Evaluation- Question 7

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

The Font used in the preliminary task was simple and not very effective or eye-catching as the one which we used for our final front cover. I think that both images suit the purpose of the magazine- Its clear to see the preliminary task is for a school magazine. I don't like the fact that the coverlines go over the image of the girls on the preliminary task, i don't think that we paid much attention to the layout of the magazine or adding artistic and stylish features. I think the image for the final product is more striking than the one in the preliminary, this is because it is more engaging with the audience. The colours are more bold on our final product and more attention was payed when aiming the magazine at a specific audience. I think that the preliminary task looks more like a poster rather than a magazine front cover because of the use of one one font throughout, there is no variety which makes it quite plain and not interesting. We payed a lot of attention to detail in our final front cover to ensure that it would appeal to our target audience whereas in our preliminary task we did not take much care when i came to detailed we just looked at the overall main effect.

I think that from our preliminary task we were able to pick up ideas about what kind of composition we should have on our final product and editing our image to be appropriate for our genre. We also realized the importance of having a bold masthead and captivating coverlines.
When creating our preliminary i was not familiar with programs such as Adobe Bridge, InDesign and Pages and because this front cover was created on pages, we as a group were not very confident with how to use Pages, i think if we had spent more time learning and familiarising ourselves with Pages our front cover would look more advanced and professional. We then decided to experiment with InDesign as we researched that it was a program filled with tools that would give our magazine a sophisticated edge. However, we realised that pages was a less complex and equally as effective as InDesign for creating our front cover. 
Doing our preliminary task we  tried used programs such as PowerPoint and Microsoft Word which did not give a professional appearance to our magazine as these programs do not specialize in creating a magazine. Another issue with using Microsoft and PowerPoint was that i was not able to upload things in this format, instead i had to screenshot it to make it a JPEG image in order to upload it to my blog as an image. 
During the process of making our magazine we had issues with blogger and with using the Apple Mac's which made it difficult to reach deadlines but i was able to do work outside of school to ensure my work was handed in on time. 
Prior to my media knowledge i took art for GCSE  so i had basic understanding of PhotoShop but i couldn't use it on an advanced level so when making my magazine i learned about how to edit photos to make their appearance more appealing and suitable for a magazine. At first i used the rubber tool to erase the background and then i found how to use the magnetic tool to select particular parts of the image you want and i found this very effective because i was able to change background colours (which i did on the image for the contents page) but i found difficulties when it came to fading the image into the background to make it look more natural, i overcame this though by using the blur tool. 
When we were in the process of making our magazine we had to do several Photoshoots. The first Photoshoot we came to a unanimous decision within our group that  we thought these photos would not be striking enough for a front cover. We did another photoshoot from which we found our front cover. This process taught us a lot about styling for media and how the clothes and types of photos taken highly influence what genre of music we are working with and attracting a suitable target audience. 
Being fans of the indie rock genre we were able to gain a real understanding of what our target audience are like. We attended concerts during this process, for example Catfish and the Bottlemen, while there we were able to see what kind of clothes their fans wear and then generalised our findings to a wider range of people that listen to other bands that come under the indie rock genre. We were aware of our audiences likes and dislikes and from this were able to create something that would really capture their attention and appeal to them. We took inspiration from several magazines produced by Bauer and by IPC, we followed conventions of these popular magazines to create something that would too be popular and be well liked by the public. 
Overall i am proud of what we have produced because a year ago i would never have thought that i could produce something like this due to my inexperience with different programs. I am happy with our final chosen images as we selected a model who was young in order to appeal to the majority of the audience. 

Evaluation Question 6

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

 I have learnt through constructing this product how to edit images effectively to suit the genre of music that i am working with. Before the project I had used a camera but since I have learned about lighting and backgrounds and how to position the camera best to ensure the models are being captured in the best possible way. For our photoshoots we used a Nikon D5200 .  
Using Photoshop allowed me to widen my knowledge of how to create a professional looking image and even change the background colour which I would not have been able to do before. I’ve used new programs such as One drive, Survey Monkey, SlideShare and Prezi. I particularly like Prezi I thought that it was a really effective and different way of getting my ideas across in a new media format that I have not used before.

I found that survey monkey was good but i was unable to create more than 10 questions without being charged for it, this didn't allow me to ask as many questions as i could have to get all the relevant findings i needed. 

I was able to embed my SlideShare onto my blog which made it easier and an interesting way to present my work whereas before the project i was not familiar with SlideShare but i learned through this experience how to use different was to showcase my work. 

Using InDesign was a good way to create layouts although i didn't understand how to use it to its full effect as it was new for me and i was learning while creating my magazine. I then found that pages was equally as good but easier for me to use, so i created the rest of my work on Pages. 

Adobe Bridge was useful when it came to creating our contact sheets as we were able to preview and adjust pictures and then view them and export them in a PDF file.  
 I have also not used blogger before, however I was used to the concept of a blog because I have a Tumblr account but I think that the two are very different so I found what it’s like to have a more professional blog rather than a blog for social media. 

For this project computers were essential. We used Apple Macs which had all the useful programs we needed to ensure we could make a magazine cover to the best of our ability. 

A problem we faced during the project was that we weren't sure of the original font we intended to use, so we researched on the internet a font that we thought would be nice and came across a font called 'Indie Summer.' we downloaded this font but were unable to work out how to get that font onto pages, therefore we used this video tutorial from YouTube and found it very helpful and were able to use the font we downloaded after that. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEl9SCEDlBs 

Overall everything I have learned will benefit me in the future because I found new ways to present my ideas in a more fun and interesting way and use different technologies to create a sophisticated  and professional end product. 

Evaluation- Question 5

  How did you attract/address your audience? 

We attracted the audience through techniques such as making the models as relatable as possible to the audience so that they were able to identify with the band.

 On our front cover we used casual clothing that would inspire those reading the magazine. We used artistic and stylish fonts that would attract the audience with our unique touch. The colours used on the page would appeal to both male and females making the audience wider. Through the use of cover lines we were able to capture our audience’s interest. We went against the norm where all band members feature on the front cover, instead we chose a single member because we though that this would give an overall more striking affect. We chose a blue house style as it compliments many of our images we took and used for the magazine. The model is interacting with the camera by looking straight ahead this engages the audience as it is almost as if the model is looking directly at you. 

 On the contents page we made the layout simple and clear which therefore made the

audience able to read about what the magazine contains without being over loaded with information. The information that we included on the contents page is engaging and interesting. We highlighted words that were of particular interest so the audience notice it. There is an element of enthusiasm on the front cover as the articles appear to be exciting and worthwhile reading immediately attracting the audience.We continued the blue on the contents page too as this is one of our main theme colours.  

The double page spread is full of colour which makes it eye catching therefore the reader would be more interested in reading the article. The image shows friendship and unity that differs from the typical Indie rock image and the audience would appreciate seeing something different as Indie is all about expressing yourself being unique and setting trends not following them. We chose a colour scheme of purple on this page as the colour compliments the background image. We have used the font Indie Summer like we had on the front page to make the magazine flow well. The two girls make the image trendy and highlight the fact that this is a contemporary new and upcoming magazine. The Polaroids add an element of vintage and grunge as these are of recent times being associated highly with those who enjoy the grunge culture and these people tend to listen to Indie Rock music. 

Evaluation- Question 4

Who would be the audience for your music magazine?

Target Audience from sheenaaustinn

NOTE: The contents  page in this magazine has been edited since this post. Here is the updated version: 
 

Evaluation- Question 3

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

There is such importance with selecting which media institution should distribute our magazine because this is the way in which the public will receive our magazine. 

IPC distributes NME magazine which is a conventional magazine that we have used as continuous inspiration for our magazine therefore I think that our magazine would fit in with the kind of magazines that they promote. The fact that the company distributes popular magazines means that our magazine has a better chance of reaching the public and therefore selling better. 

Advantages 

IPC distributes sixty magazines and this company is able to reach a wide audience.  A company that distributes this many magazines would be able to distribute our magazine widely. NME, one of our inspirations, is distributed by this company. I feel that as a company, it would be an easy transition into producing a new and similar (yet edgier) magazine. NME also attracts both men and women of a broad target age group therefore the public would respond well to our magazine. 

Disadvantages 
NME is possibly too similar and more well known throughout the public due to their merchandise and also there stages at festivals therefore our magazine would be in competition with NME, but our magazine is new and for those looking for something new and unique the would turn to our magazine.  

Another magazine distributer which could distribute our magazine would be Bauer Media, which has distributed magazines such as ‘Q’ and ‘Kerrang!’ These too are very popular music magazine therefore the chances of our magazine selling well would be heightened.

Advantages 

Unlike IPC, Bauer produces 300 magazines in 15 countries and also through other mediums such as radio this means that we could extend our magazine into other forms such as online or television. Bauer has produced magazines such as 'Q' which we have used continually as inspiration from layout to Photoshoot styles.  

Disadvantages 
A problem with Bauer Media, again like IPC is that it produces such well known and popular magazines that our magazine may not be favoured like the other magazine as they have all built up such a positive representation within the industry that there is so much competition especially with the fact that there are 300 other magazines produced by Bauer. 

Overall i believe that IPC would be the best distributer due to the fact that they have produced succsessful magazines such as NME which we took a lot of inspoiration from.

Evaluation- Question 2

How does your music magazine represent particular social groups?

We aimed to exhibit certain features in our magazine to make it representative of our target audience. We did this through different aspects such as the images we used, the chosen fonts and colour schemes. We selected our models to portray a sense of what our target audience are like. The models were styled to wear 90’s grunge clothing which we found was the typical clothes that are associated with our target audience. The clothing was particularly casual because the audience would be able to relate to their outfits and therefore find our magazine more intriguing and relatable. The way that the models posed is also an indication as to what genre of music magazine this is. The mood of the front cover especially is quite serious which contrasts to the double page spread which shows the band members more relaxed and having fun, we made them pose in this way so it could show variety to the indie rock genre and break stereotypical boundaries which makes the audience more interested and captivated by the magazine. Many of our shoots were taken as close up or mid shots because we took inspiration from other magazines and indie photo shoots, this is an example made on prezi of how we linked other images and styles to our front cover and photo shoots.

I think that our magazine represents our selected social group through the use of photos and variety of colours and the font which is used throughout keeping it trendy and stylish.

Evaluation- Question 1

 In what ways does your music magazine use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real music magazines? 

In our magazine we aimed to add as many features as possible of a conventional music magazine in order to maintain professionalism while appealing to our target audience. IN magazine has many features that also differ from a conventional magazine, this is due to the fact that the genre of music is indie and there is a thirst within the indie rock music industry for a unique, intriguing and stylish appeal. 

The front cover was designed to be striking to immediately capture the audience’s attention to make our magazine stand out from others that fall under the same genre.  Being on top of trends is a large factor of the Indie music industry as the audience as generally the first to adapt to new styles due to their outgoing and individual personalities. It was very important in our magazine that we tried to convey a sense of contempory art through our magazine to appeal to the audience, we did this through the use of a close up shot keeping a minimalistic touch and using typography that was a strong indication of the genre of music that this magazine falls under. We chose to take a single shot of one of the band member because this shows individuality, especially through the clothing that is typically associated with the people who listen to indie rock. We took inspiration from a magazine called INDIE, we found the front cover to be trendy and eye-catching which are all positive features that we wanted our magazine to show case.  The original idea behind our masthead was taken from NME magazine, we really favoured how their masthead was bold and clear and thought that this would work well on the front cover of our magazine.   The cover lines were written in ‘Indie Summer’ we continued to use throughout the magazine, this is because it is artistic and unique which would attract the audience to our magazine because it differs from other magazines. We had previously done much research into what features on indie rock magazine front covers, and had found that it tends to be more artistic and minimalistic rather than flooded with information overpowering the cover image. I think that the colours work well together on the front page, with the main colours being blue appealing to both genders hence widening our audience.

Our contents page also has features of a contempory conventional magazine especially through the use of font. The font is clear and sophisticated making the magazine appear professional and authentic.  From previous research we found that contents page generally contains a few images of the band that are the focal point of the magazine. Within the font of the contents page we found that other magazines tend to highlight certain words hyperbolising them, which draws much attention to articles creating intrigue within the audiences and ultimately drawing them in and leaving them curious to explore the magazine further.  The colour scheme doesn't change from the front cover onto the contents page making the magazine flow well and look more together also it is good to have a house style so the audience associate this colour with the magazine. this is similar to the conventional magazine which tends to have a set colour scheme throughout the magazine. Our contents page would appeal to a wider range of people. The layout of our magazine is the typical generic layout that would be seen in most music magazines. We chose to follow a conventional layout to assert our professionalism and it also balances the composition of the contents page because information is equally spread across the page through both images and written information. The images that we selected were due to the edgy and grunge appeal to them. This is because the audience tends to be presented in this style, which I found from my readership profile.

The double page is presented in a purple colour scheme because it links nicely to the band members clothing. This also is very appealing to those who fall under the stereotypical category of Indie Rock.  We continued the ‘Indie summer’ theme through to the double page spread because of its artistic elements, however the body font of the double page spread was written in the font Ariel because it is clear and easy to read. The main image selected was due to the unity and friendship that it conveys because it puts the band in the best possible light. The main image is large and bold making it eye-catching and modern. Our results from our survey showed that bold colours were liked so we wanted to add bold colours so that it would appeal to our target audience.  Bold colours are not generally used with conventional indie rock magazine, instead monochrome colours are typically used but we wanted to be individual. We added Polaroid’s to the bottom left corner because this differs from the conventional magazine making IN magazine unique and stylish. The article doesn’t distract from the image, however I think that this page is not layed in a balanced composition but the use of Polaroid’s makes it more equally presented on both pages.  The main article is full of interesting information about the band with a contempory touch by announcing upcoming events and intertwining other contempory bands within the article to show variety, which widens the audience.

Overall the three parts of our magazine have the typical conventions of that of a generic magazine however have some leeway because we explore different elements which would not always be typically included with indie music magazines but with the recent collision of Indie rock and dance music we added a touch of modern and unique features.