a large picture taking up one side of the page, with a smaller one in the bottom right hand corner.

I had got the chain tool ready to stretch the larger picture so it keeps it in all in proportion.

Step 2

I then added the title of this page, and an background box by using the rectangular marquee tool to make the pink boxes where i could place the writing on top to make it stand out more clearly. With the exclusive box at the bottom this also makes the story stand out more. i had chose the colours on this page to match the wall colour in the picture that i had taken so it matched all the way through.

Step 3

I have then added a few figures of speech in red on the corners of the two pictures this is too give it that rock look and to make you get a feel of what the artist is about. I have also then added a quote in which the artist had made earlier on that day, this gives it that personal factor and makes the reader feel part of the interview. I then added a 2 lines of text promoting the artists single, this makes the reader feel part of it and will keep reading on.

Step 4
With the final thing to be added was the actual interview with the artist. This has taken most of the room up on the right hand side of the page, and is the most important things on the page along with the pictures. The colour of the writing had to be perfect so that the readers could read it and understand it.

Front cover preliminary task

Contents page preliminary task

Questionnaire Results

With the outcome of my results for my questionnaire they will make an impact on my final decisions for my magazine. With the final product design will be decided by these results, which will determine my audeince preferences.

1. How old are you? (total votes 7)

10-15 0 (0%)
16-25 5 (71%)
26-35 2 (28%)
36 or older 0 (0%)

With the results of this question, it seems to show that my genre of my music magazine is for the younger generation as to the older generation. This age range is what i will aim my target audeicne at. My magazine will include musical influences which the younger generation can relate to. With the design, it will have to be bold with colours that stand out, the magazine should also include latest gossip and events in which the audience appeal to.


2. What genre of music do you like? (total votes 7)

R n B 2 (28%)
Rock 2 (28%)
Indie 4 (57%)
Pop 2(58%)

Having looked at the results, its quite equal throuhg most of them, but the one that seems to be most popluar is the indie genre. These genres play a big part on the styles, the colours and designs of the magazine. By using this genre (indie) I can also relate abck to the rock genre as they are linked together tin some ways.


3. What draws your attention to the magazine itself? (total votes 7)

Colours 5 (71%)
Main picture 3 (42%)
Bold text 3 (42%)
Competitions 2 (28%)

With this information it makes it a lot clearer in what the audience actually look straight to when buying a magazine.  It shows me that by having bold bright colours it will attract the audience well, also by having lots of bold text it will emphasize what the magazine is trying to say.  As these things will be recognizable on the front cover, i will; use the same colour scheme throughout the task.

4. What point of view shot would you prefer on the front cover? (total votes 6)

Mid shot 5 (83%)

Close up 1 (16%)

Birds eye view 1 (16%)

High angle 3 (50%)

Low angle 0 (0%)

By looking at the results it shows that what would appeal to the audience is having a mid-shot on the front cover of the magazine.  Having these results in front of me it helps me when i take my pictures so i know i can focus on getting those type of photos, so it suits the style for the target audience of which they like.

5.  How much would you spend on a magazine? (total votes 7)

£0-£1 1 (14%)

£1-£1.50 2 (28%)

£1.50-£2.00 1 (14%)

£2.00 and higher 3 (42%)

The price of the magazine relies on how much income the audience receives.  As the target audience is aimed at a younger generation they are expected to have a lower income.  So you don't want to overprice the magazine where the audience can't actually afford it.  The analysis shows that majority of the audience would spend £2.00 or higher on magazines.  So in reason to this i would price my magazine at £2.50 that it is within a comfortable price range.

6. What would you exactly want to know when reading a music magazine? (total votes 7)

About the artists as a person 5 (71%)

Gossip 6 (85%)

Reviews on artists and their music 3 (42%)

Dates of concerts, gigs and tours 6 (85%)

With this information i can see that what the audience would most like to see in the magazine.  For these results i was specifically able to see that the audience are attracted to having gossip and having specific information about the artists as a person also with the dates of any concerts, gigs and tours.  This is understandable as when you read a magazine, you want to carry on finding out different and more material about things going on.

7. What title for my magazine do you prefer? (total votes 7)

Tune 1 (14%)

Rhythm 0 (0%)

Flare 2 (28%)

Rocked 0 (0%)

Pulse 4 (57%)

The results of this specific asked question shows that the most popular magazine title is 'Pulse' which had got the most votes.  This was my favorite choice as it is a cool and strikes as being a memorable title.  The named title does just not link to music but also to the heart beat, which comes as a factor of rock/indie music as its fast and up beat and gives that feeling towards the specific genre as well.

8. How often do you buy magazines? (total votes 7)

Every day 0 (0%)

Once a week 3 (42%)

Every fortnight 2 (28%)

Every month 2 (28%)

By looking at these results, they show that the audience are more than likely to buy a magazine once a week.  With the results i feel that if it was released weekly it would become repetitive and wouldn't be enough to fill it on an weekly basis.  Also it would be limited on the amount of time spent in actually creating the weekly issue.  I have therefore decided to create a magazine which will be released monthly, so the audience will feel they are receiving good news each month and are not tedious of what may have been part of a weekly magazine.

9. Which of these colour schemes would fit best for my magazine? (total votes 7)

Green/Luminous yellow/ Black 1 (14%)

Red/Blue/White 6 (85%)

Luminous yellow/Blue/Pink 2 (28%)

Luminous green/Blue/White 0 (0%)

For the colour schemes I wanted to choose colour groups with what matched the genre of music.  I came up with colours that i had earlier thought about doing on an Rock magazine.  But the results show that the colours they prefer to see are Red/blue/black.  This is the group that i had intended to do, i feel that it matches ,my genre of rock music well and it also links to the united kingdom flag colours.  So it shows it has a meaning to the music as well with it being british.  I wanted it to be powerful colours and for a meaning behind them and a positive feel about them.

Colours

Green/ Luminous yellow/ Black
Red/ Blue/ White / Purple/ Black
Luminous yellow/ Blue/ Pink
Luminous green/ Blue/ White

I like all of these colour categories for my magazine. They all have different moods to them, however the colour categorie that i think would suit my magazine best would be red,blue,white, purple and black, these are quite the rocky colours i was looking for and they suit it well. they can easily be associated with the rock genre it also it has the british element in it with the colours of red, blue, and white.

Fonts

Font ideas for Titles

I like this font as it has a good look about it, although it is still quite simple it can attract you in a good way.  It is also looks similar to the Band hero for xbox

 font, this could also be recognized by it.

This 2nd font is really good, as it is bold and easy to read.  I like the border around each of the letters and also the parts where it is fading makes it look interesting and different from the others.  this would look good for the genre of a rock magazine, so i may use this one as it matches my magazine style.

This font is good and different, its not in a straight line which makes it unique as well which i like.  The scratching on all the letters brings out that rock look again which is what I'm looking for.  This is the one i will most probably use as it matches my genre of magazine well.

This font is ok, it is not the best as it is quite bold and I don't think it really suits the style of magazine.  Where it is so bold it may take up a lot of the page and will make people look more at the title than more than the actually front page, and that wouldn't be good.

I like all these fonts as they are quite modern and funky but i think any of these certain ones would look good on my magazine front cover anyway.  Also i think that the fonts that would best suit my magazine style of my magazine would be The Birth of a Hero, Action of the time, Hard rock.

These font styles are quite rock looking and suit the rock/indie genre so i think that they would contrast quite well together.

Font ideas for Text  

These are some of the fonts that i am thinking of using for my text inside my magazine.  The font of Impact is the font that i am going to use as this is a good bold font and draws your eyes to it most.  So this would be most useful when using this inside my magazine.  Also it is quite rock looking although it is still very simple.

Story Ideas

Here are a few rough story-lines that I thought of, I could use these and develop these as headlines towards my magazine.

(Name of celebrity) has first number one!

(Name of celebrity) at the Brit awards 2010!

(Name of celebrity) reveals all about her latest album!

Go behind the scenes at (Name of celebrity) latest concert!

I will have to put lots more in my contents page, which would fill a whole magazine up, i will also include sections of the magazine into different parts of the magazine like, competitions, quizzes, gossip on artists, and torso of the month.

These will look to a professional standard and will include pictures taken by myself.

Magazine Titles

To help me with some magazine titles i have drawn out two mind maps, one with the word "Music" and the other with "Rock/Indie/Neon". With these mind maps i have come up with words that i think relate to the type of genre i am doing. They will help me for when i look further into this so that i can get a clearer picture on the different thoughts i can use in my magazine.