Evaluation

 For the magazine I have made I have used many of the conventions used in real media products, the magazine I made was a r&b magazine and the common conventions were used in my magazine e.g. masthead, image, skyline, anchors, barcode, price etc. These conventions are important to use because it makes the magazine look professional, the image I have used is conventional for r&b magazines because it shows the artist in the image with a bit of attitude and the posture shows this well, the bright colours in the background are also conventional as in the research I have done the audience have clearly stated that the colours I used were there favourites, these are the normal conventions used for real media products. I have also used a t-shape layout, as this a convention of magazines along with a z shape layout.

 There are six social groups, and they are, A) upper middle class, e.g. doctors and lawyers, B) Middle class e.g. teachers and artists, C1) Lower middle class e.g. supervisors and deputy managers, C2) Skilled working class e.g. trades people, C) Working class e.g. semi skilled and labour workers, D) People at lowest level of income e.g. unemployed and students. My magazine product represents the social group D because r&b is normally related to students and their age group prefer this type of magazine, the cover I have made will appeal to them more than any social group, it could also appeal to the social group B because middle class also prefer to read magazines although it sometimes will not be r&b but some young adults to prefer r&b magazines, as I found out in research. The reason that these social groups are represented in my cover is so that when they see the cover they can have something to relate to when they see it as this will increase the liking to magazine, this is important for the sales of the magazine because once the audience can relate themselves to the image or the artist then they will be interested in buying it.

The kind of media institution that might distribute my product may be organisations like IPC because they have a history of distributing famous magazines like NME and Billboard, billboard has a similar genre to me which is r&b and this is why IPC may distribute my magazine, these magazines are also distributed on the internet which is what I would have liked my magazine to be distributed also, because majority of the target audience are on the internet so giving them access to my magazine via the net could increase the number of people looking at my magazine.

The target audience for my magazine are males and females of an age group between 16-24 who have a favourite music genre of r&b, this is the audience I chose because while I did my research that was the age group who responded the most so majority of the answers were from them, also because I am part of that audience I am able to know what the audience are expecting from a magazine cover on r&b, I made sure that while I made my magazine the cover will appeal to the target audience, I done this by using bright colours to catch the eye of the audience, I also made sure the image would be relatable to the audience by making it a popular artist showing a posture which shows his attitude.

The ways I attracted the target audience to my magazine was in many ways, one of those ways was to make the cover very bright and interesting, the anchors used on the cover are done to interest the reader and make them want to open the magazine and read on, i also made sure the price is a reasonable price so when they do buy it they won’t need to worry too much about cost, the audience will be more likely to buy the magazine, the other important thing I have done in order to address the audience is the image, as I have mentioned before the audience can relate to the image and see the popular artist showing an attitude of which you expect to see in young people.

While making my magazine I have learnt about different technologies and also about web 2.0 and how information is shared across media, the technologies I have learnt about are software like adobe Photoshop, on this software I have been able to make my magazine look professional and highly skilled, Photoshop allows you to edit pictures and help construct the magazine and add text and colour to my magazine, it has many features and tools on the software and many of them I used for example I cropped the image I used for the cover. Another technology I used was the camera used for the images, the camera used was a SLR camera this camera ensured that the image will be highly professional and easy to capture images, I made sure while taking the pictures that Mis en scene of the frame was right, the picture quality is very important to a good magazine because it makes it look more professional and the SLR camera ensured this.

Since the preliminary task I have learnt a lot, in the main task I have done a lot of market research and found out what the customer actually wants, and sometimes it is not what you expect so you have to change according to the audience, I have also learnt a lot about the technologies and improved my Photoshop skills greatly, I have been able to develop my magazine further. I have also learnt different colour schemes and the ones which attract the audience better, I have also learnt how to make the text stand out on a cover in order to catch the eye of the audience, and another thing I have picked up on is the ways to construct a magazine and how to make it look professional. These are all important things in making a successful magazine.

Double page spread

Contents page

Final Magazine Cover

This is the final cover i have made for my magazine.

Institutional Case Study

Conclusion of research (Conventions&Techniques)

While doing my research for my magzine i have found out a lot of things concerning the cover of a magazine, the contents page and the feature page (double page spread) here i will analyse the conventions and techniques used in music magazines for this day and age.

Front Cover- While doing my research i analysed three front covers, in all three covers i noticed that an eye catching image was always used, these images all had a unique presence about them in their different ways, for example in the 'XXI' magazine the shot type made the artist stand out and catch the eye of the audience, and in 'vibe' the pose of the artist was paticularly interesting which also caught the eye of the audience, and in third magazine 'hip hop' the facial expressions were unique, so all in all the image can have a huge effect on the front cover and different attributes of the image can have the same effect on the target audience, also the target audience much prefer images on their magazine covers rather than text, i gatherd this from my questionnaire results as the vast majority stated they prefer images. Another convention i noticed was the use of different colours used to catch the eye of the target audience, on a magazine cover bright colours are tend to be used to catch the eye and makes the cover look more attractive, bright colours used on a magazine cover is a commonly used technique and is the most obvious way to catch the eye of the audience. There are also other common features on a front cover like a skyline, which gives extra information, and there are also anchors used which are there to give a hint of what is going to be in the magazine and get the target audience interested and intrigued of what is to come. There is also obviously the masthead of the magazine which is normally bold to help advertise the magazine name and help stand out. On all the covers there were also the barcode of the magazine and the price of the magazine, which must appear on the cover.

Contents Page- For the contents page of a magzine i also noticed common conventions and techniques, the idea of the contents page is to give the target audience a guide of what is to come in the magazine. In the three magazines i analysed that they all had one image which stood out from the rest of the inserts on the page, the images used on the pages were eye catching but also relaxed compared to the front covers of magazines, this is to give the audience a sense of comfort while reading the magazine. For the contents page i also noticed a common convention used with the colour scheme, the use of black and white was used a lot, theses colours are used because they contrast well together and help compliment the image on the page well, it also makes the text on the page more clear and easier for the target audience to read. On a few of the contents pages the use of insert images were used, these were used to show what else is coming up in the magazine, the images are normally a close up to show the image more clearly, as the pictures are quite small already, the use of inserts are good because it makes the page more visual rather than the audience reading becuase as stated before the audience prefer images rather than text.

Double Page Spread- On the double page spread of a magazine there is normally a interview or a top ten article with something to represent in the music industry at this current time, in the research i have done i have a noticed a common convention which is that there is normally one main image and a few inserts with majority of the page of text around it, this goes well because the image can support the text or vice versa. Another common convention i noticed was the use of black and white again, all be it on a few occasions other colours were shown but for majority of the page the use of black and white was imminent, they used black and white because of the contrast and because it provides a good background for the text which is then easier for the audience to read. Another technique which was used while i was doing my research on double page spreads were the clear and consistent layouts, the text on the pages were layout very clearly and made the text very accessible, this is important because it makes it easier for the audience to read and makes them feel comfortable while reading.

Colour Schemes

 This colour scheme shows four of the brightest colours, and also has three of the primary colours, these colours are commonly used in magazines because they are so bright and grab the eye of the target audience, these colours are normally very popular with the target audience.

This colour scheme has the theme of black and white, this colour scheme is also commonly used but normally inside of a magazine and not on a cover, it is normally used in the background, this is because these two colours contrsast well together, these are the different shades of black and white to show the different ones which are used.



This colour scheme is colurs which give a relaxing feel to the magazine, these colours are used to make the magazine easy on the eye, this makes the target audience comfortable while reading, the sort of colurs used are turquoise and lavender, these are colours assocaited with relaxing and not extravagant like bright colours.

Typeface Analysis

This is the first typeface which i have chosen to analyse, this typeface is called disko, this font gives a sense of fun and has all the letters overlapping each other which gives it a unique presence, this font will appeal to a younger audience, which is the audience i will have for my magazine, this is why i may use a font similar to this for my cover masthead.

This is the second typeface i have used to analyse this font is called EA font, this font is like block capitals in apperance, it is a clear font which is easy for the target audience to conjur and interpret, this type of font would be suitable for a R&B magazine cover, i may also use this typeface for my front cover masthead.

This is the third typeface and is called jabjai, this typeface gives of a 3D effect which is a unique effect to use for a masthead, this type of font is not used for music magazines, which is why the use of it will make a magazine different and unique, for my masthead i may use the 3D effect also to create something new for my target audience.



This is the fourtth and final typeface i will analyse, it is called jack input, this type of font is more simple compared to the other three i have analysed, this can meet the needs of the target audience as it a simple font and is clear to undertstand, the target audience sometimes prefer clarity in the masthead rather than them being over complicated, this type of simple font is a common use on music magazines, and i may use a similar font for my magazine masthead. 

Audience Research- Results

These are the results from the research i have done for my magazine, i retrieved my results from my handouts and via the social networking site Facebook, i will analyse these results and apply them to my magazine. I retreived 30 results which gives me enough to have clear understanding of what the target audience want.

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Audience Research- Facebook

I have posted my questionnaire on facebook for people to answer, along with my handout results, once i have these i will analyse all my thirty results and see what my target audience will want from a new R&B magazine.

Audience Research

To help make a more successful magazine i have done some audience research to ensure the magazine i am making will appeal to my target audience, here i have made a questionnaire which i will give out as handouts and post on a social networking site facebook in order to get my results. I will then analyse the results and see what the target audience expect from me when making my magazine.

Double Page Spread Analysis 2

Double Page Spread Analysis 1

Flatplan 3

This flatplan is a different type of layout, it is more unsusual as the right side of the cover is filled with the image only and all the text and other componetns fill the left hand side of the cover, the reason this is done is to provide emphasis on the image. I was also thinking of using this flatplan for my cover, as compared to the other layouts this one is more eye catching for the target audience.

Flatplan 2

This flatplan is a 'T' shape format for a front cover as the red arrows show, this is a also a common layout used for the front cover of a magazine. I may also use this layout for my cover, this layout is very simple and presents the information very clearly.This layout also makes it easy to put in a lot of information which also advantageous as it sells the magazine well to the target audience.

Flatplan 1

This Magazine Flatplan is a 'Z' shape format and is a conventional layout for magazine covers, this layout is one of the layouts i am considering to use for my magazine cover. This layout is a very popular and is a clear layout which is easier for the target audience to comprehend the information on the cover.

Contents Page Analysis 3

This contents page is from billboard, and it follows the rule of third rule, as you can see the albums are in the left hand third the contents with the page number are in the middle and the image of the artist is on the right, the rule of thirds rule is commonly used layout used for magazines as it provides a clear layout. There is a consistent house style used for this contents page because the colours black, blue and white all appear in the logo, this style is used consistently to represent billboard and its conventions. A house style is when a pre set layout is used for the whole magazine this is used for billboard.

The typeface for the contents page is very clear and is easy to understand, as seen with the word contents which is bold and very easy to understand, there are some different typefaces used however, but all remain clear and easy to understand.

The image is of a pop star and shows her happy with a long shot used for the image, as she looks happy it creates a good atmosphere with the audience and gives a good suggestion of what the magazine will be like. The artist is also wearing glamorous clothing which is a convention for the R&B music industry.  

The background of the image is all white and the women in the picture is wearing all black, this makes her stand out more due to the background and it complements her well. As there is a white background it also makes the text stand out more and makes it easy for the audience to read, this is vital because when the target audience are reading a magazine they want clarity and no trouble understanding the text which is on the page this is vital to ensure the target audience are satisfied while reading the magazine.

  There are also three more insert images on top of the image two of which are close ups and the other one is a medium shot, the close ups are eye catching and show the emotion well of the two artists in the inserts, the picture of the male is also shot from a high angle which shows him from above almost like birds eye view, and the other is a eye level camera angle which makes the image easy to relate to for the audience. These inserts also has a page number related to it, this makes it easier for the audience to access it and also drives there eyes towards to make it more attainable fore the audience. The representation of the contents page shows the glamour in which artists in the music industry have in this day and age, it is shown by the main artist on the page with the clothes she is wearing, it is also shown in two of the inserts wear the two artists are wearing very smart clothing, this gives the magazine a sense of professionalism and represents the magazine billboard well.

Contents Page Analysis 2

This contents page has a basic layout with the image the main point of attention, this contents page is not a stereotypical contents page you will see, it gives the relative detail needed for the audience in order to get to the relative pages.

The font is small on this page however still gives the audience a clear guidance of where to locate things in the magazine, also the font is black and is consistent on the page which also helps the audience feel more comfortable, the black font also blends well with the background which makes it more accessible to the audience.

The contents page is in two sections which are features and fashion and underneath each section lists all the page numbers and what on those pages, this provides a clearer layout . On this contents page however the eyes are drawn to the image as it take up most of the page, this image also has sex appeal which is a positive point for the males and sells the magazine well to them, the image shows the artist lying down with her legs up in the air this also gives a relaxed feel to the magazine. The artist is also wearing heels which show her glamour and gives a sense of awe to the audience.

The colour of the contents page has the theme of black and white which is a simple colour scheme, this keeps things simple and doesn’t complicate the audience, this is makes it easier for the audience to understand the layout of the contents page. The colours black and white also compliment each other well and gives of a good background to support the image.

The word contents on the page is also written in an unusual way, as it is in three separate lines, however this is a unique point and can help make the contents page stand out from other stereotypical magazines, it also ensures it takes up less space on the page so majority of the page is filled with the image which is the main attraction of the contents page. The representation of this contents page is showing the sexual appeal of a famous artist and the laid back approach they have in life, this is shown in the pose she is doing, as mentioned earlier she looks very relaxed and in her comfort zone, this can represent her style and power of females in the music industry.

Contents page Analysis 1

This contents page has a house style layout, this is when the magazine follow the same layout and typeface throughout the whole magazine and is shown well here, this is the style used for the entire Q magazine. The style in which this contents page is set out makes it easier for the audience to get through the magazine; it offers them a clear passage through the magazine. This is done by the page number references for what is in the magazine, this is vital as the audience can go to the page they want to by looking at the contents page.

On this contents page everything is into rectangle boxes on the left, it notifies what appears on the page and also gives a brief description about what is on the page, this all appears on the left hand third of the page as the rule of thirds has been used. The magazine is also doing a special on the band oasis, this is shown on the left hand side of the page, this gives a guide on everything you can find on the band, q magazine have done this to make a specific audience for this particular issue, they do this every week to have a smaller section for a different audience, which will increase sales.

The majority of the page is taken up by the image which is there to show who is in the main story of the magazine. The image used for the contents page shows the band 'oasis' in the countryside, this connotates there sense of personality and there laid back approach as the countryside normally is a sterotypicall place for laid back and relaxed personality's. The font used on the page is consistent as it used for everything, it is organized and this makes it more attractive to the target audience, who need the contents page to be easy to follow. 

The use of its colour and font makes it more apparent to the rest of the conventions of the magazine, which makes it more related to its house style, which makes the audience more familiar with what they are reading. This is important as it gives the audience a sense of comfortability while reading and encourages them to read on. The representation of the magazine is showing a famous band in a slightly deserted place, this location can give an audience an idea on the sort of personality the band holds, which is that they like to be in quiet places and deserted places, the magazine have used the location to show where the band 'oasis' feel comfortable and to represent their personality's.

Cover Analysis 3

Cover Analysis 2

Cover Anaylsis 1

Main Task Introduction

In the Main task we had to make a new music magazine, we had to ensure that all work was original and completely our own the software we had to use was adobe photoshop. The requirements of the task was to make a front cover a contents page and also a double page spread.

The genre I will be focusing on is hip hop and R&B, this is because I believe this appeals to more people and has a larger audience with higher demand. In order to attract to the target audience of my magazine I must ensure that it is eye catching and colourful, my magazine will be to inform and entertain and if was to be distributed I would distribute it every month, this will make the magazine more entertaining as there will be more stories to cover.

While making my magazine I will explore various of things, and one of them will be the different shot types, i will test to see what shot will look the best, I will also be carrying out a lot of research to find out what the target audience want in there magazines, this will help me make a more successful magazine. I will also research the different layouts of magazines, and try and apply the rule of thirds for my cover.