media magazine evaluation

In what ways does your media product use and develop conventions of real media products?

When designing my front cover I took into account the conventions of current music magazine front covers and aimed to reflect some of these within my own. One example of this is the large masthead that is partially covered by the cover-stars head. Furthermore, the title is bold and all in capital letters, making it a prominent and noticeable feature of the cover. Another way in which I have followed the conventions of music magazines is by using a headshot as the image on my own front cover. This is not always the convention for magazines; often the image is a full length shot or a group composition. However, in this case a headshot is most appropriate as there is a double page spread interview with the cover star within the magazine, therefore by having a headshot on the cover the audience become aware of this persons importance to the issue. Also, as seen on many music magazines , the name of the band and a quote from the interview is incorporated into the text. In addition, there is an eye-catching circle containing extra information on my music magazine front cover, which is a convention that can be seen on many successful music and fashion magazine covers. This also highlights the fact that this is a special issue, which will compel people from the target audience to purchase the magazine.

I have also followed the conventions of a music magazine within my own contents page. The most noticeable of these is that the name of the magazine is repeated in the same format as on the front cover, large and at the top of the page. Furthermore, the date of publication is printed below the main heading in a significantly smaller font. Another convention of contents pages that I have followed, is the list of page numbers and their contents down the side. This is a vital part of any contents page, as it fulfils the page’s primary purpose. These page titles are accompanied by single sentence descriptions of what the article is about. In addition to these, the contents page features a large image which is relevant to something important within the magazine (in this case the double page spread interview) and a brief description of what else can be found on this topic. This is a typical convention of contents pages; during previous research it became evident that it is a feature that would work well in my own product.The colour scheme that is used on the contents page of my magazine is continued from the front cover, and then again highlighted within the double page spread article that I have produced. This is a convention of a magazine that I have followed carefully in order to make my own music magazine look professional. Many magazines contain an editors note, which is a personal message from the editor to the readers of the magazine. I have chosen to follow this convention by using a photograph and short note from the ‘editor’ of the magazine. During prior research I discovered that the use of an editors note is less common within music magazines than it is in fashion magazines; my use of this therefore challenges the conventions of typical music magazines whilst following a recognised magazine convention.



One of the conventions of a double page spread is that there is a large image of the person or people whom the interview is based on; this image is often so large that it covers an entire page. I have chosen to follow this convention in my own double page spread by placing a photograph my interviewee across the left hand page. A further convention of double page spreads that I have chosen to follow in my own is using a drop capital, which is use of a different font and font size for the initial letter of the article. This is a typical feature of double page spreads and makes the magazine look more professional. The use of columns is common within magazines of all genres, and is also seen in newspapers. This is a convention that was necessary to use in my own magazine in order to create a professional appearance.

Analysis of pages; Front cover

Masthead – the mast head for my magazine ‘Pistol’ is large and central, which makes the magazine look professional. Also, the use of

black for the masthead contrasts with the white background and therefore makes the name of

the magazine noticeable. By naming the magazine ‘Pistol’ I hoped to connote fiery and

fierceness, hence relating the name of the magazine to the style of music which it is about.

In addition ‘The Sex Pistol’s’ are an infamous British band that create music of a similar style

to the artists featured within my magazine.

Date – A convention of magazine front covers

Colour scheme – The colour scheme is red, white and black, a selection inspired by NME magazine. Thesecolours compliment each other whilst also giving a

contrast that makes the magazine more eye catching.

Bar code – A convention of magazine front covers

Separate cover line – this ‘special issue’ makes the magazine more appealing to the target audience as they are

people who are interested in music and therefore want to read about it.

Cover-lines – The cover-lines are seen on both sides of the main image.

This makes the page seem more balanced, as there is no large blank areas.

Also ,the different information is separated, for example the list of bands is placed on another side to the anchorage of the main image

and some of the article information.

Main image – To make the front cover look more professional I have used a headshot as my main

image; this is a convention of magazine front covers. In addition, I have considered the photograph

and selected it from a range of options because of the direct eye contact that the person is giving to the camera. Also, the use of black and white compliments the chosen colour scheme for the

magazine.

Special feature – By placing some information about a feature article in an eye catching red circle,

not only is the colour scheme enhanced, but the issue becomes more unique and the target audience

are therefore more willing to buy it.

Analysis of pages; contents page

Magazine name is presented in the same way

as on the front cover, so creating a

memorable image.

The sections of the contents page are separated by bold heading boxes, this makes the contents page more organised and professional looking.

The largest image on the page is of the band that the issue’s feature article is written about.

The date is a convention of contents pages.

Anchorage on the main image helps to

contextualise it.

Page numbers down one side of the page, followed by the title of the page and a small extra piece of

information; this allows the reader to decide what they wish to read and easily find

what they are looking for.

Subscription advertisement – I found that this was a common

but not necessary feature of contents pages and

feel that it works well on my own, whilst also staying in the correct

colour scheme.

A quote, description and photograph of the person whom is interviewed later in the magazine is a

prominent feature on the contents page; this is a convention of contents pages.

The editors note and photograph is not always a convention

of magazine contents pages but as this is the first issue of my

magazine, it adds a personal touch and will therefore make the

reader feel comfortable and connected to the magazine.

Analysis of pages; double page spread

The large image of Chris Flemming, the person who has been interviewed

covers the entire left hand page. This is a common convention

of double page spreads. This specific image is eye catching in black and white, and the clothing has been

chosen to convey the musical genre of rock, which the artist performs.

A quote from the interview here means

that readers can guess what the register and contents of the interview will be

before they read it.

The colour scheme that is seen on the front page and contents page is continued with the use of a black and white image and the red font.

The name of the interviewee is the largest piece of writing on the page and is therefore eye catching, which

makes the page look more professional.

The questions are written in bold and the answers in normal font which

makes the interview easier to read.

The by line is a convention of double page spread articles.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine represents young music fans in the UK. These people would choose the magazine as it contains various gig and festival information that tends to be more popular with people ages 16-30. I think that this group is addressed well through the magazines content; this includes articles about old, and upcoming bands that will be of interest to young music fans who want to know more about the past present and future of music. The musician that is featured on the cover and double page spread is a good representation of young music fans, as he himself is noticeably of similar description. Furthermore, the clothing that has been chosen for this musician reflects what is popular and fashionable amongst young men, therefore representing the target audience and even inspiring them. The interview on the double page spread asks questions which were chosen to reveal actual musical details and aspirations from the interviewee. This represents the social group because they will be interested to know how and why upcoming stars are where they are within the industry. The magazine does not contain a variety of ethnic backgrounds, however this is only because there are not many people featured on the pages that I have put together. In future issues there would be a variety of nationalities presented, therefore the magazine will appeal to ALL young music fans and not just those from a specific ethnic background. Gender is not addressed in my magazine, although the current pages do seem more male orientated, through the appearance of a male cover star, editor and all male band. Again, this is only due to the lack of pages that have been created. In future issues there will be both male and female artists. Also, the love of rock music is stereotypically a male trait; I will try and challenge this in my magazine by having no gender bias or presumptions as to the gender of my audience.

What kind of media institution might distribute your product?

My market research shows which music magazines are most successful, and the publicists which are responsible for them. IPC – NME, UncutBauer - Kerrang, Q, MojoFuture - Classic Rock, Classic Rock prog, Computer Music, Future Music, Guitar Aficionado, Revolver, Rhythm, Guitar Legends, Guitar Techniques, Guitar World, Guitarist, Metal Hammer, Total Guitar

As all three of these companies already produce magazines that are similar to mine in terms of audience and genre, therefore I would not want any of these to take on my magazine in addition. Therefore, the publisher that I would want for my magazine would more likely be one like Century One, a lesser known publication company that produces magazines such as Arena, Network and Voice. Research also tells me that this publicist does not yet produce a music magazine, and would therefore be interested in connecting with a new target audience such as mine.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my music magazine Pistol would be young music fans, aged between 15 and 30; this audience is addressed through the use of technical musical language within the articles. The genre of music that my target audience would most likely be interested in is Rock and Indie, as this is the kind of music that features in my magazine. In addition, the magazine will be written with the presumption that the audience already have knowledge of most of the subjects. The magazine will also contain information about upcoming gigs and tours, which will therefore increase the appeal to music fans, who will want to buy it in order to stay up to date. Each month, the magazine will contain a different special feature or theme, such as this issue The future of music. This will appeal to music fans because they will want to read about things that are unusual and do not appear in every other music magazine. The magazine will address younger music fans by featuring artists of a similar age who may inspire them, for example my cover star is 17 and therefore is likely to inspire them to also become successful at a young age.

How did you attract or address your audience?

The colour scheme is simple and stylish; therefore it is eye catching and the audience will be drawn to the magazine.

By advertising the magazine as a special issue the audience will be more interested in buying it.

The person on the front of the issue is someone that music fans will possibly be a fan of and will therefore want to read about.

The audience of the magazine is music fans, so by having a musician on the cover they will want to buy the magazine so that they can read about him.

The cover lines contain information about some of the bands whose tour dates are revealed in the magazine, music fans will want to know this information.

The editors letter on the contents page makes the magazine more personal and appealing to the audience.

The price of my magazine is £2.00 which is significantly lower than competitors.

By putting a quote from the double page spread interview on the front cover I have appealed to the audiences sense of curiosity.

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

Before creating this magazine I had never before used Photoshop or Quark. During the preliminary task I acquired some skills for these two programmes but creating the music magazine I have been able to develop these and learn new ways to use them. For example, when creating the college magazine I was unable to remove the background of my chosen cover photograph, whereas in creating the music magazine, I learnt to use the quick selection tool to select the area that needed to be removed and replaced with white background.

In addition, I used the healing brush tool to make the subjects skin look flawless and therefore make the magazine seem more professional, along with the image brightness and contrast adjusting tools. I found that Quark was the most useful programme, as it allowed me to import the interview for my double page spread easily from a word document, and then put it into columns and insert images without covering the text. This saved time and made the double page spread look organised and realistic. I have learnt that using these specialist programmes makes creating conventions of a magazine such as columns and exiting fonts much easier and more convenient than using a more general programme such as Microsoft word or paint. Therefore, creating any future magazines will be much easier than if I did not know how to use or have any experience in using Photoshop and Quark.

What have you learnt in the progression from the preliminary task to the final task?

Before beginning the music magazine task, I used Photoshop and Quark to create a college magazine. I think that my college magazine front cover and contents page were successful but did not look as professional as the final music magazine pages. A reason for this could be my lack of skills in using the two programmes, and lack of previous page design experience. Furthermore, when I began making the music magazine I had done more market research and had a clear idea of how I wanted my pages to look, whereas with the college magazine I was unsure. During my photography for the music magazine, I was aware that I needed to take a variety of photos in order to make the best decision for my front cover and therefore took lots of different photographs and analysed the pro’s and con’s of each picture. Along with this, more thought went into the colour theme for my music magazine than did for the previous college magazine. I looked at other popular music magazines and found that I preferred the simpler colour scheme. Also, my questionnaire told me that my target audience preferred the simple designs such as the red, black and white that I selected for my end product. This was different to the way that I decided on colours for the college magazine as I researched more and was able to provide my audience with what they want to see; therefore creating a more successful magazine.