MagazineEvaluation

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

The font choice I decided to use was a simple, easy to read font (Calibri) and I maintained this throughout the page as I believe the clarity on the page is a strong point to the design, and an audience will appreciate this however, if I were to revisit the task and re-design the page I would experiment with multiple fonts to see if the page would benefit from less of a consistency. In relation to the colour of the fonts I tried to maintain a house style of red, black and grey. I think this Is also a strong feature to my design as magazines often do preserve a house style of colours.

In relation to the layout of the page, I used the conventional left side of the page to have the menu strip. In addition to this, I used a medium close up shot as my feature article photo, which is a common feature within existing magazine front covers. I then incorporated a large headline with the anchorage just below, which is commonly seen throughout existing magazines. I placed my secondary lead on the left hand side of the page with the menu strip so it is visible to a magazine shelf layout. My plug I placed on the right hand side of the page ‘free tickets’ just above the conventional placing of the barcode and date line.

When I designed my main masthead I decided that I wanted to take a different approach to conventional titles, therefore I created my own design. The font I made to look rough and have a raw, unfinished feel to correspond with the ‘Punk’ lifestyle and connotations that they are associated with. I also incorporated a background for the masthead to sit in front of and this I designed to have a sharp, expressive appeal to again communicate with the target audience and the associations they are given of a free, unique lifestyle.

Throughout this page, similar to my front cover, I have maintained a house style of colour and font. I have maintained the red and black colour scheme as this fits with the Punk theme and the target audience will appreciate this. In relation to font, I have kept the same font throughout. The sub-headings I used a Punk looking font so that again they keep the Punk theme and at the same time separate themselves from the body text.

In the top left of the page I incorporated my editorial. I purposely positioned it here as this is the first thing I want a reader to read and by positioning it here this is likely as most people read from the top left inwards. To the right of this I have incorporated a quote from a band member. This is a bold statement that will entice a reader into reading further.

For my contents page I decided to implement a structured page as apposed to the conventional large image to one side of the page with the text flowing around. It incorporates a nice balance between images and text and furthermore, this combination allows the images to support the text. Due to the fact that my design is structured this allows the chronological contents to be used however, it also allows the main features to be the main focus on the page and they are separated from this. For the images I used mainly action shots as this draws interest from a reader.

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

Throughout my research of existing double page spreads, it is a common theme to have a large title at the top or bottom of the page. Due to this, I incorporated one myself. When deciding what to put I decided I needed a statement that has a tone of attitude to fit the Punk style. Due to this I adapted a quote I found within an existing magazine.

Again I maintained the house style of Red, Black and White. Furthermore, the font I also kept the same throughout for the body text. This applies to the font size also. Most magazines maintain a font house style therefore, I decided to follow this convention within my magazine.

I inserted pull quotes onto my page, this adds an element of drawing in the attention of the audience as well as a visual attraction. I placed one of the quotes centrally across both pages and if I were to re approach this task I would avoid this as when the page is folded as two pages the text will be affected and less impacting on the page.

The side panel I incorporated due to my research highlighting that this is a common feature within magazines. I created my own CD front cover by again modifying my photograph on Photoshop. I then added a track list of the album as this is a selling point for the band. I put this on a grey background as I wanted it to stand out on the page without being too overpowering.

Existing magazines usually use photography within their pages especially double page spreads. For mine though I approached it differently and modified my photography on Adobe Photoshop. I wanted my image to still be visible and have the basic portrayal of a photographed image however, similar to my masthead on my front cover I wanted my page to have a graphic feel, hence the images on this page.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Throughout my magazine I have maintained the Red, Black and White house style. I also used this within the title. I did this as these colours are often associated with Punk so it made sense to use these colours in the title as this is the first thing to be seen on the magazine and the target audience will be attracted to it.

When I created my sample CD cover I applied many of the punk conventions within the design. Firstly, I used a Punk based font to appeal to the audience and highlight the genre of the band. Secondly, I used an image that identifies the main Punk association, the ‘Mohawk’ hairstyle. In relation to the overall design, I used Photoshop to give the design a neon glow effect to make it unique whilst retaining the style of the band.

The title of my magazine I wanted to be unique and eye catching whilst retaining the theme of Punk. I designed this myself on Photoshop. I made it seem raw and again convey a sense of attitude through its rough, almost aggressive appearance. The idea behind this design is to portray a sense that no care has been taken and it is very ‘free’ like the Punk lifestyle.

For my main image I selected this image. My brother (who is the main focus of my magazine) is posing with his tattoo out. I chose this as it conveys an attitude of confidence that Punk is often associated with. Also, tattoo’s are a common feature that members of Punk bands have so this again meets the connotations of the Punk style and their way of life.

My magazine is slightly narrow minded in relation to its approach and the audience it is trying to attract. Punk may be perceived as a minority group and therefore, this magazine may struggle to entice anyone from outside the Punk bracket. Personally I see this as a slight negative to the magazine however; I set out to create a magazine targeted at the Punk audience and I believe I have done this.

Throughout the process of creating my magazine I consistently made sure that the things I was incorporating within my magazine were relevant to the audience. Punk comes with many connotations and due to this I had many chances to utilise representative icons.

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

I believe that a distribution company such as Seymour would be the type of institution to distribute my magazine. The reasoning behind this is the magazines they already distribute such as ‘Kerrang’. This magazine is based around the rock music scene which is very similar to my magazine so they would have good experience in this area and would know what approach to take.

Seymour also distribute ‘Vogue’ magazine. Although this is very different from my magazine, it is a very successful and popular magazine which is a credential any company wants. The fact this has been so successful means they could implement the ideas that have led to this success within the distribution of my magazine.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

As I explained previously, my magazine is very specific in relation to its target audience. I have focused it directly towards the Punk style and therefore, the target audience will be very specific around this genre. Due to the nature of Punk and the music from this genre, it is very difficult to see who the magazine will attract aside from the obvious Punk Rock enthusiast. The fact the music side is called ‘Punk Rock’ may suggest that people who are interested in Rock music may take an interest an therefore purchase this magazine. There is also the ‘Emo Punk’ side who may take an interest as the music they are interested in will likely feature in a magazine such as the one I have created. We have to be careful in our analysis however, as not just the stereotypes will purchase this magazine. People who may not fit the conventional Punk rocker may still like the music in this genre and therefore be interested in the magazine. Punk is often perceived as a lifestyle not just a music genre so if someone were to follow this lifestyle the likelihood is they would be interested in my magazine.

• 5. How did you attract/address your audience?

I began to focus on my font choice as this can instantly highlight the genre of a magazine. Punk is known to be very raw and laid back and through my research I realised that stencil looking fonts that make no effort to be neat are the common font style for Punk. Due to this I incorporated this style of font into my contents and double page spread. The sub-headings on the contents page, although small, now maintain an identity for the magazine. For my double page spread, more specifically the main title, I used a font that has been seen before but worked well within my design and the style I was trying to create.

Addressing the audience is a key aspect to the success of a magazine. When designing my magazine I tried to maintain features throughout that related to the Punk genre. I began with my photo shoot and took images that conveyed a sense of a gig atmosphere whilst incorporating many photos that utilised the Mohawk hairstyle as this is a common association of Punk and is almost symbolic of this genre.

Even the title of the magazine I thought out to be appropriate for the target audience. I took the word Punk and adapted it in a way that could still be understood however, not be as obvious as using the word in its basic form and spelling.

Colour is also a big part of conveying a sense of style and genre. Throughout my magazine I tried to keep the colours dark and consistent. I mainly used black and red as these colours are commonly associated with the Punk genre and therefore would appeal to the target audience.

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

Photoshop

From creating my magazine I have realised the importance of Photoshop and the amount of uses it has. I utilised some of the filters within it to give my magazine a unique appeal (double page spread and CD cover). In addition to this, you can adjust the lighting and colour balance so the image fits your page. As you can see from the pictures on this page, I used Photoshop to create an effect commonly associated with Punk which allowed me to use black and white and convey the stereotypical style of Punk.

Digital Photography

Photography is something I do not do very often and therefore, I was very limited on my knowledge in relation to the advantages of being able to upload your images onto a computer. As I progressed through the task, I became more competent and realised the different availabilities you have through digital photography. I started adapting my images on Photoshop as I could load them directly onto my computer and onto Photoshop which was very easy and convenient for this task as photography was a key aspect to the success of the magazine.

From this task I feel I have learnt a great deal in certain areas of media and magazines. In particular, I feel I have learnt large amounts of beneficial knowledge on the conventions of magazines and there structure. Looking at things such as ‘the rule of thirds’ and ‘flat plans’ has enabled me to create a magazine that is suitable and professional for my audience. I believe it is clear to see from the progression between my practice magazine and my final magazine the development I have made and the difference in quality between the two magazine designs.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task (the College magazine), what do you feel you have learnt

I have been able to utilise my Photoshop skills that I learnt through my progression to create a magazine of a high standard. My college magazine was lacking the conventional layout and the required material to be appealing to any audience whereas my final magazine I believe is an attractive design and maintains throughout a conventional structure which an audience will approve of. Also, I have learnt to research what an audience will approve of, such as font styles and images and implement this within the magazine.