AS Media Studies

EvaluationG321

Foundation Portfolio

By Charlotte Palmer

Question 1.

In what ways does your media product use,

develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real media products?

Front Cover

Through out my magazine I used a

variety of generic conventions. I

became familiar with these through

the generic conventions task:

http://charlottermpalmer.blogspot.co.

uk/2012/10/instyle-magazine-cover-

analasis.html

Then I put this into context by using

existing magazines as templates in

order to familiarise myself with

these features:

http://charlottermpalmer.blogspot.co.

uk/2012/10/magazine-covers.html

As a result of these exercises, I had a clear understanding

of the layout of a magazine as seen through this example:

I took into consideration how each convention (circled) should

be typically displayed therefore following the rules of

conventions. This is achieved with the ‘left-third’ rule for the

masthead (Tap Tap masthead) and how the main cover line

should take the attention compared to the cover lines.

Additionally the important conventions such as barcode and

price are laid out in a familiar way. However I decided to

merge the URL with the masthead giving it further interest to

the design.

Question 1. Use, develop or challenge forms and conventions

Question 1. Use, develop or challenge forms and conventions

Challenges and developments

Some of these conventions I challenged and

added my own interpretation to give the

magazine it’s own identity. Instead of the

URL being displayed separately on the

cover, I made it a part of the masthead

therefore giving it extra purpose to the

design.

Unfamiliar to a music magazine, I provided

a flower branch as a prop in order to give

the cover star some beauty and character as

well as emphasis to the colour red. This is

not common for a music magazine therefore

it gives the cover something iconic.

The main cover line is given a black border

and an underline which is not often done.

This again gives the magazine an

uniqueness as well as providing emphasis

on the main cover line.

Influences

The layout of my front

cover came from a variety

of magazines including

NME, Karrang! and

Rolling Stone. This also

upheld my genre of

magazine (Rock and Pop).

I liked the design of

NME’s masthead with a

bold white outline

providing it with a strong

attention. The design of

Karrang!’s cover lines I

adapted into my

magazine’s top cover lines.

In addition to this,

Rolling Stone’s layout

gave me inspiration of

how the cover lines frame

the cover star as well as

the main cover line’s

positioning.

My magazine cover also

supported the use of

direct address which

provides a connection

between the cover star

and the audience.

To give the cover star

enhancement, I placed her

in front of the masthead,

this is used within NME

and Kerrang!.

The background in

Rolling Stone and

Karrang! typically is a

single colour therefore

providing emphasis to the

star and cover lines. This

I also used in my

magazine which also

became a part of the

house colours.

Question 1. Use, develop or challenge forms and conventions

Question 1. Use, develop or challenge forms and conventions

Contents

The layout of the contents was

initially inspired from aspects of

Q magazines’ and Empire

magazines’ contents.

Then I began drafting my

contents page as two designs:

http://charlottermpalmer.blogspo

t.co.uk/2012/12/by-drafting-2-

different-contents-pages.html

The large numbers, bold titles and organised structure

was what I liked about these two magazines. I also

adapted the red, black and white house colours into

my own contents page. The variation and sizes of the

photographs made the contents pages stimulating and

attractive which I also included in my contents page.

Question 1. Use, develop or challenge forms and conventions

My contents continued the house

colours and the cover story which links

with the front cover. The addition of

advertisements based on the magazine

and special effects on the headings was

what made the contents page different

from those that influenced me.

However, Q and Empire influenced

areas such as the idea of the issue

number and date information being

displayed, the variations of fonts and

number colours.

To keep the attention focused on the

cover star, I grey scaled the additional

photo’s so that the house colours stay

consistent. I decided to develop the

contents heading to ‘What’s inside?’

which lingers the question in the

readers mind and at the same time it

remains clear that it is a contents page.

Question 1. Use, develop or challenge forms and conventions

Double page spreadMy first influence of the layout of the

double page was from Empire

magazine:

http://charlottermpalmer.blogspot.co.u

k/2012/11/double-page-spread-

research.html

I planned that my double page

will look similar to this since I

liked the idea of a large image

and columns of text. Though this

is not from a music magazine, it

was something that I could

develop into my own.

The cover stars name is laid out as a large black and white title

with the addition of a quote from the article as a quick preview for

the reader. The article is written as a Q and A format with an

introduction and concluding paragraph. Similarly to the Empire

magazine, the beginning of the article is introduced with a large

letter. I made my letter not so large since the title should keep the

engagement. The house colours of red, black and white stay

constant within the DPS which brings together the cover and

contents page collectively. Instead of one column, I used two with

the image at the centre which differs to the Empire magazine

layout therefore developed into my own version. In addition, the

props of flowers is consistent with the cover star therefore keeping

her the icon of the magazine.

Question 2.

How does your media product represent

particular social groups?

Question 2. Representing particular social groups

My magazine’s focus is towards teenagers,

old and young, who enjoy popular pop music

or rough rock music. The magazines Q,

Karrang! and NME helped me to understand

how to fit this genre into my magazine as

well as how to target it to a teenage audience.

Cover star

The cover star ‘Love and

Death’ demonstrates a sweet,

unique yet strong willed

young lady who’s very

opinionated and won’t often

give up nor be told what to

do. This shows similarity to

typical teenagers who can be

rebellious and adventurous.

However this character

challenges the stereotypical

female image as a small,

fragile lady who is often

protected by a strong male.

Question 2. Representing particular social groups

Other photos used gave the magazine a youthful, mysterious and rustic

sense which continues this ‘Rock and Pop’ trend.

The females and the males show equal attention therefore the images of

females become very shady and intense. This will fit with my target

audience since the images will imitate similarly with their usual

appearance.

Question 3.

What kind of media institution might distribute

your media product and why?

The genre and audience of TAP TAP magazine is similar to ones of NME and Q

which are from major distribution companies. I can see TAP TAP working well

for a major distributer as a fresh type of magazine displaying a lot of new

visions and new faces, therefore a top seller.

The distributer I’ve chosen is IPC Media:

http://www.ipcmedia.com/

I have chosen them for their range of magazines, including NME, and their

variety of ways to advertise on different platforms including websites, printing

and on modern technology such as mobiles and tablets. TAP TAP magazine can

merge well with this modern company as a new magazine for young music

lovers.

Question 3. Media Institution

Question 4.

Who would be the audience for your media

product?

Question 4. The audience for your media product

My magazine will target both boys

and girls between the ages of 16 to 20

years of age. The link will display my

questionnaire with responses. I asked

people between 16 to 20 years old

relevant questions involving their

thoughts of music magazines:

http://charlottermpalmer.blogspot.co.u

k/2012/11/magazine-questionaire-

analysis.html

The result helped me with the

development so that the magazine will

aim at this audience.NME also has a similar target

audience to my magazine as their

audience surrounds teenagers and 20

to 21 year olds who enjoy a variety of

the latest music.

Question 5.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Question 5. Attract/address your audience

Masthead

The name TAP TAP is a catchy reference to a beat or rhythm

therefore it can appeal to various types of music. As for the

target audience, the simplicity and memory of the name works

well for older teenagers during their hectic lives. The colour

black with the white boarder encourages the name to stand out,

plus with the shadow effect supplies a modern lift to the

masthead. Additionally with the long black lines being formed,

they could be a base to add extra information on such as the

URL, Slogans, season specials, designs. This gives the

masthead purpose and visual interest.

Colours

Mature colours of black, red and

white appeared to be the end result of

my questionnaire:

http://charlottermpalmer.blogspot.co.

uk/2012/11/magazine-questionaire-

analysis.html

Similarly to NME and Rolling Stone, the

colours chosen suited my target audience for

it’s clarity, contrast and uses. For a Pop and

Rock magazine: black provides a dark,

sinister meaning; white gives purity as well as

a good base colour; and red can be used for

text needing special attention plus to give a

sense of romance or warning.

As a theme to each issue of the magazine,

another colour shall be used to give it identity

and added curiosity. In this case, I used blue.

?

Question 5. Attract/address your audienceCover lines

The cover lines show persuasive phrases like

‘Exclusive’ and ‘New’. Emphasis is given to certain

words through colour and size which gives another

element of influence. The register is informal, to the

point, quick to read and with the addition of a quote

from the cover star leaves the reader interested.

The language of the magazine fits with the age group

being easy to understand, a down to earth tone and

enjoyable to read due to some creative imagery. The

attitude is encouraging and informal but not too

rebellious therefore it keeps open to new Rock and

Pop readers as well as regulars.

Images

Majority of the images are of the cover star in her strong,

proud and confident character. Other images taken relate to

cover stories but also fit the young, striking attitude of the

magazine.

I made this the cover image as the way the flowers frame the

face and provide the girl a ‘warrior’ impression; as if she’ll

fight for her objective. The use of direct address enhances this

idea of aggressing to be the best as well as connecting with

the audience.

Question 6.

What have you learnt about technologies from

the process of constructing the product?

Question 6. The technologies from the process

During the process, I used various programs to construct my magazine

including Paint.Net, Photoshop and Microsoft Word.

Here are the strengths of each program:

Microsoft Word Photoshop Paint.Net

Easy and logical to use. A variety of ways to

transform and manipulate

images.

Easy to use and understand.

Able to transform and add

text or images onto the

document.

Able to add text, shapes and

effects.

Able to change images with

effects and tools.

Flexibility with changing

fonts, sizes and colour.

With the use of layers, you

can return to a layer and

change, edit or delete it at any

time.

Able to add text and add

shapes.

Prevents mistakes with the

use of spell check.

Additional tools such as

zooming in and out, paint

brushes, gradient and paint

bucket.

Clear and accurate print

previews.

Able to save as JPG or PSD

so you can return and change

the file.

Question 6. The technologies from the process

Microsoft Word Photoshop Paint.Net

Unable to save

document as a JPG or

image format.

Inexperienced users can

find it a complicated

program to use.

The effects do not

appear as good a quality.

Difficult and fiddly to

change image or text

placements.

Can be difficult to

‘lasso’ sections of an

image.

Unable to edit text after

unselecting layer so it

can be frustrating.

With a wide choice of

effects, it is likely to

over use them.

Limited choice of shapes

and brush effects.

Weaknesses:

Each program had its uses in the development of my magazine, like Microsoft

word was helpful to add text to the DPS and the effects on Photoshop helped

me to create a professional impression to the cover.

Question 6. The technologies from the process

Drafting and Planning

During the assembly of my

magazine, I took snap shots of

features that I liked or used.

This is featured as drafting and

planning:

http://charlottermpalmer.blogsp

ot.co.uk/2012/12/features-of-

my-magazine.html

A variety of situations was dealt with

before the cover, contents and DPS was

completed. Through comparing with

existing magazines and forming a

layout, my magazine began to take

shape. A difficulty I had to face was

contrasting colours with the

background ensuring that the text was

still clear and readable. Additionally, to

provide the effect of the cover star over

lapping the masthead meant a detailed

process with the ‘lasso tool’.

Question 6. The technologies from the process

Photographic choices

Before I focused on taking

photographs for my front

cover, I began drafting

different ways I could lay out

the cover star with the cover

lines, I also did this with the

contents page.

By doing this allowed me the

freedom to make changes

without effecting the final

piece and to become familiar

with the cover layout.

Eventually I discovered a

design and reasons for the

photos I selected. Little

improvements were made to

the photo’s such as brightness

and colour adjustments.

Question 6. The technologies from the process

Blogger

Blogger became a way to display the process of my magazine and an effective

method to upload and search for my work.

I can access my blog anytime and compared to storing and organising my work

in a folder, it is a much lighter and simpler form. Additionally the freedom to

post, delete and edit post is much more efficient compared to re-writing or

erasing written work.

Question 7.

Looking back to your preliminary task, what do

you feel that you have learnt in the progression

from it to the full product?

Question 7. Looking back to the preliminary task

PRELIMINARY TASK MAIN TASK FINAL

In the preliminary task, the cover lines do not surround the cover well and it appears very

simple yet a severe layout; not a lot of freedom with the cover lines..

Question 7. Looking back to the preliminary task

PRELIMINARY TASK MAIN TASK FINAL

Considering I used 2 different programs (Microsoft word for Preliminary and Photoshop for main task),

I think I’ve done well for a first attempt. But I can tell that I have improved with the layout and

positioning of images in the main task which created a professional appearance.

Overall

Overall I am very happy with the final result and I think I have fulfilled the brief

of making a music magazine. Through my tougher research of music magazines

and with the help of coming to terms with what attracts older teenagers; I had

created a Rock and Pop magazine with a unique appearance, a bold style and a

brand that flows from page to page. I feel my strongest page is the contents due

to the bright colours and, in particular, the photography which I feel turned out

very successful.