Finish

This is the end of my blog and music magazine and its all finsihed and up to date
Bye

Evaluation

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

There are many key ingredients of a music magazine. A catchy and memorable title for the magazine is important as it needs to be easily identified and used as the brand identity. Music magazines also need artist featured in the magazine that will draw in the viewer. It also needs to be attractive and look full so the reader thinks they are getting there moneys worth.

The front cover has to include cover lines to draw in the reader, the masthead barcodes and prices of the magazine. It also has to include the date and issue that magazine was published. It often uses one large image and smaller images to show of the contents of the magazine and attract the viewer. The majority of music magazines also include banners which add extra information and contribute to the layout. A typical contents page however tends to include a heading, the page numbers and an editorial although the majority of magazine choose to feature a variety of images with the contents to make the page more attractive and interesting.

Double page spreads are often features on one artist or band. They often include a summary of the artist and an interview carried out by the magazine. There are also often photo shoots taken after the interview which are then featured within the double page spread to add to the attraction.  

In my own magazine I have included all these convections and also added some extra features so that the layout and magazine looks professional and attractive. I have chosen to experiment with the typical layout of these magazine and tried to vary my designs form other magazines, editing pictures in different ways as well as setting pages out differently to traditional pages in some cases.

 How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media magazine represents teenager social groups who are interested in new artists and alternative/ indie music styles. I have done my best to represent them as interesting and exciting social groups in order to promote the magazines look. When it came to layout I chose to use images more than text as the look of the magazine is more important to teenage audiences than allot of text as the images are what will attract them to the magazine. I chose to make the images large and bright with dynamic colours which brighten the magazine up and make it stand out more. As for text I have used language seen in any other magazine however when it comes to the interview it is quite laid back as the teenagers what to read the magazine to find out the latest on there favourite bands and I felt this could be best captured within an informal interview.


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

This product would be most successful being sold in news agents where it can be found easily. Although it also be sold in music shops and larger super markets. Music magazines that are likely to publish magazine are institutions that already publish magazines for magazines such as Kerrang.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My magazine is aimed at ages 15 – 18  of both gender although the magazine may also appeal to younger and older readers that are interested in the genre of music. I am going to aim the magazine at Alternative/Rock so the general profile of the audience will be bright and contrasting colours that will stand out and appeal to the audience

How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract my audience I included a lot of bright colours and images within the pages.  I feel my front cover is attractive and can attract my target audience. 70% of people buy magazines on the spur of the moment so the design of the cover is important. I think my cover worked well as I used one main image that stands out and uses bright reds and colours that will attract my audience. I also used a simple but effective colours scheme of blues and yellows which are also very bright colours so do well in catching the viewer’s attention. The mast head is also large and stands out on the page. After interviewing my target audience I found that the colours were one of the most successful parts of the magazine as they really stood out and the selected audience all liked layout of the images and colours. I also tried to make my magazine look as professional as possible and I think this worked well as the majority of the audience agreed it had a professional look and would buy the magazine. The cover lines and images are also a big attraction to the magazine as it interviews reasons that the reader should buy the magazine and I am pleased I added more cover lines to the final designs as I think this will attract my audience more as they recommended I need more stories featured on the cover page. I also thinks the two banner across the bottom and top works well as it gives the audience an extra reason to buy the magazine after they have been attracted by the presentation.

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

During designing the magazine I used a variety of technologies such as:

• Publisher
• Word (Spell Check Writing)
• Paint
• Digital Camera
• Memory Stick
• Picnik (Editing Photographs)
• Blogs
• Polls
• Internet ( Da Font for Masthead)

I have learnt many things from these technologies and I feel without each of these processes have contributed to the overall designs and made it successful. I feel publisher was the most useful as I created all my designs using it and I was able to create the pages easily. I have learnt that there are a lot of processes included in creating a magazine.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I think since my preliminary task I have learnt how to develop my magazine to look more professional and target my audience better. During this task I have used more photo editing software such as picnik which I think has developed the overall look of the images and pages. I have also learnt more about key concepts in magazines and tried to incorporate as many of these as I can within this task. As well as this I have learnt more about the technologies which have developed my layout and designs further and have better knowledge of the blog and polls which has improved my media magazine task as I was able to post and update my development easier. I think the product progressed quickly once I had grasped ideas and had the equipment I needed and I feel the overall finish is at a much higher level than my preliminary task and I am happy with my final outcome.

Final Designs with Improvements

After getting feedback from the audince I made the changes they felt would improve the magazine overall.

For the cover I have changed the colour of the text on the left side to yellow so it will stand out better and match in more with the background of the image. I Have also added more coverlines to fill up the page more and offer more within the magazine as suggested. I have also entered the band name that you could win tickets to see. Overall I am pleased with the improvments and think this is the best result that could be created.

For the conetnts page there were little changed to make except for the page number. I had to chnage the starting page to page 4 as page 3 would be the contents page itself.

The double page spread needed the most change as it had been created on an A4 layout so when put on A3 there was not enough text on the page and items had to be resized and altered. I added in these questions to the interview to add to the text:

What's the most amazing thing that's happened
this year?

Well the red carpet in January was amazing. Me and Luke usually go together and it was so different on my own even though he was there. I got so many compliments by amazing artists, I guess that’s when you know its going well

People say different things, What do you see
 yourself as?

Wow I don’t really know. I see myself as me and many people dislike my music but I’m grateful for the ones that are so supportive and I’m not going to change just to suit other peoples views

 Were almost at the end of the interview, so any
 sneak peaks for Unplugged!?

 Oh tricky question. I can tell you that my new  album coming out with be called ‘Every second Now’ and released in May.

 What about your private life?

 Well that’s private but at the moment things are going well and everyone's being so supportive there's even a chance of love in my life.

This added alot more information to the double page and I feel this outcome is very succesful and is as attractive as the layout of the A4 page but better as it has moreinformation on the page.



Audince Feedback

After finishing mfinal pieces I wanted to check they were at the best quality they could be so interviewed people around college in the age ranges the magazine would be aimed at to get an idea for any improvements that could be made:

What do you think of the overall look of the magazine?

• Good
• Good colour schemes
• Like the Layout of the pages
• Interesting colours in pictures
• Good designs
• Pressional look

How could the magazine be improved?

• Add more coverlines to the cover
• Change the writing on the cover to make it more visable in places
• Use more variety of photographs on cover
• Start pages from page 4 on contents
• Test the double page spread as A3 layout
• Add more questions to the interview

Would you buy the magazine if published in stores?

• Majority of people said yes
• Some People said the price was too expensive and if lower would buy it

Any other comments?

• Overall comments were the magzine looked good and proffesional

Final Contents Page

For the final design  of the contents page I chose to add in more images and vary the models within the images. I also decided to add page numbers to the majority of the images to attract the reader more and make these pages easier to find alhough i washed out parts of the pictures to make the numbers easier to read and add to the overall design. I chose to not account for all the page numbers either as some will be fulled with adverts fo example and it also makes the magazine seem like it has more in it. Overall I think this page is succesful and attractive and supplys the reader with information they need and encourages them to buy th magazine.

Photoshoot For Contents Page

I wanted to widen the amount of images used in the contents page so that the reader felt they were getting more for there money. So I decided to take another photoshoot using differant models to widen the variety of my photograhs.

Development Of Contents Page

I developed my draft design of the contents page by adding in text and putting in an image although i need to take another potoshoot to vary the images I use in my magazine.

Contents Page Draft

This Is the beginning of my music magazine contents page. I will still have to add images to page and change the colours to suit the images however this is a rough draft of the final outcome and will also need page numbers and text involved.

Final Double Page Spread

For the final design  of the double page spread I chose to wash out the background of the interview as it makes the text easier to read, I also slighty enlarged the title of the side bar to make it bigger than the other text used in the sidebar.

The Interview:

Waiting to meet Katy Green I couldn’t help wondering if she had changed since the last time we interviewed her with Luke Stephens. But to my surprise despite the extra fame she was no different and we interviewed her on the past changes...

Do you regret going solo?

Not really, I miss Luke and its allot more pressure ‘cause I have to make the decisions myself but I’m pleased with the way things are going.

What was it like realising your first single?

Really exciting and a bit scary but its one of the best things I’ve ever achieved

 Are you pleased with the way things are going?

Yes, I'm surprised it’s going so well if I’m honest.

Have you got any plans to come?

Well I’m currently working on creating an album and there are talks of going on tour next year

What's your favourite part of going solo so far?

Oh gosh well probably making my own music and writing my own songs though I do miss Luke’s support

We hope to see more of Katy Green in the next months and look forward to her new album

The Information box:

 

KATY GREEN Katy Green was the singer in a band with Luke Stephens but after a year of hits that took the magazine by storm they have decided to go there separate ways. Now going solo Katy Green has already began to hit the charts. Her fresh and modern music is quickly becoming well know and liked by readers.

I feel the text on the page works well as it gives the information the reader needs without boring them or makiing the page look unattractive. The interview is kept short as I chose to do a double page spread on a new artist although I also created a little information box on the artist at the bottom left of the pages to tell you a bit about the artist.

Overall I think the double page spread works well.

  

Development Of Double Page Spread

I developed my draft design of the double spread by using images and changing  some of the colours used.

Double Page Draft

This Is the beginning of my music magazine double page. I will still have to add images to pages and change the colours to suit the images however this is a rough draft of the final outcome.

Final Cover Page

For the final design  of the cover I chose to wash out the bottom part of the image so the writing was easier to read, enlarge the image of the artist slighty and increase the artist name. I also had to include the editionn and website address in the cover. Overall I think this page is succesful and attractive.

Development of Cover Page

I developed my draft design of the cover by using images and changing  some of the colours used.

Edited Photoshoot

I chose to edit the photographs so that the colour is enhanced and the backgrounds are faded or brightened to add a differant kind of effect to the magazine and images.

Orignal Photo-shoot

This is a few of the original photos from the photo-shoot for the magazine cover and double spread.

Cover Page First Draft

This Is the beginning of my music magazine cover. I will still have to add images to cover and change the colours to suit the images however this is a rough draft of the final outcome.

Draft Designs

These are the first designs for my magazine cover 

These are designs for possable contents pages.

These are the designs for the double page spread

Font and Colour Scheme Analyse

For my music magazine I will have to choose a font for the masthead and a colour scheme to stick to on each page.

I researched differant fonts for my title and selected a few I thought would work well on the front of the cover. I am looking for bold and eyecatching title that will be eaily recoginsed as the brand identity. I narrowed down the chioces to two fonts I particularry liked. These are the 3rd up from the bottomw and the 6th down from the top. I feel these two are bold and attractive and work well with my music magazine.

In conlclusion I decided to use the Ko City font. I feel this suits the music genre  of the magazine well as the writing fades out at the edges like sound waves so is associated with the music genre. I felt the font looked better in lowercase lettering as it made a more interesting effect and made it more attractive however the uppercase lettering is clearer to read I feel it would not look as good on the cover of the magzine

As for the colour scheme I have decided I should keep it simple and use darker colours for the background as this seems to work well in other magzines. I want to keep the colours appealing to both genders as not to limit the market the magazine will attract. Bellow I tried combining a variety of differant colours keeping to the simly theme of 3 or 4 colours. I feel they would all create effective covers however I particuarlly like the whie,black,yellow and blue colour scheme as it works well on other magazines such as kerrang and is attractive and effective. So I intend to use this colour scheme in my own cover page.



Treatment Sheet

The Magazine : Unplugged!

Target Readership: Unplugged! is aimed at readers between the ages of 15 - 18 but the magazine may also appeal to younger and older readers that are interesting in the genre of music. The genre of music I am going to aim the magazine at is Alternative/Rock as this seems a successful market to enter as the readers for these magazines are increasing  as seen in my 'readership research'. It will be aimed at a high school and college audience. This means the magazine needs to be affordable although many people this age hold down part time jobs so I estimate the price at £2.95 which is affordable but allows the magazine to make a profit. Unplugged! readers need to be interested in the genre of music and want to read about differant bands that will come up in the magazine. They want to be outgoing as there will be advertisments for festivals and concerts that could be won. Unplugged! is the magazin college students pay attention to and read up on there favourate bands or discover new bands.

Form and Style: Unplugged! is a A4 full colour magazine which contains band infomation, concerts, festivals, reviews, news, events and competitions. Covers of the magazine use images of bands featured within the issue and models used in the magazine are of people roughly the same age as the targetted audience.  Coverlines on the cover show the magazine to be exciting and dynamtic advertising what is in the issue dealing with which bands can be seen in the magazine and competetions featured within the pages. The graphics used are bold and vibrant. The cover will have a busy theme to show the magazine is worth the money although the occasional cover will be simple to advertise one thing inparticular such as big bands. The magazine will selll at £2.95 which is affordable for teenage audiences as the majority of them hold down part time jobs and the magazine will only be released every fortnight.

Themes and Typical features: Unplugged! will have regualr features of a typical music magzine. Every issue will include interviews and articles on bands and competitions that could be entered. There will be a strong focas on equally presenting new and upcoming bands with the more famous bands. It will have a strong reader influence and will be based upon what the target audience wants from the magazine and will review the latest music that is popular among the target audience. Unplugged! will also featured local bands that are starting up in differnt areas so that people within the area will be more interested to see there friends featured within the magazine.Artciles about events and concerts willl feature every few issues to keep interest in the magazine.The writers will use language familuar to students and will have an informal tone in some articles.

Potential advertisers: A range of bands and shops will advertise in the magazine each issue. Particullary those with a link with the music genre of the magzine and affordable to the audince such as HMV music stores.

Editorial Team: The editorial team for Unplugged! will be made up of experienced writers and esigners that are interested in music. The team will be made up of men and women from the ages 22, as it gives younger people a better chance to get into the industry and influence the magazine however readers are also asked to contribute there ideas. The aim of the team is to create attractive, fresh ideas to the target audience whilst also having reliable experince

Readership Figures

<>  <>

The Top 9 Film and Music Magazines
	Title	Publisher	Jan-Jun 2010	Prd/prd change	Yr/yr change
1	Empire	Bauer Media	179,064	-7.8%	-7.7%
2	Mojo	Bauer Media	91,678	-6.9%	-6.2%
3	Q	Bauer Media	89,450	-5.7%	-10.7%
4	Total Film	Future	76,088	-6.1%	-10.5%
5	Uncut	IPC	74,067	-1.9%	-3.2%
6	Classic Rock	Future	70,323	-1.3%	0.0%
7	Metal Hammer	Future	44,034	5.4%	-4.3%
8	Kerrang!	Bauer Media	44,013	7.0%	1.8%
9	New Musical Express	IPC	33,875	-12.0%	-17.3%

I researched readership figures on Music and Film magazines using http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/1022008/MAGAZINE-ABCs-Kerrang-high-note-music-film/ to collect information on which magazine were the best selling so that I can decide what articles sell best and which layouts are most attractive by the amount of people reading the magazine. This gives a rough idea on which music magazines are most popular. I find it interestering that the majority of magazines drop readers expect for Kerrang! and Metal Hammer which gains readers. This could indicate to a higher need for alternative and metal magazines as these are the two that have increased. Empire magazine has the highest amount of readers however it is more a film magazine so is not as relevant to my enquiry. Q magazine has the 3rd largest amount of readers although the drop in readers can be explained by its wide variety of music as the next issue may have contained a differant genre of music that didn't attract the readers as well. 

In conclusion I would want to create a magazine that could sustain viewers so make it focused on one genre. The genre that would be most suitable would be Metal or Alternive/Punk as these are the genres that have increased in viewers over the last year so therefore there is becmoning a higher demand for them.