Evaluation for Media Magazine
My magazine I designed for my AS media course was for the genre ‘Pop and dance’’. I had to construct a front page, contents page and double page spread. By researching in to other magazines within the same genre I was able to determine a number of key conventions that were used making it easier for the target audience to distinguish what appeals to them. Colours relate to the audience so when choosing them I had to be very specific, I used:
· Red, white, black
· Pink, white, blue and grey
The colours all engage with the younger generation and they are bright and eye catching and this is key, as my magazine will need to stand out amongst others and appeal to them. My magazine will also be able to gain attention because it uses contrasting colours and they have the ability to work against each other for the right reasons resulting in them standing out. I can contrast the colours in a number of ways but the main one is by using the correct background this is basis and allows other factors to be highlighted. This attention is what I want as a magazine producer. Using the same colours a number of times ties everything together and adds consistency and have done so in my front page and contents page.
The fonts I used in my magazine all had to follow each other, as I researched that almost all successful current magazines in my genre use the same and have small variation with fonts, I followed the same principle. This added continuation throughout the appearance.
The fonts in my magazine are:
- Myriad Pro semi-bold
- Vendra
- American typewriter
- Helvectia
The images I have chosen are very specific to who I am appealing to, the clothes the models are wearing, situation and body language all ties in including the stance and emotion upon their face. The genre come through all of these and is able to be seen in the view of the target audience. The facial expressions all have been chosen to entice the audience and illustrate that particular person in whom the readers and audience are interested in. Anchorage text would also be used to correspond to the images and these are all used in existing magazines to fulfil entertainment and interest to the audiences.
My images all use a variation a factors for example the lighting, this encouraged certain moods and tones. As I was new to Photoshop I had to make sure that the lighting of my images did not work against this magazine and this help that, also was a skill I had to learn while construstcing my magazine. The image on the front cover the lighting is very soft and is able to make the actual content of the image to stand out more.
I used a range of typical magazine conventions that I found when i was doing my research theses are:
- Mast head including title and slogan
- Central image including mode of address
- The font
- Strap line
- Splash heads
- Issue number, date, barcode, website
- Bleed line, anchorage text
- Colour scheme
- Buzz words
- Emotive language
- Insert images
- Articles
I have attempted to used all the conventions as appropriate as possible and tried not to over/under use them. I eliminated some of them as I felt they would cram too much into my front cover and decrease how appealing my magazine would be. By looking at existing magazines for example ‘BLENDER’ in the same genre category as the magazine I have produced they do not used all the conventions but just enough to appear eye catching. By looking at professional manufactures and incorporating into my product improve the ascetics of my magazines.
In most cases Pop/Dance magazines do not pack their front cover, contents page and double page spreads with all the typical conventions that are available. By not cramming it adds originality again going back the professional factor. Red and black that are used in my magazine contrast against each other and this allowed the words to be even bolder then first predicated. This technique is constantly used as I have found when analysing current media pieces.
Splash heads have been used to highlight other smaller articles with in my magazine, compared to existing magazines this is always used as a way to offer more to the audience. This conveys a – more for your money message and is more engaging.
By editing a range of text and images I was able to alter them in order to look more appealing, hide any blemishes and fit more into the lay out and colour scheme. The programme I used was Adobe Photoshop. I was completely new to this and this was obvious in my 6th form magazine, I struggled to understand the different uses of the layers however after I spent time experimenting of different images I was able to gain a better understanding resulting me in creating my final piece. I altered the hue and saturation within the images and removed the background on some text; I also improved the amount it contrasted by using that specific tool. This all helped build the final out come.
The colours are aimed mainly at the female audience and this is because the featured celebrity has most female fans but by not using stereotypical colours for example pink it allows other genders to be interested. The fonts are all unisex however fit in with my chosen genre
The masthead is very noticeable and is one of the most eye-catching things on the page. By using these specific colours on this background allows even more contrast and the font relates to the genre especially dance so it can be recognised. The barcode includes the price, issue number, date and website these are all essential for a magazine as the audience can become more aware. Chronological orders are used to help the readers be more organised, the barcode indicates how many sales has been made, the website allows the reader to gain more information so it was vital to include these. Splasheads show the extras that are available within my magazine and this set a guide to the contents page. Reveals what will be in the content of the magazine and is marketed correctly like I have tried to do, encourages more people to be interested. The bright colours and appropriate texts helps to add to the appeal. Using words like ‘’free’’ and ‘’need to know’’ show special offers and highlighting them attract attention. Bleed lines are important as they are very popular by adding an insight in to the story that the magazine is offering. This is why I have used it as it sells more. The slogan I have used addresses the audience, to imply that the magazine has be made personally for that particular person encouraging more people to be interested. The white contrasts with the back and the font has been used previously. It is key because it always relates to the name of the magazine.
My magazine had to be attractive as this is the first impression when you see it on the shelf. I based it on the newer generation and this helped because it means it is new and fresh including the talent that I featured. The language I had to select for my magazine had to correspond to this, and this is why I made it informal and colloquial. It immediately relates to my target audience and they are teenagers, young adults who would be used to this. This helps with there understanding in comparison to the older generation who may find it difficult. This targets the female gender and they would be familiar with it from that particular celebrity. The outfit worn, mise-en-scene and make up and hair all have an impact so I made sure it was appropriate.
There a range of media distribution institutions that could be considered, however I personally think the media would be best fit for example Bouer. This is because advertising is extremely important in media and enables a possibility of a wide audience. The appearance is a key aspect in which I designed my media product around therefore it would be easily recognised, including things like the name and slogan. Bouer is important as it distributes to my target audience. I would have to devise commercial advertising for example posters or leaflets. Bouer also publish ‘Q’ magazine and ‘KERRANG’ and these are highly successful magazines. The music magazine industry have shown it to be very successful as the magazines it already distributes are very well known and professional and this is what I am attempting to create.
My target audience is specific and aimed 15-25 year olds, teens and early 20 year olds. I choose the pop and dance genre as this is relatable to this age range and females are inclined to read about music gossip and are interested in being able to gain a higher insight. The genre of music also relates to the age range in which they would listen to pop and dance. Encouraging them to be more engaged.
In this media product I have to follow a clear process, including learning how to come to terms with new software Adobe Photoshop. Before this is had never used this, and I have to use this programme with all 3 pieces. I have now built my confidence as I can perform a range of skills and this is evident in my media work. This included adding text, above and below different layers, editing images by cropping, twisting and altering the colours, gradient fill, dealing with the range if layers adding/deleting and adding shapes. I also uploaded my own images and edited them into fitting in with my over all themes. This all added to my final product. Its appearance was far more improved in compassion to my 6th form magazine due to the use of this software.
In my preliminary task I felt as if I was not experienced enough with this soft ware and this is what resulted in it being to a lower standard. However by doing so this gave me practise and I gained skills using Adobe Photoshop. My 6th form magazine used some key conventions that were obvious however lacked a clear colour scheme and this is key when creating a magazine. I was able to gain this knowledge from research and concluding from this a number of successful factors. This helped me to find a range of requirements that successful magazines meet. This research was very important and helps me a lot. The images I used were not edited at all so did not stand out as much and I was able to learn from this. I was then able to take my images in my final magazine and edit them to look professional but more so as if they had been produced in acknowledged standards. In my student magazine there were a number of faults for example the background and text colour made it difficult to read the text, however from this is used that to improve and create my final piece.
