EVALUATIONby Komal Rana

Music magazine

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

Barcode- I decided to situate my barcode in the bottom right-hand corner in comparison to the real media product which has it placed on the right top, clearly visible. I personally feel that the barcode of the media product interfered with the consumers visual image- and did not complement the front cover. Placing it in the bottom right hand corner did not take away from the practicality, but ensured that my front cover was a clear image.

Masthead- I challenged the mask head of the real media product by placing it on the left hand corner in front of the image instead of behind. I did this as i found that the placements of magazines often involved stacking them vertically quite close together, and that the left side f the magazine is what is always visible. Therefore this ensured that my masthead would be visible whereas others would not.

Image- I challenged the conventions of a real media product through my choice of image. The conventional media product has a medium shot of their model. I initially chose to follow this convention as I too had selected a medium shot as my final image, however i changed my mind due to the realisation that my magazine would be more successful if the consumers could really connect through the direct eye contact of the image and this is what lead me to choose a close up

shot instead of a medium shot.

Price- Through my research I found that the prices of pop magazines are high this is dependant on what they include and if a freebee was included. Due to my magazine giving the freebie of a free mix CD this enabled me to higher my price. Also the number of pages had an effect on the price, my magazine consists of 73 pages whereas the Biss magazine consisted of 34.

Font- I chose bold fonts which challenged the convention of soft lined fonts. I felt that this would be much more appealing to my target audience as it gives them a vibe of craziness and soft rather then smooth.

• One of my aims through out the process of making my magazine was to meet the traditional conventions . One way I portrayed convention was through the use of colours. Having done a lot of research and quizzes I came to a conclusion that Pink and purple were the most popular font colours used in Pop music magazines for the front cover. Moreover, my research enabled me to see that most music magazines have a maximum of four different colours which is known as a house colour. Therefore, I decided to keep the majority of my font pink and purple as it would be more effective. Furthermore, it was more likely that my target audience would be fond of pink and purple because it represented clearly what gender the magazine was aimed at. In order to attract my target audience I decided to use yellow. Yellow was one of the colours that a range of magazine would use when stating a free product. The yellow engages directly to the eye because it contrast with all the pink and purple font. Therefore, I deicide that the main artist name “Leha .R” would be in yellow. I strongly believe this was very beneficial because it makes the artist name stand out and grab peoples attention towards the magazine. My font cover consist of pink, purple, and yellow. The colour yellow enabled my target audience to feel welcomed because bright colours for young people are very attractive. The pink and purple enabled my target audience to feel a crazy and warm girlie feeling inside. It is stereo typed that females are more likely to prefer the colour pink. This was also beneficial because it directly portrayed that my target audience where females.

• I decided to challenge my font cover image by changing my medium shot into a close up shot. This challenged convention as allot of pop magazine throughout my research consist of a medium shot. One of the reasons I changed the shot was to experiment and see to what extent can I make my image engage with my target audience, My results enabled me to see that having a close up shot meant that there was alot more communication with my target audience because there was direct eye contact. This would attracts the audience even by a glare. The girl in the image also gives a confident vibe as her eyes are wide open. This was a positive outcome because confidence is known to be more approachable whereas if she was squinting the image would not have the same strong effect.

• My layout was Simple which makes any information on the front cover much easier to read. Another reason the front cover is simple is because it would be more neat, presentable and engage to the younger audience more effectively. The price of my magazine was £2.49. I decided to challenge convention as through my research the average price of a magazine would be around £2. I came to a conclusion that if my price way high it would give out a feeling that this magazine is very important and of good quality as it consist of 79 pages. Moreover, it would enable me to make more profit. Moreover, parent want to make their teenagers happy therefore they are more likely to buy the magazine.

• Social groups can be adults, kids, teenagers. Including age-range of kids for example 5-13. My front cover states what gender my target group is aimed at. One way it does this is by portraying a young female teenager. This shows that my target group are females that aspire to be like my artist. It targets my audience by advertising a free CD of my artists’ music collection. Colour coding is extremely important, because it is one of the most significant factor that attracts the audience. The colour scheme that I have used for the front cover is mainly made up of purple and pink. These two colours standout from the rest of the crowd because the colours are bright and vibrant which catches the naked eye easily. Also, the front cover consist of fonts in yellow. This attracts females because they are most likely to go for bright colours as it is very attractive.

• The title creates an identity of the magazine, therefore the magazine is differentiated from its arrivals. Through my research I came to a conclusion that pop magazines consist of a very catch title. the title “MANIA” is very eye catching to my audience because its bold and creative which gives a spontaneous vibe. Moreover, the title is short and snappy which makes it easier for teenagers to remember.

• “Get your tickets now” is a catchy slogan as it will contribute to teenagers wanting to see my artists’ and be first inline to get the tickets. The website WWW.MANIABABE.COM on the top right hand corner is useful as it enables my fans to always access the artist newest progress online. The social group my magazine targets are B, C1, and C. The reason for this is because the middle class can afford to get their teenagers the magazine they love even though it may not be so popular.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

• The media institution i chose to produce my product is Bauer.

• Bauer specialises on music magazines, radio and TV. • He produced Uncut, Q and NME. This is an example

of cross media promotion which will benefit my music magazine because there is a wider audience.

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

• Females that are influenced easily through reading magazines that include pop as the subject

• My front cover clearly implies that my target audience is young females who have an interest in music. (Teenagers) One way this is presented is through the image of Leha Razi.

• I will be targeting social classes B, C1 and C because they are middle class people who have the money available to spend on teenagers for a magazine that is not too popular.

• The contents page clearly implies that teenagers that go to music gigs, watch and listen to pop music will have a great interest in this magazine because the contents provides information on the subject that they are deeply interested in. There is no culture base associated with this “MANIA” magazine, therefore it can target the whole of the female teenager population.

• As part of MANIA, the readers can find additional information through technology for example, internet and radio.

• Teenagers can have easy access to other forms of media where they can easily find additional information. Females that like to express themselves and have fun are more likely to read my magazine because it consist of gigs, reviews, interviews and much more information which influences them to act and respond and live in a certain manner.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Front cover

• One way I attract my audience is through the use of my background image. Leha.R is captured as a beautiful young artist which is effective as it makes the potential readers want to aspire and become more like her.

• It is considered that teenagers are more likely to remember a brand identity that is short, snappy and quick. “MANIA” does this effectively.

The colours that are most dominant are pink, purple and yellow. These colours attract my audience because they are bright, stereotypically preferred by females and eye catching which makes it easier to identify the magazine.

• One way I attract my target audience is by free promotional activity such as the free mixed CD, which is given with the first edition to help promote the artist. This also entices the customer as they are getting something extra with the magazine that they are purchasing.

Contents

• The house style is made up of a white background, whereby the font colours are pink, black and purple. The pink educes a feminine feel to the magazine which sets my target audience. Moreover, the black contrasts with the pink which makes the font stand out and catches the readers attention.

• The contents page provides a highlight of the magazine and gives information on the page where the reader can get more information. For example, “page 6-7, exclusive interview with Leha Razi.” This immediately encourages teenagers to read more about the upcoming artist as they consistently want new information on music and someone to look up to as a role model. Furthermore, due to the fact that Leha Razi is the main image on the front cover, it means that the reader will initially look in the contents page to find where the interview has been published.

• On the right hand bottom corner, there is an image of Leha Razi whereby she is pointing towards the content list. This psychological effect influences the reader to read the contents and find out what’s inside. Moreover, the fact that the image is placed on the contents is beneficial because it makes the contents more appealing as young teenagers prefer to read magazines that consist of images and not just writing.

• On the top right hand corner there is a music symbol that symbolises music and the main theme of the magazine. This makes the contents page look appealing as it is in pink and informs teenagers what the magazine is consistently about.

Double page spread

• The layout of my double page spread consists of three columns in both pages. This attracts teenagers because it is the standard layout of magazines, therefore, it presentable, neat and tidy which makes it easier for the reader to read the information provided.

• • My double page spread clearly shows it is aimed at females as it has a heading “POPCHICK” in bold. The bold lettering is eye catching therefore, catches the readers’ attention.

• To keep the target group engaged I have placed 6 images. This attracts females because through my research I analysed that most pop magazines consist of a lot of images.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I have been using technology consistently whilst making my magazine. One way I used the technology is through the use of the internet by researching how magazines represent themselves. The website that I mainly used was Google. Google enabled me to research a good quality of information for exmaple, I was able to research other pop magazines which helped me understand what my magazine should consist of. I developed my skills on research, as I am now able to get the most important information that I need without having to waste a lot of time. Moreover, I found my artist through a friend, who gave me her number. I used the telephone to call the artist up and ask her to come to meet me to have an interview. Once she agreed, I took a tape recorder and reordered everything Leha Razi said and made notes. Having never used a tape recorder I was now able to use a tape recorder. This made me feel confident, that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. Having used the computer, camera, and video recorder enabled me as a personal to feel more confident and happy. Therefore, when I have to use technology again if I am unable to use the technology and I am struggling I will not panic because I leant if I explore, I automatically am expanding my skills. Indesign is software that I used to create my magazine, I found is extremely hard when I first used the programme for my preliminary exercise but as time went on my skills had already developed, and I was able to help everyone with the software. To conclude I learnt that technology is very useful. It enables you to understand, explore and develop.

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

The preliminary task enabled me to explore the software, Indesign. I learnt how to create a good design and a good magazine cover that is suitable for my target audience. Furthermore, I have explored and developed a lot of skills for example, I learnt how to adjust an image colour saturation. My preliminary exercise was very basic. It had very little understanding of a colour scheme due to the fact there was non at all which made the college magazine unappealing. Also, it was a very poor design, and consist of low level of communication. I have learnt how to keep a consistent title, layout, main body and colour scheme throughout the magazine. The reason why this is important, is because it makes the magazine look professional which makes the magazine presentable as the whole design is structured well, for example, the columns included on my double page spread. The preliminary exercise consisted of one image throughout the whole college magazine, whereas the music magazine has many more images which has more effect on the reader. This is something I learnt and acted up on through the research and development. I am more confident now then I was before throughout the process of my preliminary exercise. Confidence is important because I was knew what I was doing. The preliminary task consisted of no structure which made the magazine look unprofessional. This challenged my representation skills and further developed them. I managed to develop my skills in focussing in target audience the use of visual aid for example, images and colours. Nevertheless, I learnt the importance of a house style through the analysis of different magazines.

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