Evaluation Question 1

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

My music magazine meets the typical conventions in many ways through editing, language and layout.

On the front cover I have used an original masthead which represents my magazine, like other mastheads, mine indicates the Genre of the magazine and is unique. I have also chosen a font that would suit the age generation of the target audience because it is neat, cursive and smooth as opposed to a large cracked font that would suit a younger generation for a rock magazine as it it is more chaotic, it is typical of magazines to use typography to suit their target audience.

This is all because it makes my magazine apply to my target audience, my target audience agreed that this custom font i chose was much better than my preliminary font as it was more suited to them.

Like other magazines, I have added the date, Issue number and barcode, these are just small parts if the page, I have however decided to include them because it adds to the authentic value of the magazine, this is used on every magazine, henceforth I felt if I was to make my magazine look real these could not be left out

Like most every magazine I have included a main image to be to focus of my page, this image is facing out of he page, almost as if it is looking at the reader, because in most popular magazines such as Kerrang this is commonly used to create a personal link between the reader and the magazine, This I have surrounded by headlines, and images to other stories inside, this is used in most magazines to entice the reader to buy the magazine. the target audience immediately spotted and recognised the stars i had used, this shows that my choice suits my target audience

I have also decided to use a Pug on my front cover like a lot of music magazines, this is because it stands out against the rest of the magazine and henceforth sets my magazine apart, I have used this because many popular magazines use this technique to draw attention to an interesting or important part of a magazine such as an exclusive interview or freebie, my target audience said that they would enjoy freebies, this was also proven from my questionnaire.

I have decided to include puns in my headlines and tag-lines Because this is a popular amongst magazines. This is because they are related to the magazine genre making the reader feel like part of a social group as they understand this specific pun, Most magazines will use one or two puns as it interests the reader and applies specifically to them, therefore I felt this would be a good addition to my magazine as it has proven effective in other magazines. my target audience thought that this was a good addition, one that i did not include in my preliminary task

In my contents I have included obvious points such as the words "Contents"to show what page it is, and "This Week" followed by a list of this issue's features, because this is used on almost every contents page I have ever seen it therefore defiantly meets the conventions of a popular magazine and easily shows the reader how to navigate the magazine.

Underneath the main articles and stories, I have chosen to include a sub-section of "Featured Bands" this occurs in many music magazines and has proven very effective by interesting the reader in their favourite bands/artists, therefore supplying information that many if not all people of this target audience enjoy.

I also decided to include a small image of the next weeks issue, this is commonly used in music magazines to entice the reader to buy the next weeks issue because it allows the audience to see what is included in the next issue, which will interest them in buying it, this would then in turn hopefully boost sales this has proven effective in other magazines.

For my contents I chose to include four main images with small story descriptions underneath describing each image, this is done in a lot of magazines, because it allows the reader to grasp an idea of what the magazine may contain.

I have also included page numbers to help navigate around the magazine, this is used in most every magazine available if I attempted to challenge the conventions of popular music magazines, I could possibly try something new and different such as a tab system in which i could divide the magazine into different sections and add tabs on the side of the pages, this would make navigation much quicker and simpler, however no music magazine I have ever seen or researched has included this therefore it would clearly and strongly challenge the typical conventions of a magazine.

The topic of stories I have included range from Tours, because they are frequent in music magazines, to the daily lives and past stories that famous artists have to speak about, this is mainly because it will give the reader some idea of what they are looking for, this is done in most, not all, but most magazine covers and therefore meets the conventions of a popular music magazine.

In my Double Page Spread I have included the masthead in the top left hand corner, this is used in most magazines, so that the article, when remembered will always be linked to that magazine it is usually smaller than the original masthead on the cover so that there is more room on the page and so that it doesn't steal focus.

Here I have used an image which covers the entire page, this is quite common in music magazines as it eliminates white gaps and need for a background pattern whilst providing a main focus for the page, I have seen this in all my research and it has proven effective in every other situation I have seen henceforth I decided it would be a vital component to my magazine.

I have also taken a quote from the article, enlarged it and placed it slanted on the page, this attracts attention and intrigues the reader to find out where the quote came from thus challenging them to read the relevant article, this is due to the chaotic and unorganized look which clashes with the rest of the page, therefore this is why I have chosen to place it this way as it is, to attract attention.

Like most spreads, I have used columns to format my article, surrounding the image so it can be read clearly and added tour dates, most magazines do this as fans of the particular band will be looking for tour dates, the article itself has been written in a small sized text in order to fit more text in, many magazines do this, no magazine i have ever seen has a large font for the article, I could have challenged this convention by altering the layout and was tempted to do so as I felt it would enhance the effect of the text yet this would be challenging the conventions of a typical music magazine, which is not the point of the current project. And finally like so many other magazines, I have included a headline relating to the story with a reference that the target audience will understand and be interested in, therefore I am catering to my specific audience, I have done this because it will make my audience feel like part of a social group and boost their confidence because it shows there are others that thing like them.

Double Page Construction

  

This is my Double Page Spread

i began with an image that i took, of the band M-18 and covered areas in black where i will put text, i have done this because the text is difficult to read against the original background, but the background is dark enough so it is barely noticeable this is not done everywhere where i will place text because in some places h text is clearly visible and a block of black colour would be easily noticeable which would compromise the look of the image.

i have used this image for a few reasons, one of which is because it fits with the other two images related to the story, so a reader flicking through can make the link that all three images look similar and would be able to notice that they are all related.

another reason is, because the story is about the album "Creepin up the Streets", the album cover of which is a similar image to this as the darkness creates a feeling of silence.

The next step I took was to add the main text, such as the page numbers, Headline and masthead & slogan. I have done this to show roughly the placement of the text. 

The masthead and slogan have been placed in the corner of the page in a smaller size, this is because this way the masthead is still noticeable, yet not large enough to take away the focus from the headline.

The headline is in a large bold font so it stands out against the masthead and all other text, o contribute to this i have changed the shade to a slightly lighter colour so it contrasts stronger against the black background, bright colours i have found are useful for attracting attention to a subject, this is my reasoning for using a "pug" on the cover, Page numbers have also been used simply for navigation and authentication purposes.

The next step i took was to add the text, and so i needed to find enough relevant subjects to talk about. As it is the main text i have made it small so i can fit more in, this obeys the conventions of a popular music magazine, as no music magazines have articles with large text, i have kept the shade of gold the same to that of the headline in order for it to be bright enough to be seen against the dark background. i have split the first paragraph along the bottom, from the other two so that no text is lost in the centerfold.

the text is about the bands new album and i have made it seem like they are new but reasonably popular, this means i do not need to include an introduction to the band, but instead include the information linked to the contents story and front page, which is 50% off the album advertised, this way readers will be interested because there are freebies.

This is my finished Double Page Spread, the final additions to the page are the quote                "... Already Hit 20,000 sales..." i have chosen this part of the article as the quote as it is midway through the first paragraph and is also interesting because it is impressive that a new band has hit 20,000 album sales so quickly, this quote is larger that the article text but not larger than the headline, this way it stands out, but cannot be confused with the headline, i have also placed it on a slant, this makes it stand out against the text that is straight formatted and neat.

I have also put a list of tour dates, as the article mentions the first UK tour, this is in the right hand corner so that it is the last thing to be read, i have put the Date of each concert larger than the venue as the date is slightly more important than the venue and therefore that should stand out slightly more

Overall i am impressed with my Double Page Spread as it has been constructed to the best of my ability, it meets the conventions of a popular music magazine, and i feel it has improved a lot since my original ideas and designs.

Contents Construction

For my Contents Page, again i decided to have a coloured, patterned background, sticking to the house colours of black and gold using the gradient tool with a linear gradient, so i have a similar pattern to the cover page but with a slight difference, this background is slightly simpler and i have done this for a reason, because there is usually far more writing on contents page, than on the cover, this way i do not have to repeatedly change colours i can use gold text for the top of the page and black text for the bottom.

Next i inserted the word "Contents" so that the reader knows what is on this page and knows that this is the directory where he will find where each article is, i have also inserted the images, with consideration about text which will accompany each image.

i have included an image at the top of the page, a fake magazine cover, this is in less detail but retains the house theme and aspects this will be used as a preview to next weeks issue, to interest the reader about the next issue even if there is little that will interest the individual in this issue.

the next image is one of a motorcyclist, this image is to be coupled with the image on the cover, as both refer to the story about the Daft Punk reunion tour, the image is looking at the camera therefore once again feels as if it is staring at the reader and creating a personal link.

The image to the right of it depicts a hand-carved, painted wooden african mask, this has been placed there to instill and represent the idea of africa, because it has been used to represent Elton John's trip to africa, before his hit "the Circle of Life" which is about the animal kingdom, most fans will understand and be able to easily interpret a link between the two which will intrigue the reader once again.

The image of a Luxury residence from a sea-view is a story about Holly Johnson's Holiday Home in greece, i have chosen this image because among other reasons such as limited shots i had taken, it was an establishing shot of which shows a large residence in the sun, and this creates a picture that only the incredibly wealthy would be able afford it.

The last image is important as it depicts the band "M-18" who are the focus of the double page spread this is place near the bottom because it contrasts with the background colour and therefore stands out more, the image depicts young teenagers with instruments which will interest the reader, because not only is it unusual for younger teenagers to form a band, but the target audience is adults from age 30+ at which age may have children around the age of the teenagers depicted, therefore this may interest them.

here i have added the text, again i found it very useful to use puns which make the target audience feel involved because they understand the references

an example of this is in the description of Holly Johnson's holiday home, i have said Holly Johnson shows us how to "Relax" this is because Holly Johnson is the lead singer of "Frankie Goes To Hollywood" who's most popular song is "Relax".

i have also added page numbers to make it easy to navigate through the magazine.

Finally i added the remaining articles, in order to try and sell the article i have increased the size of the artist name but left the description and page numbers small, i have also included a separate section for "Featured Bands" any magazines do this when there are no big stories for these bands but still small bits of information, once again i have increased the size of the band name in hope that the reader will notice a band they are interested in and buy the magazine.

The text layout of the magazine had to be considered because i had to make sure that there was enough space between each caption so they did not look like they were together and i had to place them in places where the font would be visible due to font colour and other aspects.

overall i am pleased with my contents page and i feel it fits the conventions of a popular music magazine

Cover Construction

I started my construction using a blank page with a background pattern in the house theme colours, Black and Gold, i have chosen these colours because they compliment each other very well and the Gold represents the idea of the "Golden Oldies" which is the genre of music, to create this pattern i have used the gradient tool with a linear gradient so i can create a pattern, this makes for an easy base as i can keep the logo design which is Gold font on Black Background

This is the Font I chose for my logo, it is not the Font included in the

Questionnaire or Design but i feel that it captures a more Retro or Nostalgic feeling and

suits the theme & and genre much more, because the font i chose originally was very formal and

Bland.

I have however decided to stick with the house theme Gold on Black and i am pleased with the Masthead Outcome as it meets all criteria I intended.

My next step was to insert the main image i would be using, this was important as it is the center and main focus of the cover, therefore i chose a meaningful stance and costume to replicate the attire of the popular Techno band "Daft Punk" this is contrary to my original design in which i intended to place the image slanted, coming in from the side or bottom corner of the page, this was originally to create a more chaotic look to the page, however i decided against it because with all of the accompanying stories, images, and text, the page became far too cluttered to the point where the text and stories could not be noticed as a group and the page became in comprehensible therefore i chose to have the image upright in the centre of the page as it still draws the readers main focus, it is neatly placed and compliments the rest of the layout and looks as if it is staring at the reader creating a personal link between the the magazine and the reader.

Next i placed the rest of the images, taking into consideration the room required for the text which accompanies the images

the images i have used here surround the main focus of the page and are all relevant for the magazine the picture of Bon Jovi (Mid-Left) is included in a story about a court case which will intrigue readers to read about what the popular artist has done in order to get into court,

the image of Spandau Ballet's Saxophonist (Mid-Right) Will be accompanied with a "pug" or "sticker" which will be coloured red to stand out against the rest of the page, the reasoning for this is so that it catches the readers attention who will then see that inside the Pug is the writing "Exclusive Interview with Spandau Ballet" henceforth interesting them, as the word "Exclusive" implies that it cannot be found in any other magazine.

The final Image is one that i constructed as a fake CD cover (Bottom Right) this is to promote the fake band, M-18, and their new album, which in this issue, has a %50 discount, because my questionnaire results showed that a high percentage of people were interested in freebies.

The next step was to insert the text, this is very important because the stories and captions must be interesting, eye catching and relevant in order to draw the reader in, i found a good way to do this is to use clever puns as the target audience will understand the reference and become interested in what the rest of the story is.

For example, to illustrate the thought of Bon Jovi being in court, i quoted a popular song of his but changed a single word in order to fit the situation, so instead of "you gave love a bad name", i changed it to "you gave Me a bad name".

For the Spandau Ballet interview i have placed a pug with the words "Spandau Ballet Exclusive Interview", i have made the plug red with a lens flare in order to make it stand out and attract the readers attention to the "Exclusive" interview.

The main headline is coupled with the main image or focus of the magazine, this headline is about the Reunion Tour of the popular band Daft Punk, once again i have used lyrics from their popular songs such as "One More Time" and "Around The World" as i have previously stated the target audience will understand these references and will take more notice of the story.

the final story i have placed on the cover is about the new band "M-18", this has been placed on the cover as it is an important story in the magazine and will interest the reader especially because it includes details on a freebie ,50% off the latest album which is the focus of that particular article.

To complete My Page Construction, i inserted the smaller, yet important details such as issue number, date, barcode and slogan.

these all contribute to how authentic the page looks, this is because every music magazine involves a barcode, indication of date and an indication of the issue number, i have used a slogan to be regularly coupled with the title "Remember When" this is "The home of Reminiscence" i decided to include this slogan as it indicates clearly the genre of the magazine to be oldies.

i am very please with this outcome as i believe it meets all the criteria i intended and has been improved from my original design.

this is an image i found on the internet showing the saxophonist from spandau ballet

this image will be used as a sub-story on the front cover, the headline will be a play on words using the lyrics of their song "true" the headline will be "he knows this much is true" and it will be an interview with the saxophonist of spandau ballet

this is the image i will use to cover my double page spread

this is a picture of the band that is described as "the new von trapp family" because they are all brothers and sisters and are all musically talented

this is show by the instruments

this is good for a double page spread as it is landscape and able to cover both pages

because it is an unusual setting for a photo-shoot it will interest readers flicking through the pages

all of the subjects are looking at the camera so the reader feels like they are being addressed by this image

the youth of all of the subjects is also unusual so it will interest the reader to read about their background

this is an image of my family of whom i have given instruments

this will be used on the contents page relating to the double page spread

as they are all reasonably young it will intrigue the reader to read their story

this is coupled with the headline "the new von trapp family"

the people who buy this magazine will be old enough to understand this comparison and this will make them wonder why this comparison has been made

this is a fake cover that i will use on the contents page to show the next weeks issue

i have put a few images together and kept to the house theme

by placing a large picture of the human league on the cover it will interest the reader and hopefully persuade them to purchase the next weeks issue

this is an image i will use on the contents page as a story

the headline for this image will be a story of elton johns trip to africa, antiquities he brought home, and his inspiration for the lion king soundtrack "circle of life"

Photo's

this is an image i took off a boat on my holiday in corfu

i will use this as a long-shot for a sub-story describing Holly Johnson's (lead singer of frankie goes to hollywood) holiday resort in corfu, the headline will read "Frankie looks Relaxed" because the hit single "Relax" by the band inspired a lot of merchandise with the phrase "Fankie Say Relax", therefore this would be fully understood

Maslow's Heirarchy of needs

this is a pyramid explaining maslows heirarchy of needs, it shows the order of our needs from most essential to luxury, for example the bottom of the pyramid shows essential functions, such as breathing, homeostasis and excretion, next is safety, then love/belonging and excetera,

my aim is to convince my reader that this magazine is essential for them, by finding ways to fit it in their esteem group, this can be done by convincing the reader that, it will give them respect from others hence giving them self esteem and confidence, i could also make it so it gives them a sense of achievement this will make people think t is more essential than it actually is persuading people to buy it. it would be difficult to persuade people that buying my magazine would give them friends or anything else lower down in the pyramid and more essential

contents

this is my design for a contents page

the word "contents" is written in the top corner so that the reader knows exactly what they are looking at, the masthead is also at the very bottom of the page as a logo and it will engrave the name and slogan into the readers head which is why i plan to have it on every page.

i have lots of images planned to go with each story on the contents, because most people prefer aesthetic qualities and therefore images will do them justice the larger images will have bigger stories, the largest image on this page will be the detailed headline and the largest image on this page,

because there is not enough room, for all of the stories and page directories to be put as images, there is a bar on the side with all of the the stories and page numbers

finally to keep the reader buying the magazine there will be a preview of the next issue in the top right hand corner with an image followed by the next weeks biggest headline.

double page spread

although it doesn't look like much (and "quote" has been misspelled) this is my design/layout for my double page spread.

the spread will be covered by one large main image depicting a band, because it will be  large image it will attract attention from readers flicking through and persuade them to read the article next to it to find out what is happening, beside the article there will be a quote taken from it on a slant, which will be taken out of context which will make the reader want to find out what context i was used in, all text on these pages will be in gold, to suit the theme, the mast head will be in the tope left corner, and the article heading will be against a black background just like the masthead.

the article will involve an interview with a new band, the title of the article will be "the next von trapp family" because this gives the readers something to compare to and judging by the age of the target audience they will understand the reference.

front cover design analysis

this is the design for the front cover of my magazine, the page will be covered in a picture of somebody wearing a biker helmet and leather jacket, this will represent daft punk as this is their attire, seeing a popular and familiar person/artist will attract attention and my questionnaire shows that people prefer to see artists/bands that they know and are familiar with, this therefore will be a good image and will meet that criteria 

the masthead was voted best, and with it i have put the colour scheme black and gold as the gold contrasts against the black background and also implies the idea of "the golden days". underneath i have placed a slogan "the home of reminiscence" this indicates the genre and theme of the magazine.

the majority of votes asked for a large close-up to cover the page leaving leaving the rest relatively clear, so i have put the caption denoting the image at the very bottom in the house theme, and another small story at the top above the main image, this is meant to entice the reader and show that there is plenty more inside

the language i have used in the denotations uses a lot of puns, including the bands song names, in hope that these jokes ill suit the readers humour and give them an incentive to purchase the magazine

Questionnaire Results

Ideas

This is a picture of my average target audience. This is Phil, he is a 38 year old male living in devon, he owns a reasonable large home and is a school teacher who fits the demographic of a B

. he is middle aged hence possibly feeling insecure. with the nature of his job and lifestyle he has a reasonable amount of disposable income left after fulfilling basic needs, he likes old music such as spandau ballet and alienates new music such as progressive rock and indie

he still owns a record player and his favourite band is daft punk.

he is a very traditional man who doesn't like to change his ways and refuses to keep up with new trends

my magazine would fit his need perfectly because it would reassure him that he is not alone in not wanting to follow new trends and move on with music, this will raise his self esteem which is under the esteem layer of maslows heirachy of needs which will appeal much more than just self actualization such as a creative magazine

this will make the magazine more personal to him therefore making him more likely to spend disposable income on it. each issue will contain a double-page spread to introduce a new up and coming band which fits the genre this will provide the magazine with ore material to write about.

this is the contents for the Kerrang magazine, Kerrang uses this layout for the majority of its magazines.

it has one main image which is considered the main article of this issue as it is the largest

there are several smaller pictures giving the reader a visual idea of what is included which is more attractive than text and therefore more interesting because it is denoted by a small caption.

like the others, the articles are divided into categories thus making navigation easier

in the corner there is a picture of the next weeks issue interesting the reader to continue reading even if they dont like this issue

once again, in a contrasting colour there is an advertisement for the magazine such as subscription offers

to aid the navigation there are page numbers attached to each picture or headline

Clash contents

this is an image from clash magazine.

it is a lot more simple and less cluttered than a conventional cover, the background is an an image of a man standing in a blue shirt against a blue background.

it combats the conventions of a cluttered, chaotic look and looks calm

the information in the magazine is categorized in four columns making it easy to navigate

it still has images on the left to show what is in the magazine to attempt to draw the reader in

the main feature of this contents is that it is unusual therefore it will intrigue the reader and stands out against most other magazines

Contents

This page has an image in the center showing what is included in the magazine, denoted by what appears to be the main headline of this weeks issue, this link can be made as the writing is directly underneath the image and in bold writing, this is followed by a small introduction explaining what the article is about to draw the readers interest to the article as they would most likely continue reading it

there is a list of bands on the left hand side, this is because readers will be interested to see familiar names and find out what's new with their favorite bands such as upcoming tours and gigs.

there are categories on the right side making it easier for the reader to navigate through the magazine and find exactly what they are looking for

and at the very bottom there is an advertisement which will attract the readers attention because it doesn't fit with the colour scheme, it contrasts and attracts attention to the offer.