Final Feedback

After completing my magazine I interviewed the same people, that falls into my target audience category,  that I used to carry out my life style questionnaire and ask for feedback from. I used one girl and one boy in order to get a fair and balanced response from both genders. I asked them a number of questions to help myself understand whether iv'e successfully created a front cover design, contents page and double page spread that would attract my target audience...

Anna-

When first seeing my finished magazine cover what initially attracted you too it?

• 'The main image definitely attracted me to the front cover at first. The model looks interesting and daring. It made me curious to find out more about her story. When i saw the feature next to her it made me generally interested to find out more about her. I'm quite interested in fashion myself so the models appearance captured my interest as I liked her dress. I think the body language of the model also attracted me to the magazine as she looks laid back and almost out there as her pose is different to the normal poses most models do on magazine covers.'

When seeing my contents page what initially attracted you to it?

• 'I think the large numbers captured my attention as they stand out on the page and their different to the rest of the style (house style) of the other pages (front cover and double page spread).'

When seeing my double page spread what initially attracted you to it?

• 'I would say that the beginning of the article caught my attention as the first letter is much larger and pink, it definitely drew my eye to the beginning of the article!'

What is your favorite part of my final product?

• 'My favorite part was the series of images throughout the magazine. I particularly liked the front cover main image as the model looks almost captivating and interesting. I also liked the multi-exposure effect  of the model in the contents page as that really stood out as being unique and different.'

Sully-

When first seeing my finished magazine cover what initially attracted you too it?

• 'I was first attracted to the names of various artists around the page, especially 'Bastille' and 'Jay-Z' these are some of my favorite musicians around at the moment, so they really appealed to me.'

When seeing my contents page what initially attracted you to it?

• 'I personally liked the photos used on the contents page they were really interesting and unique, the model is also good looking which appealed to me (male gaze)'. 

When seeing my double page spread what initially attracted you to it?

• 'I was definitely attracted to the larger text that stuck out in the middle of the article, because the text was larger than the rest I looked at that first and what I read was interesting so it made me want to read the whole article.' 

What is your favorite part of my final product?

• My favorite part was the main image on the front cover. The model is really attractive looking and she also looks edgy and laid back which I can relate to myself. The fact that she was holding a ciggarete made me relate to her on a social level.' 

Evaluation: Question 7

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

Throughout my project I have been really keen to learn some of the skills that goes into creating a magazine. I have been amazed at the complexity and differing skills that are used and needed, as well as the research and psychology that is required to make a successful media product. I feel as if I have learnt a lot in order to gain the skills required for this product. 

As I mentioned in question 6, I used Corel Draw to complete my preliminary task. After I had completed the task and carried on my research towards my final media product I wanted to use Adobe Photo Shop as this is a higher functioning programme which enabled me to achieve a higher and more professional looking standard.
When carrying out my preliminary task I was unaware of the amount of research needed to complete a successful magazine.  It is crucial for a magazine to have a target audience in order for it to appeal and feel personal to a range of particular people. To make sure I understood my target audiences interests I researched in to a number of magazines that have a similar target audience to me. This helped me incorporate ideas into my magazine that I knew would appeal to an audience of 15-25 year old's. I also carried out a questionnaire to see what my target audience would expect to see in a magazine.
Design wise, I would like to think that there is a massive difference between my school magazine and music magazine. Through careful planning and by using advanced programmes I was able to spend a lot longer designing my magazine to have a professional look finish. I think that my school magazine has an amateur look to it and I would hope that my music magazine looks a lot more professionally designed, which is what I was trying to achieve. I have definitely picked up some useful skills in design.
Through my research I heave learnt many advertising techniques crucial for any magazine to sell. I have learnt how different font sizes and texts can draw a reader in as it captures their interest. I have learnt that direct address can make a magazine more personal and appealing.
I feel as if I can confidently say that I have learnt a tremendous amount through my research. I have developed my research and gained skills that I did not have before my project. I hope that these newly found skills are visible in my finished media products as I have put them into practice. 

Evaluation: Question 6

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

Throughout my project I have learnt a lot about technologies. 

Tools:

• Text - (in design) This is the most obvious one but throughout my project I learnt which texts worked within a magazine to produce a professional finished look.  I used different types of fonts and different sizes.
• Layers - (Adobe Photoshop) When creating my magazine I used layers so everything device was placed in the right position. Before this project I was unfamiliar with Photo shop but by using Google and youtube videos to help me, I successfully learnt how to use the programme. 
• Colours - (Colour Pallet) I used this programme as well as Photo shop to help edit my photos. I think this was very useful as it enhanced the colours correctly avoiding the look of over editing. 
• Colour balance - In photo shop I used different effects such as shadowing, mid tones, exposure, contrast and highlights. I learnt how to make sure that each effect would balance the other out ensuring that the finish colouring looked equal and proportioned. 

Technologies: 

• Camera - For my photo shoot I used a digital camera with a standard lens to ensure that my photos were of good quality. I used this camera through my art GCSE project so I was familiar with how to use my camera to the best of its ability. However, I did use a tripod which I havn't used before. I had help setting it up as I had no experience in doing so. I found using a tripod really beneficial to my photo shoot as it helped balance and level my photos correctly. 

• lighting - I knew how to use the lighting in my photo shoot to create the best results as I have existing experience in photography. I used different lighting settings in my two photo shoots. In my first, I used one light as I didn't want my pictures to be to over exposed. I was pleased with my results but I thought that  a brighter back round would better of represented the look I was trying to achieve. Thinking this, I used two lights in my second photo shoot to brighten my back round which I personally think makes the photo's look of better quality and exposure. 

Programmes: 

• Adobe Photo Shop - I used photo shop to create my magazine and edit my pictures. I have used this programme before, throughout my art GCSE, so I was familiar with the concept and layout of the programme. I used this programme to crop, cut, layer and manipulate my images. I found it slightly difficult at times too try and get all the feature's of my magazine to fit correctly around the  page, but with time and patience, I leant how to make it work. A knew concept I learnt was by using layers and the paint tool I could retouch colour such as hair colour and eye colour. I also learnt how to edit a specific part of an image using the magic want tool. 

• Corel Draw - I also used the programme Corel Draw to design my school magazine. I have used this programme a number of times so I didn't learn a lot through using it as I already knew and understood the format and the concept of the programme. 
• Blogger - I 'Blogger' to display my media course work. I had never used this site before my project so I had to learn the way a blog works as I went along. I needed to learn a few main skills in order to successfully complete my blog. Firstly, I learnt how to create 'labels'. The labels I created, I have attached to each post in order to show what each pose is about. I also learnt how to upload a picture. I often found uploading a link to my blog difficult as you have to embed the code and then upload it in the HTML setting, as soon as I understood this, I was able to quickly and efficiently upload prezi videos and slide share presentations. I have found blogger to be a really efficient site to use for my course work.  
• Prezzi - I used prezzi for certain tasks in order to display my research in a simple to understand format. Prezzi can easily present ideas and plans in a creative and interesting way. I had never used prezzi before my AS media coursework so the concept of it was new to me. I found prezzi difficult at first as it got rather confusing at stages but with the help of 'prezi learn' videos and 'prezi support' I was able to get the hang of it quickly and start making videos where I thought necessary. After being shown how to embed my prezzi to my blog I found it easy to post each of my prezzis on to my blog efficiently. 

• Slide share - I used slide share to display my images for my front cover, contents page and double page spread. I also used it to display my finished products.I think that it is a good overall programme as it can show images to an audience professionally and clearly. I had never used slide share before my AS media blog, so again, this was a new concept and learning curve for me. I found this programme easy to use, I simply followed the instructions and created my slide show. After finishing my slide share I embedded the code and easily posted it on to my blog for people to view.  

Evaluation: Question 5

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

It is very important for a magazine, from selling intentions, to have certain examples where you are targeting a specific audience as it instantly makes a magazine personal and relatable to an individual. I have made sure that my audience of ages 15-25, both male and female with interests in chart music are able to relate to my magazine, instantly drawing them in. 

An example of this is fashion the main images I used. That fact that the model on the front page is sdqmoking will make my target audience be able to relate to her rebellious nature. She is also wearing latest trend, fashionable clothing, which will attract a young audience, as fashion is very important to many young people in today's society. Her pose is almost confrontational. She displays attitude that a young readership will be able to identify with. She'll capture the male gaze through her pose and clothes; she is wearing a short dress with one hand propped on her hip making the model slightly provocative. A female audience is also under pressure to aspire to look the way that she does, this will make an audience connect and empahise with her looks.

My front cover has been designed to capture the attention of readers. My mast head is very large taking up a large part of the top of the page. The bold and large text will capture a readers attention as it is important for a magazine to stand out from others. I have kept a simple colour pallet but my cover shows examples of blue and pink which are male and female colours. This will attract both genders.

On my front cover I addressed my audience directly. '100 summer songs, you need right now.' The fact that I have used the word makes the magazine look like its targeting an individual directly. I have also used many devices to attract my audience. For example, my main features displayed as kickers across the page are all referring to big, chart music musicians which would instantly attract their interest. I have used different fonts and sizing to attract the readers eye to the most important parts of the cover, widening their interest. I have created a sticker that reveals competition results, this would make a reader curious and interested to see the outcome. I have also used 'exclusive interview' and 'rumours put to rest', this makes the reader feel like this particular magazine has  more to offer than other magazines of the market. 

Evaluation: Question 4

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

The audience for my magazine is males and females between the ages of 15 and 25. They would have a strong interest in chart music. They would also be interested in the fashion element and lifestyle that the chart music industry portrays. I have tried to include traces of interests that come with a love of music for example my model is wearing high fashion clothes that you would expect a musician to be wearing in a music video. This makes my audience more able to relate to my magazine.

Below is my audience profile I created during my research. It clearly clarifies what my ideal audience would be. 

My target audience:

Age: 15-25

Gender: Female 50% - Male 50%

Social Economic Groups: B, C1, C2

Life Style Profile:

·         Strong interest in chart music industry

·         Downloads an album 2-3 times a month

·         Attends music festivals/gigs 4 times a year

·         Influenced by musicians image
-    Reads on line articles about musicians personal lives

Evaluation: Question 3

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

I have researched into many into many media institution that distribute all types of magazines. The magazine market is huge, with many competitors trying to get their magazine recognised. The most common way of distributing a magazine is in a shop. By distributing a magazine in a shop it instantly makes the name of a magazine more popular as it will become known by a large variety of people having seen the magazine. Because of this I have decided that WHSmith's would be perfect for my magazine. I think this because WHSmiths is a large, well known franchiser with a huge variety of people coming in and out of their stores everyday. The store is known for supplying magazines and I believe if my magazine was placed on the shelves of WHSmiths many people would get to see it. WHSmiths sells numerous amounts of different types of magazines. They sell 35 different types of music magazines. With the business serving approximately 30,000 costumers across England and Wales I believe that WHSmiths would distribute my magazine as I have followed the normal conventions of a music magazine with some original ideas that might attract
WHSmiths as its important from a marketing prospective to have variety and change.

I also think distributing my magazine at a festival would be very rewarding. I think this because festivals are the place where music lovers go. My magazine is targeted at both genders, age 15-25, this is the average age range for people to go to festivals such Reading and Bestival; making it a prime location to distribute my magazine. Festivals also have a happy and relaxed vibe, there are so many up and coming artists around people become open minded to new music and ideas. I have been to large festival myself so I can say first hand that there are many people handing out flyers and magazines and the response is very positive. People at festivals have a genuine interest and love for music, their open minded to new ideas, making them a great audience to have my magazine distributed out too. 

In today's society people between the ages of 15-25 and constantly using social networking and electronic devices to interact and explore their interests. Many magazine companies such as 'OK' are distributing their magazines online knowing that there is a large target market that would rather sit in the comfort of their own home and read a magazine online than have to travel to buy a magazine. There are many devices that a magazine can be read on presently such as a laptop, ipad, tablet, kindle or phone. People can easily subscribe to magazine's online allowing them to receive issues through the post and receive email updates about latest news and offers.  Magazine companies have recognised this and have grasped this opportunity. Because of this I think my magazine would benefit greatly from being distributed online as people can read it from the comfort of their own home. 

Evaluation: Question 2

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

My target audience is age 15-25. It is targeted at both male and females interested in chart music. The chart music industry today has a heavy fashion element to it. I wanted to incorporate this into my magazine to relate to the fashion side that the chart music industry portrays. Because of this I looked in to high fashion magazines such as VOGUE and ELLE to help me create a pre visualised image of my magazine. My model is wearing latest trend clothing which many musicians would wear in music videos for example. All this helps my magazine to appeal to young adults interested in the music industry. The language used in my magazine is colloquial and informal which would relate to a younger generation. In the main image, my model is posing, holding a cigarette. My target audience are at an age where a rebellious nature is seen as the normality. Many  teenagers and  young adults smoke in today's society and the model doing the same will make her relatable. My main features are all about up and coming or already big artists that would appeal to any chart music fan. Many names have been enlarged in order to draw the reader to the wording, instantly capturing their attention when spotting a liked musician. 

My Magazine is both targeted as males and females. My magazine is represents males in that my model used will capture the male gaze. Her poses all show of her feminine figure is tight clothing. She is wearing dramatic eye make up and has long blonde messy hair. My magazine also has a sticker in the colour blue. Blue is a masculine colour. My colour pallet for my magazine is primarily black and white which gives the magazine a very neutral effect. This gives the impressions that the magazine is divided between males and females.  

My model will also appeal to girls from a desired appearance prospective. Girls are under a lot of pressure in today's society to try and look like what is thought of as 'good looking.' Girls often use models as inspiration for fashion choices. Pink is also used throughout my magazine which is a feminine colour.