Final media evaluation

Media Evaluation By Tahmina Miah

Q1. In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real music magazines?

My Magazine VIBE Magazine • Masthead – both masthead

are bold and edgy , BASS: has a bright pink font, the stereotypical pink draws most women rather then men. The style is quite rough and edgy, the reason I did this is because it is not as typical for an rnb magazine.

• Skyline - both feature 1 or more artist at the top of the masthead, BASS: has a simple skyline featuring two artists (DRAKE AND LIL WAYNE) the reason I did this is so that the reader can read it quickly.

• Barcode – both barcodes are place at the bottom left corner, BASS: the barcode is vertical and also has the issue number and price.

• Main image - both are very similar. BASS: the pose of the model is quite sexy, the reason I did this was because most rnb magazines have a stereotypical view on women; they have to be pose sexy and have reveal clothes. I portrayed this in my magazine mainly because readers will notice the genre of the magazine just by looking at the main image.

• The image is in centre of the page , usually the main artist is there as the magazine is mostly about them.

• Straplines – both have a similar layout of straplines, BASS: the straplines give you an insight of what's featured in the magazine, this gives a glance towards the readers which will make them eager to buy it.

• They have been layout on both sides, so it looks even.

• The straplines feature artists , quotes, interviews etc Most magazines do this to show what they offer inside the magazine.

• Exclusivity – the word ‘EXCLUSIVE’ is linked with the interview, as it will grab the typical 16 – 24yr old, the reason it will attract them is because they will want to be first to reader and find out what’s so exclusive in the music industry.

Similarities

Q1. In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real music magazines?

Differences

• Masthead – VIBE has a different font style to BASS as it is not rough and edgy, the reason I think they did this was because they wanted it to look professional. They colour also is different as they have gone for a subtle peachy/coral colour.

• Skyline - VIBE has a slightly small sized skyline with quite a bit of writing, its a bit more descriptive then BASS.

• Main image - VIBE’s main image is Janet Jackson (artist/celebrity) Her pose is more sexy then BASS, her hands on her jeans adds sex appeal , as it attracts readers mainly men.

• Unlike BASS, VIBE has a prop: Digital camera, which makes the magazine cover look more interesting.

• Also her facial expression is more energetic, which is like most Hip Hop music magazine as they tend to have serious expressions.

• Straplines - VIBE, the straplines are more to the left side they are all squashed together unlike BASS. The font is slight bigger to attract readers.

• Its features artist and celebrities however it does not have quotes unlike BASS, which does give the reader much to look at.

• Barcode – VIBE, it is in the same position as BASS, however it is horizontal which make its look more professional as most magazines do this.

Font – the contents page font is similar to the font of the front cover. Its is also similar to the font used in the VIBE contents page. Also I feel that the font is simple, bold and gives off a cool trendy look.

Main image – my main image is on the right hand side of my contents page as it is typical in most music magazines. I used the same model in the front cover as the magazine is mainly focused on her (interview on her). In the front cover she looks a bit serious so I thought in the contents page she should look a bit more feminine and sexy, the reason I did this because I didn’t want the model to have the same looks, I wanted different facial expressions for each page she is in.

Overall layout – like most magazine I decided to have columns as most readers are use to these layouts. I have quite a bit of writing however it doesn't not show everything in magazine. They are under subheadings such as Features, news, competitions etc. The reason I have done this is so that it is more clear for the reader to navigate and also most music magazine have this. I have decided to stay with the same colours as the front cover as I did not want it to look like it was from a different although most music magazine tend to change their colour scheme. I have used the same font style for the contents page in the sub headings so that it stands out.

Extras – unlike most music magazine I have decided to put a music chart on the top left side to show that it is a music magazine and also to attract readers by showing that the magazine itself is up to date with new music and who’s hot and who’s not in terms of artists and tracks.

Contents page

Q1. In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real music magazines

I think my double spread is similar to flavour magazine. The main image is on the left side and is quite big. The way the model is standing shows that she is relax , which gets the reader in to the mood, for sitting down and take their time in reader this interview. Again I have stuck to the same colour scheme, although most music magazines do not do this, I wanted to be different and try something else.

The double spread is not an article but a interview on the artist. The questions are highlighted in pink and the answers are in black to make it clear to the reader it is an interview. The questions are based on the front cover main strap line and also music. The size of the answer is not all the same they are different sizes depending on how in detailed the question is. It is not a long interview, as there are 10 questions, the reason I did this is so that the reader does not get bored and skip the page as it is the main bit of the overall magazine.

I have added a quote near the main image, to get the reader a bit more interested. Also like most magazines I have a page number and also the name of the magazine and its website.

Q1. In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real music magazines

Q2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Firstly the style of the model on the cover page instantly would make the reader relate to the magazine as they could recognise their own style and be interested in the magazine, using this would make the magazine sell more to the specific target audience.

The colours scheme used on the front cover; pink and grey are used as they contrast each other well and they stand out enough on a white background, much like the target audience for my magazine as they are the type of people who like to stand out and be ‘different’ by the choice of clothes that they wear or by the music they listen to. Also from my research I found that not many magazines used bold unusual colours such as pink as a main colour for their colour scheme, this made me want to use it to give my magazine further identity.

The font style on the masthead, relates to particular social groups as it is edgy and creative and also suits the genre of the magazine and the music they listen to.

The straplines represent particular social groups as it is mostly about young, famous and known artist/celebrities such as ‘ Rihanna, Chris Brown ‘ etc. This will attract social groups as the featured artists are those they are interested in and also like their music.

Q3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

• This is because it is UK’s leading consumer magazine and digital publishers with a massive portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year and also produce over 60 iconic media brands

• They publish popular magazines such as ‘NME’ and ‘Uncut’ across the UK.

• They don’t publish any Hip-Hop magazines and by distribute my magazine they will have an increase of sales as it will attract a broader audience . Also my magazine will not have to compete with other magazines with the same genre in this media institution as there is none.

• Furthermore IPC media have partnerships with big branded supermarkets , so this will widen my target audience as it will be easy to find unlike some music magazines as they sell in specific places

http://www.ipcmedia.com/

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/

• Bauer Media reaches over nineteen million UK adults across multiple media channels.

• They produce a wide range of media that targets both genders and different age categories, and as my target audience is both males and females aged 16-24 they have successfully publish magazines such as ‘Q’ and ‘KERRANG’.

• So by adding a different type of genre; Hip-Hop it will increase the amount of people readings Bauer’s product as it is worldwide – 38 million copies a week in 15 countries.

• Bauer Media also has Bauer Radio which contains Heat Radio, Smash Hits etc. Therefore by having a Hip Hop magazine it might encourage them to have a Radio based on the magazine, which will help promote the magazine.

Q3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Q4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my media music magazine are ‘ typical 16 – 24yr olds’. It is for both male and female although it is quite feminine with use of the colour pink.So readers might suggest it is a women music magazine rather then both gender. The reason I chose this age range is because:•They are more, likely to listen to music and keep update with ‘what's new in the music industry’. •In addition, they are rather ‘heavy spenders’ e.g. They tend to have the latest gadgets such as iphones and blackberries, are interested in going to concerts and are fashionable. •They use social network sites such as twitter, facebook etc. •They are interactive and use their spare time surfing the web, and are normally involved with music in any type of shape or form whether it is listening to music, dancing to hip hop music or singing to it.

My target audience is on the ‘aspirers’ category , this is mainly people who desire status and success. These people also aspire to be wealthy and influential due to the stereotypical view on a hip hop artist’s lifestyle. A target audience that cannot be interested in my magazine are ‘reformers’ as they are people who less selfishly motivated and care less about status, as they are more on the caring professions.

Q5. How did you attract / address your audience?

•My magazine is quite similar to the typical hip/hop magazine. •The house styles colour Pink and grey is unusual for the genre I am going for however it will attract the colour because it is unique. •A plug that shows a list of artist in that genre will draw the audience and also they will known its is a hip hop magazine.•The masthead is quite edgy which goes well with the overall theme and genre.•The white background suggests maturity and class•Simplistic and formal language.•The bold font style and size will get the readers attention. The reader will not have to squint as it is noticeable. •The model looks friendly and welcoming, which will intrigue the audience.

Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Throughout the process of making my music magazine I have learnt and developed many new skills due to programs and websites such as :

Adobe Photoshop Cs3 helped make my magazine as professional as possible. Adobe Photoshop Cs3 helped me enhance , alter and remove background and filter my images to make them look as eye – catching and amazing, also I could convert my images to make them to the best quality without ruining the original quality of the image. Tools like the quick selection tool really helped be cut unwanted bits which was really useful.

Furthermore, I also have learnt how to upload documents (research) onto Blogger, which was very useful as I was able to keep track of what I have done.

Q7. What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from your preliminary task to the full product?

Looking back at my preliminary task I feel I that this experience was a work in process, from which I have learnt many new skills and developed my understanding and my current knowledge about the production of music magazines and the everything behind it all , for e.g. how to attract a specific audience and the depth of research and planning I had to do , in order to make my music magazine successful. In addition, I also learnt how to make it look professional rather than amateur looking.

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

Would you buy it?

YESNO

PictureColour SchemeLayoutMastheadStraplines

What needs to be improved ?

What attracts you to buy the magazine?

PictureColour SchemeStraplineNothing

Does it suit the genre?

YESNO

Overall Audience Feedback

Positive

• The layout of the Contents Page • The straplines; interesting• The masthead style • The Model• Genre (Hip Hop)• Nice and Simple • Easy to read • The variety on the Contents

page

Negative

• The colour scheme • Quite girly • The interview (too much information)• Lack of more colours• Looks too neat almost like a book• Name of the magazine • Not unique• Typical genre