Foundation Portfolio Evaluation By Katie Rowan – 12EIB.

FoundatioFoundation Portfolio n Portfolio EvaluationEvaluation

By Katie Rowan – 12EIBBy Katie Rowan – 12EIB

THE CRITERIA I WILL COVER

Intend To Cover- Technologies we used to produce it-Institutions Technologies we used to produce it-Institutions and potential distributorsand potential distributors

-Audience + how the final product addresses itAudience + how the final product addresses it

- Forms and conventions of music magazines- Forms and conventions of music magazines

INTRODUCTIONTO PROJECT

Our project was to create a music magazine. Our project was to create a music magazine. We created a blog to document our progress We created a blog to document our progress in the processes we went through to get to in the processes we went through to get to our finished product. our finished product.

The website we used to create this blog was The website we used to create this blog was ‘Wordpress’ - (‘Wordpress’ - (www.wordpress.com))

The software I used to create my front cover The software I used to create my front cover was Adobe Photoshop cs4. I used Adobe was Adobe Photoshop cs4. I used Adobe Illustrator cs4 to create my double page and Illustrator cs4 to create my double page and contents page. While at first a novice using contents page. While at first a novice using the software, I eventually got my head the software, I eventually got my head around it and got there in the end!around it and got there in the end!

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INSTITUTIONS + DISTRIBUTORS

The institution I think would be most likely to distribute BRIT MUSIC is Bauer publishing, which also distributes the popular rock magazines KERRANG! and ‘Q’. The magazine was priced at £0.99, markedly cheaper than others - KERRANG! is £2.50, and Q is £2.00

My magazine had an audience demographic of 13-19, meaning that the vast majority of its potential consumers would be in secondary education, and therefore unlikely to be earning their own income. With this in mind, I made the price of the magazine £0.99, an affordable price on the average (working class or middle class teenager’s weekly pocket money of £5.00 .

Though I had no set gender bias for the magazine, the fact that the picture were mainly of females

My chosen audience for ‘Brit Music’ was the age band My chosen audience for ‘Brit Music’ was the age band of 13-19, a select audience that would be interested in of 13-19, a select audience that would be interested in recent pop music, which was what my magazine mainly recent pop music, which was what my magazine mainly featured.featured.

This is similar to my original plan, which was to target This is similar to my original plan, which was to target an audience that would be interested in narrower an audience that would be interested in narrower genres such as pop-punk and pop-rock. By doing the genres such as pop-punk and pop-rock. By doing the general genre of ‘pop’ overall, I was able to encompass general genre of ‘pop’ overall, I was able to encompass both of the smaller genres, in effect widening my both of the smaller genres, in effect widening my audience.audience.

I addressed my audience by giving the magazine a I addressed my audience by giving the magazine a youthful feel, featuring pictures of young people as the youthful feel, featuring pictures of young people as the artists, representing them as fun and approachable. I artists, representing them as fun and approachable. I also did this by having up-to-date and current artists also did this by having up-to-date and current artists featured on the front in the form of sell lines. I also featured on the front in the form of sell lines. I also included free posters and a quiz, things that –from my included free posters and a quiz, things that –from my own personal experience- because young people to own personal experience- because young people to want to buy a magazine.want to buy a magazine.

AUDIENCE AND REPRESENTATIONS

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FORMS & CONVENTIONS 1

IMAGE:IMAGE:

Large medium close up of Large medium close up of Emma Palmer. Central Emma Palmer. Central image in the middle of the image in the middle of the page, drawing the attention page, drawing the attention of the reader. The of the reader. The sunglasses Emma wears and sunglasses Emma wears and the black of her cardigan the black of her cardigan connote an aura of mystery, connote an aura of mystery, paired well with her cheeky paired well with her cheeky expression.expression.

TEXT:TEXT:

The red, white and blue The red, white and blue colour theme of denotes the colour theme of denotes the British theme of the British theme of the magazine, fitting in with the magazine, fitting in with the magazine’s title of ‘Brit magazine’s title of ‘Brit Music’.Music’.

TEXT 2:TEXT 2:

The The column column inch inch features features all of the all of the less less important important articles, articles, leaving leaving the focus the focus to be on to be on the cover the cover stories.stories.

FORMS & CONVENTIONS 2

TEXT:TEXT:The red, white and blue colour theme of The red, white and blue colour theme of denotes the British theme of the denotes the British theme of the magazine, fitting in with the magazine’s magazine, fitting in with the magazine’s title of ‘Brit Music’. The fonts I used title of ‘Brit Music’. The fonts I used were ‘Anderson Four Feathers’ (for the were ‘Anderson Four Feathers’ (for the title), ‘Wilderness’ (for the tagline), title), ‘Wilderness’ (for the tagline), ‘Just The Way You Are’ for the sell lines, ‘Just The Way You Are’ for the sell lines, ‘Jellyka, Cutty Cupcakes’ for the second ‘Jellyka, Cutty Cupcakes’ for the second feature article and ‘Birth of a Hero’ for feature article and ‘Birth of a Hero’ for the quiz hook. Upon reflection, I the quiz hook. Upon reflection, I probably should have used less fonts for probably should have used less fonts for improved cohesion, but at the time improved cohesion, but at the time using varied fonts was more using varied fonts was more aesthetically pleasing.aesthetically pleasing.

IMAGE:IMAGE:

Large medium close up of Emma Large medium close up of Emma Palmer. Central image in the middle of Palmer. Central image in the middle of the page, drawing the attention of the the page, drawing the attention of the reader. The sunglasses Emma wears reader. The sunglasses Emma wears and the black of her cardigan connote and the black of her cardigan connote an aura of mystery, paired well with her an aura of mystery, paired well with her cheeky expression.cheeky expression.

FORMS AND CONVENTIONS 3

Callout to draw the reader’s attention and give a feel of what the article is like

Lead-in summarises what is going to be in the article in terms of the content; the artist’s name, age and relevance to the music industry

Lead-out follows the convention of music magazines in promoting the most recent record the artist who is being interviewed has produced, usually in prelude to its release.

Q & A format follows conventions of magazine interviews, highlighting the difference between the interviewer and interviewee with use of alternating colours

FORMS AND CONVENTIONS 4

Page number on photo for reader to easily be able to locate the article they want

Pages in numerical order, split into the two categories of the kind of content they are

Cohesion created by the repeated use of the cover title font

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PROGRESSIONI improved a number of skills between my preliminary production I improved a number of skills between my preliminary production and my main production.and my main production.

I improved my photography skills by becoming bolder in the way I I improved my photography skills by becoming bolder in the way I framed a photograph. I wasn’t so afraid of getting close up to the framed a photograph. I wasn’t so afraid of getting close up to the subject. I learned to position my main image somewhere slightly off subject. I learned to position my main image somewhere slightly off centre to make it more appealing on the eye. I still found it harder to centre to make it more appealing on the eye. I still found it harder to control lighting and that is something I would like to continue to control lighting and that is something I would like to continue to work on.work on.

I developed my digital editing skills over the course of the project. I I developed my digital editing skills over the course of the project. I became more familiar with photoshop and became more skilled in became more familiar with photoshop and became more skilled in altering the hue and saturation of my images. I was also able to altering the hue and saturation of my images. I was also able to enlarge and crop pictures when appropriate. CS4 was new to me but enlarge and crop pictures when appropriate. CS4 was new to me but I gradually became more confident about placing and layering I gradually became more confident about placing and layering objects on my pages.objects on my pages.

I developed my design skills as well. As I said, I took better I developed my design skills as well. As I said, I took better photographs for my music magazine and followed the forms and photographs for my music magazine and followed the forms and conventions of existing magazines more closely.conventions of existing magazines more closely.