Magazine evaluation

Remedy:

Magazine Evaluation.

Sarah Fox.

Q1: In what ways does your magazine use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My magazine has a very simple layout, and a simple colour theme. I

wanted it to be simple, yet effective. I thought that if I didn’t overcrowd

my magazine, it would appeal to my audience better as my original

Magazine Survey found that people preferred less text, and more

pictures, image led rather than text led.

I used an image for the front cover which I like to think is quite strong.

My survey results showed that people preferred a strong front cover, and

I tried to create that as best I could. I think that my lead image is strong

and works well for my magazine, as she is looking directly at the

camera, which gives the audience a representation that she is going to

give an open, honest interview. Hopefully, this will draw in my readers.

I put two columns on my double page spread as I think three columns

would be too much, and just one big chunk of text would be too much

for people to want to read. My original survey showed people didn’t like

too much text, so I spread it out to look like less. I put only a small

standfirst as a slight introduction to Polly, people read that first to know

what the interview is about, so it has to be short and simple, but still as

interesting.

Front Cover.Price:The price slotted in perfectly at the top of my masthead. Its easy to read, and

easy to find.

Main Image:I made the background of the image blurred, as it

made Polly the main subject. She stands out well, and the background colour fits well with the other colours I have used.Pull quote:

I included a pull

quote, as I thought it introduces a first look at Polly's interview, also, its full of positive language.

Lead article:The lead article is the only thing shown on my front cover, as I thought it was effective not to overcrowd my cover. This is

‘Image led’ rather than ‘Text led’.

Cover line:The cover line adds interest for the reader.

Masthead:I made sure my masthead was simple, yet still able to stand out. I didn’t want

it to overpower the picture.

Magazine website:I put a web address for the magazine on the

front cover, as I thought it looked effective under the masthead.

Contents.

Page numbers:I put page

numbers in bold so they stood out.

Featured Articles:These are articles for people who are interested in

competitions would look at.

Regular Articles:I put regulars next, as people who would regularly buy this magazine, would probably like to

read them.

Exclusive Articles:I put exclusives at

the top separately as they are the most important updated news in the magazine.Main Image:

There is only one

image on this page, I didn’t put any more on as I wanted my page to be simple, yet with just one effective picture

on the side.

Masthead:I made sure the masthead was the biggest font on the page, as this makes it clear

what page you’re on.

Consistent House Style:I use the same font on each page, also keeping the masthead on each

page as magazines like NME did.

Main Article:I put the page

number in a larger font as it is the main article of the magazine.

Double Page Spread.

Standfirst:I put the standfirst along the top as I thought it looked more

effective and made it stand out so it will be the first thing to be read.

Masthead:I used the same font size and style for the masthead as I have for the other pages, I did this to make a continuous

house style.

Columns:I put it in two columns as it splits up the writing to made it more interesting to read. Its not in big chunks either, I’ve separated questions up to

make it more appealing.

Drop cap.

Lead image: I put my image on one whole side of the magazine, I did this as I thought it looked more effective that having a couple of small

pictures with writing placed around them.

Q2: How does your magazine represent particular social groups?

I think that I have presented my music artist as a fun, outgoing, bubbly

character. I have made the interview light hearted and quite open, yet

still keeping within asking music-related questions.

I wanted my magazine to be a soft rock, edgy magazine, and I like to

think I achieved that. I made sure she looked young, yet professional, by

wearing a leather jacket, military boots, and Autumnal colours such as

black and brown. I took the photo’s in places which I also thought would

fit with how I wanted my magazine to come across as. The front covers

photo was taken at an old Chapel door, the contents page photo was

taken on an old crumbly Graveyard wall covered in moss, and the DPS

photo was taken in an old Quarry. I think these images and their

destinations helped me show the ‘rock’ side of things as rock is often

associated with religious imagery, iconography and death. I contrasted

this sombre imagery by asking my model not to wear too much

makeup, making her seem young and friendly.

My interview is written in a way which would appeal to mainly a female

audience. I have written in a style so that it appeals to teenagers/young

adults, its not written in a style for people over the age of 25. It is written for

people that enjoy finding out about new artists/new bands, and what’s

coming up for them.

Q3: What kind of media institution might distribute your magazine and why?

I think if anyone published my magazine, it would be IPC. This is

because they publish NME, and my magazine is similar to NME. My

magazine is not very crowded, and neither is NME, yet both have the

same features of a conventional magazine.

I think my audience might prefer to have a digital copy of my

magazine. I think this because its aimed for teenagers/young adults, and

that’s the generation that prefer to do many things online. Also, the price

is an attractive feature to my audience, therefore I think it would be

cheaper if it is distributed online.

My magazine has lots of competitions in it, so I think it would be easier

for my target audience to apply for them online, I think they would find it

an easy thing to do and prefer it to having to send it off. It also includes

gig information, so having it online, makes it easier for my readers to look

up any extra information, or to book the tickets. I think they would find

many aspects of magazines better if it was placed on the internet.

The reason why they would possibly like a hard copy, is so that they

have something to own, as you buy something, you quite like to own

it, and if they wanted to cut out any pictures, they would be able to do

that if it was printed.

IPC: IPC has music magazine giant NME, I based my

magazine partially on NME as I liked how it wasn’t

overcrowded and used a large picture to sell itself.

Bauer

Media:

Bauer

Media

publish

music

magazine

Kerrang!.

Kerrang! Is

a popular

magazine,

with lots of

fans and

readers.

This

magazine is

very

different to

mine, as it is

more

grungy and

informative.

Q4: Who would be the audience for your magazine?

I have targeted my magazine for ages 15-20 women. This is because I

can relate easily to that age group, and can understand what people in

this group like, and dislike.

My survey showed me what kind of things people liked, and I tried to

develop my magazine, by using a lot of these ideas from people. I also

added in things that I had seen in other magazines, such as NME which is

what I found a lot of my target audience read.

I would say my magazine is aimed more towards females, rather than

males, as my featured artist is a girl and this could put some men off by

thinking it will be too girl-related, yet some guys would still like some of the

things I have featured in my magazine, such as gig information and

discounts.

I don’t think older people would benefit from my magazine, they would

probably enjoy looking through the latest bands, and maybe doing the

quiz, but I don’t think they would enjoy some of my interviews, and some

of the competition prizes would be classed as something a younger

person would enjoy more. A younger person would probably have a

better time going to some of the gigs, and downloading the free music

that my magazine offers as prizes.

What elements appeal to your target audience?

I included lots of interviews as the majority of people that did my original Survey, said that they felt interviews would attract them to my magazine.

In my original survey, people said that they like vouchers/discounts, and they also mentioned a lot about how they enjoy regularly going to gigs, so I included a discount on a

ticket website.

I included featured bands and updates, as my target audience selected how they like gig information, so I thought it would be good to include information about new bands/current bands, so that they can see what's new.

A quiz just adds to the fun, and works with the age my magazine is targeted at

My original survey showed that people want to know about upcoming gigs, and all the information to go with it. So I added

that into my regular pages, and I thought latest rock bands fit in quite well with it too, so maybe people will find other bands they might be interested in.

My survey showed me that my target audience liked

competitions, so I made sure that I included competitions with different prices available, so that it attracts more than one type of reader.

I added a subscription page which would have offers for all readers that subscribe, I thought this might attract them to continue to buy my magazine.

Q5: Audience Feedback.

Most people

liked the

picture and

the effect that

I used for my

front

cover, saying it

looks

professional

and eye

catching, this

helps draw in

the readers.

My survey

showed how

my audience

likes a strong

front

cover, and I

feel I’ve

achieved this.

A lot of people

also like the

colours that I

have chosen

throughout my

front

cover, saying

that it is

simple, yet

effective, my

target

audience

obviously prefer

this. My survey

showed that my

audience liked

a picture led

magazine, and I

think my

magazine fits

that.

A lot of people

have said that I

could improve

by adding more

content and

information on

the front cover.

They would like

to be able to

see more of

what is

inside, by simply

looking at the

front cover. I

added as little

information as I

could due to

the response

from my original

survey

suggesting

people prefer a

poster style

magazine, but it

seems I have

now added not

enough.

People have also

suggested that I

make my writing

stand out

more, and add

more colour to it. I

put it in the pale

grey, as I thought

it fitted with my

colour scheme, I

also thought it

looked good

against the door, I

did try to make it

stand out by

putting a

transparent colour

rectangle behind

it, although this

obviously wasn’t

enough. I would

have to try

making it a darker

grey next time.

Lots of people

have said they

like the layout of

my magazine.

They have said

they like where I

have placed

the picture, and

they like the

way it is still

simple, but

stylish.

People have

found my

contents page

easy to

navigate, which

was my main

aim. I put the

pages under

different titles so

it would be

easier for

people to find

what they are

looking for

through my

magazine.

Everyone has mentioned that I should

change the background, the colours

used, or the font colour. I made the font

grey, as I wanted to stick to the theme of

the front cover as much as possible, and

whilst I was making my magazine, the

grey font stood out, but I did not realise

that on other peoples screens, it is

possibly hard to see and hard to read. If I

was able to make this magazine again, I

would make the font a darker grey, so

that way it would be readable for

everyone. As for the background, I

wanted my picture to be the centre of

everyone's focus, so I wanted to keep the

colours minimal, but maybe I should have

added a pale colour background to

improve this, so it isn’t just white.

People have

said that they

like the

information

which I have

given on my

DPS. I tried to

make it

appealing to

my target

audience by

separating out

the columns

and making it

look less, but still

be full of

good, useful

information. I

feel I've

achieved that

as people have

said that's what

they like about

it, and that's

what I was

aiming

for, people to

like my

interview.

The majority of

people have

commented

about the

layout of my

magazine, and

they seem to

like it. My

original survey

showed that

people

preferred a

poster

style/image led

magazine, so I

made a whole

page, just a

picture of my

artist, and put

the text on the

other side, as I

thought my

audience would

like this and find

it

attractive, and

it seems as

though they

did!

A lot of people

have

commented on

how I should try

to make the

font a better

size and darker

in colour. I

would have

done this, if I

had known it

wasn’t

readable, altho

ugh, the

computer

screens that I

worked on to

make my

magazine

showed the font

fine. Although if

this affects my

readers, I will

bear it in mind

for my next

project.

People have

suggested I mix

up the pictures

and text, or

reduced the

size of the

picture to add

more text. In my

original

survey, my

target

audience said

that they

preferred to

have less

text, so in my

magazine, inclu

ding my

interview, I tried

to make it seem

as though there

was as little text

as possible and

mainly led with

my images. I

could have

added more

text, but from

going by what

my survey results

were, I didn’t

think it would

attract my

readers.

Here are a few things which people have said about my images. There were mixed responses, some people

liked them, others had some things I could improve. Most people liked them and thought they suited my magazines style. I tried to make her look at the camera at least once, for my front cover, as her looking

towards the camera is a strong, striking pose. Yet she was more comfortable looking away for the other

poses, I also liked my chosen places for the photo’s, someone suggested using a studio, but I wanted it to be

in a ‘rough’ looking place as I thought it suited the genre better.

Most people have said yes, they would buy it. The majority of people have included in their comment that it

looks good, and the price is good. A few people have said they wouldn’t, as they are guys, but that is good as I aimed it for girls more than for guys, as I think there are a lot of magazines out there that mainly aim

towards guys (Kerrang! NME, Q). They also mentioned it would be aimed for younger girls, this is also

good, as my target audience is teenage girls mainly, with the exception of a few guys who might just be

interested in the competitions.

Q6: What have you learnt about

technologies?

Q6: What have you learnt about technologies?

I have used many different websites whilst doing my magazine project. I

have used my Facebook account to post surveys which I have learnt how

to do on Survey Monkey. I also used Blogger, which was completely new

to me, as I have never written a blog before. I used Slideshare to publish

PowerPoint presentations on my blog, and also issuu, which is also used to

help convert things to be published. I have learnt how to use those two

websites throughout this course also. I can now confidently create a

piece of work, make it accessible through Slideshare/issuu, and post it

onto a blog, if I was asked to do that in September, I wouldn’t know

where to begin!

I have learnt so many Photoshop techniques through doing this

magazine project. I had never used Photoshop before, so even getting a

piece of paper on the screen was new to me! I can now confidently use

curves, Gaussian blur, Lens corrections. I can also use things like

brushes, and add different fonts to Photoshop from dafont.com. I can also

adjust images by using black and white, Hue and Saturation, contrast and

brightness.

I have learnt so many different techniques from different websites, I am

confident that I could create something like this again.

Q7: What have you learnt?

You can tell by just looking at these two images of my front cover, that I have improved a lot throughout the

production of my music magazine. My first one is very crowded, and in my opinion, not laid out very

well, things are just placed everywhere as I wanted to fit in as many features as possible. Now I have learnt

you don’t need to follow the conventional magazine features, you can do things how you like and make it

just as effective. Also, you can tell that my Photoshop skills have improved greatly as I haven’t stuck with a

simple image, I have used effects on my Music magazine, whereas I just left my Student magazines image

without any adjustments. My Music magazine looks a lot more professional than the College magazine, I

personally think I have learnt many things since beginning this media course.

Q6: Techniques Learnt-

Select the picture. Select a font.

Select multiply. Final outcome.

Multiply:

I used this technique for the boxes

with the cover lines on my front page.

Q6: Techniques Learnt-

Gaussian Blur:

Select the picture. Duplicate layer. Select Gaussian Blur.

Layer is blurred. Erase the area you want shown as clear, final image is then finished.

I used this technique for the photo on

my front cover.

Q6: Techniques Learnt-

Curves:

Select the picture. Select image, adjustments, curves.

Move the line to adjust the image. Final image.

Has doing this magazine helped me decide whether to continue

with Media A2?

AS media has definitely given me an idea of what this kind of thing is all

about, I didn’t know that magazines weren’t as hard as they look to

create! I have enjoyed this year a lot, and I think I have made loads of

progress (seeing as I didn’t know the first thing about Photoshop when I

arrived!), although, unfortunately I’m still not too sure whether I will be

continuing. I would love to be able to achieve a full A-Level in

media, although I don’t think I will be able to cope with having to try and

create a music video. I would happily give it a go, but I’m not sure

whether I would enjoy it, as much as I have this topic.