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

Preliminary Task                                                                                                 Main Task and Final Product

By looking back at my preliminary task and my main task and comparing the two you can see a massive change in how my skills and knowledge about technology’s and magazine conventions has improved. I feel that my approach to audience research has improved as in my main task I have researched a lot more and then taken the research and actually applied it to my final products. This allowed me to create a more realistic looking magazine compared to my preliminary task

By doing lots of detailed research and planning, I feel I have gained more of an insight in to magazine conventions and understand them well. I found things from my research that showed me how I could make my magazine look more professional and realistic which I didn't include in my preliminary task. For example, I focused more on the colour scheme so that the colours all worked really well together and created a realistic look, I also put an issue number on my front cover, something else that I did not do in my preliminary task. I think I also improved my language that I used in my cover lines and plugs and my font size and type to make my magazine appear more professional. By looking at lots of magazine layouts in my main task, I feel I really improved my contents page because the design is much more interesting and looks much more realistic than in my preliminary however I did find my contents page the harder out of the 3 to make look realistic and I feel this shows in both my preliminary and my main task.

I already knew how to use paint shop pro so I don't think I have developed my skills there, but by editing my photos a lot more thoroughly and creating my masthead in here rather than just putting everything straight in to InDesign like in my preliminary, I think it made my magazine looked far more professional. I feel after improving my skills, InDesign allowed me to create a more interesting layout than in my preliminary and place text easily. I didn't know how to use InDesign when I started, so my skills have definitely developed and this shows when you compare my preliminary task to my final product.

I feel that my photos taken for my preliminary and main task have improved as I focused a lot more on the shot type and clothing on the model than I did in my preliminary. I did find that the Canon camera was great for taking photos and allowed me gain the exact shots I wanted due to being able to change so many settings. However, I did get different quality of images between the 2 tasks as I was able to use InDesign a lot better so my final front cover did not look blurry or out of focus.

I think I have also developed my evaluation skills as my final evaluation of my own main task product is much more detailed that my preliminary. In my preliminary task I didn't go in to as much detail and simply wrote 1 paragraph explaining what I did, but for my main task I did my evaluation in thorough sections using images and other media technology’s to explain my points. I think by doing this I have definitely developed my evaluation skills and my skills on the whole project altogether.

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

What have you learnt about technologies from the

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How did you attract/address your audience?

How did you attract

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Who would be the audience for your media product?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Here is a mood board summarising this type of audience that i have aimed my magazine at. They will be pretty much your average teenager. Someone who likes to go out with friends, go clubbing and go to festivals. Most of my consumers will be people who shop on the high street and wear brands such a Topshop and Urban Outfitters. Also may use online stores like ASOS. Because fashion is important in every teenagers life this is another big part of my magazine and something that my readers will be looking for in both articles and photography throughout the magazine. Seeing as my age rage is 15-20 none of the clothes in my magazine will be too over priced as most people at this age will only have a weekend job and living on a student budget, however my magazine does include some luxury products as BTM is more of a luxury magazine. 

The Psychographic profile that my readers would fit into would be an Aspirer and a Mainstreamer. Aspirer because my magazine in for people of a high status who care a lot about there image and the latest trends. Mainstreamer because they like to be part of something and feel like they belong and the magazine brings a sense of community. My audience soci-economic would probably fall into groups D and E. This is because they would most likely be college students or at unviersity working a part time job or no job at all


Here is a playlist of music that would interest my readers and they type of music that is featured in my magazine:

                                                       

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

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

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

I think the media institution that I would chose to distribute my magazine would be IPC Media. This is because they already distribute music magazines "NME" and "Uncut" so they have a lot of experience in how this genre of magazines should be distributed and ways in which is best to do it. Although they already distribute two other music magazine products, my magazine focuses on a different genre and social group, so there would be no risk of them distributing competing magazines as they do not distribute a magazine that focuses mainly on R&B and pop music. This is a gap in the market for my magazine.

Bauer Media could have been another choice of mine to distribute my magazine but they already distribute Q magazine which is of the same genre as my product and like it in other ways to. There would be no need for them to distribute my magazine meaning that they probably would not chose to anyway.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The social group that I have represented in my magazine would probably be just a normal everyday teenager. Someone who is into R&B music and pop, a festival goer or someone who just likes to party. Throughout my magazine I include articles on certain things that I know my target audience will find interesting and want to read about. And photography used is quite fashion based as this is a certain look I was going for in my magazine. All the clothes are stylish using high street brands, something that my age range will be able to afford.

The above magazine front covers I would have said are ones that I based my on as the are aiming for the same social groups, focusing on the actual model and her clothes/ makeup. The shots are all close up giving the magazines a certain image for example these all look quite glamours immediately appealing to my target social group

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

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

To create the final finished product of my magazine I feel that I have followed most, if not all magazine conventions. To start off with my masthead, after doing lots of research into other magazine front covers, has been placed behind the central image something that I found almost all magazines do. It makes my magazine look more realistic. The font of my masthead is a large, bold font in capital letters. My inspiration for my masthead came from magazines such as GQ and Q magazine. 

These are the mastheads from magazines that were my inspiration:

Most of the images for my magazine were taken in a photography studio, somewhere were a lot of magazine shoots are taken. This gives the images a professional look and allows for easy editing, something that is important and used a lot on magazine pictures. Seeing as my magazines other focus apart from music was fashion this is something the images had to include so that my consumers could relate and be inspired by certain images within the magazine. Vogue, GQ and Q magazines were the main influenced that I based my photography for my magazine on. The front cover image is a mid-shot of my friend Zoë. This mid close up shot allows for her to stay the main focus but also show off her clothes and makeup. A white background was used so that the cover lines would stand out more and be easy to read. My double page spread image is a close up of Zoë using a mask to add extra detail and create a more different and interesting eye catching image. I chose a close up shot for the double page spread so that the main focus is the models eyes, I wanted the consumers to make a connection with the model. All the images were airbrushed in Photoshop to create the perfect image for a magazine. This is something always used on magazine photography.

Here are some example of how magazines manipulate and airbrush models to look 'magazine perfect':

The genre for my magazine was pop and R&B so the clothes worn by the cover artist were a tight dress something that most female artists in other magazines are put in to create sex appeal and lust. My magazines main feature was a solo artist this is something that after doing audience research I found that people prefer to read about solo artist. My target age range for my magazine is 15-20 so all the articles and people featured in the magazine will be an interest to my consumers.

Here are some of the stories featured in my magazine. They all inculde artists which according to my reaseach are my readers favorite, this is so my readers will find the magazine interesting.








Most of my fonts throughout my front cover, contents page and double page spread are all the same so to make the pages link and flow with one another. The font was just chosen from InDesign, it is what I would call a unisex font but not to funky but not boring either. I also made sure that it was easy to read. The language throughout my magazine is normal, I haven’t used colloquial or bad language as my target audience are quite sophisticated and normal people. I feel this will make my magazine easier to read. By using this kind of language my audience will find it easier to relate to certain things in the magazine.

Font Choice

(Minion Pro)

All of the pages in my magazine follow conventional layouts for example my front cover has a central image which is a mid-shot to close up of a model. It has a large masthead which has been placed behind the central image. Like all magazines it has a bar code, price, and date and issue number. The layout of the cover lines are placed around the central image all following magazine conventions. My contents page layout again follows magazine conventions it has each story clearly laid out with page numbers and headings, some visual aids for certain articles and twitter and Facebook links, an important part of today’s magazines. Lastly the layout for my double page spread has used magazine conventions by using a large image on one side including a quote from within the article. The writing is set out in paragraphs including a bold title and a ‘follow on to next page’ triangle. By following magazine conventions for each of my pages it means I have created a more professional and realistic magazine.

Production of Double Page Spread

I added the photo from photoshop into indeign and put i beside a blank page to create my double page spread. Then added my title.

More text was added to give more information to the double page spread. Different font sizes were used make it look more interesting.

Text was added onto the image to give it a more professional look and to follow magazine conventions. More text was also added underneath the title to explain about the article.

A large 'T' was added to start of the article as this is something you normally find in magazines. Names and job titles were also added at the bottom of the page to tell you who wrote the article and who took the photograph.

More writting was then added to start of the main body of the article. This was done in to seperate paraghes to make it easier fo the cosumer to read.

                                                       The final product.



Production of Front Cover and Contents Page

 This is the start of my front cover. i added my photo from Photoshop into InDesign and placed it infront of the Masthead.

 Once the picture was placed correctly i played around with the mast head trying out different colours and styles. I feel that the bright red really helps to make it stand out and also gives the masthead a more professional look.

 After i had finished the masthead i then started to add the cover lines using different font styles and sizes to make certain parts of the coverline stand out. Still following my colour scheme with everything that i write.

More coverlines were then added to each side of the main image to give it the professional look and follow the conventions of most magazine front covers. The large number 10 is designed to stand out and be eye catching which i feel it is.

Once my front cover had been finalised I then moved on to my contents page:

The contents page was one of the harder pages to create I found as it was difficult to find a layout that had a very professional look and followed magazine conventions. Like most contents pages it has the main stories and others clearly set out for the readers next to their page numbers. It also has visual aids for some of the pages and clear links to 'BTM's' twitter and facebook pages.

Time Management for magazine

Story Board for front cover shoot

Planning for my music magazine

Planning for my music magazine

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Reflection on research

Front Cover Analysis:


This part of my research really helped me to see what existing magazine front covers look like. It has inspired me for my magazine front cover and has helped me to see how different magazines use the codes and conventions of the magazine industry to produce as front cover. MY favourite covers are the Rihanna Vogue one and the Megan Fox GQ one. I will take inspiration from these when producing my one.

Contents Page Analysis:


This also helped me to see what existing contents pages look like so i have more inspiration for mine. I now know what most contents pages consist of and what works best. I found that almost all of them featured the main articles in the contents page, had some images and perhaps competitions or news. The contents page i particularly liked was the one for Vibe magazine as i like the way that the writing was set out around the model and the colours used, this is a contents page i will use for inspiration for mine.


Double Page Spread Analysis:


Again by looking at existing double page spreads i can see what works and what doesn't, what looks good and colours that work well together. I have realised that all double page spreads have a main images and then text and some even have a few smaller images to give you a more in depth look into what the magazine is talking about. My favourite double page spread is the one from Billboard featuring Rihanna as it is quite simple but i love the layout and the way it looks, i will take inspiration from this one for my own.


Audience Research:


My audience research really helped me to understand my audience for my magazine. From this ive learnt what they want from a magazine which seemed to be interviews and new on artists. I also found out what Music artist festivals etc were popular which really helped me to work out what to base my magazine around. I also found out what people were willing to spend on a music magazine which seemed to be between £3 and £5 so i will give my magazine an appropriate price based upon this result. The 'Find Your Tribe' questionnaire helped me to see how groups of people are categorised by the fashion, music choice, social life etc. 

My magazines Reader Profile

Reader profile for my magazine

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Flat Plan of Music Magazine

Flat plan research

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Audience Research

Audience research questionnaire

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Find Your Tribe Analysis

By going on to this website i have been categorised into a 'blinger' which says that i like labels and love to look good which i guess is right, however the music artist choices were a bit off. By using this website it is clear to see just how many music stereotypes there are and how many different groups people fit into, something that i need to take into consideration when producing my magazine. Advertising is something that is important in magazines so by seeing how many different groups there are i will try and advertise for people of my target audience, for example for fashion shops such as topshop and urban outfitters and other advertisements such as mobile phones and other electronic goods.

Research into Magazine Institutions/Companies

IPC Media

The International Publishing Corporation Ltd was formed in 1963 following the merger of the UK's three leading magazine publishers – George Newnes, Odhams Press and Fleetway Publications – who came together with the Mirror Group to form the International Publishing Corporation (IPC). And IPC Magazines was created five years later.


IPC Media produces over 60 iconic media brands, with print alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men – almost 26 million UK adults – while our websites collectively reach over 20 million users every month. IPC's diverse print and digital portfolio offers something for everyone, with a focus on three core audiences: men, mass market women and upmarket women. 

• Our men's portfolio comprises a wealth of leisure brands including Country Life, Horse & Hound,Rugby World and Decanter, as well as lifestyle brands including Nuts and NME. 
• Our mass market women's division (IPC Connect) comprises famous women's weeklies including Look, Now,Chat and Woman; TV entertainment brands including What's on TV, TVTimes and TV & Satellite Week. 
• Our upmarket women's division (IPC Southbank) comprises luxury fashion brands including Marie Claire and InStyle, lifestyle brands including woman&home and essentials and home interest brands including Ideal Home,Livingetc and housetohome.

Bauer Media

Our magazine heritage stretches back to 1953 with the launch of Angling Times and the acquisition in 1956 of Motor Cycle News, both still iconic brands within our portfolio. 

Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations. Bauer Media joined the Bauer Media Group in January 2008 following acquisition of Emap plc’s consumer and specialist magazines, radio, TV, online and digital businesses. Collectively, the Group employs some 6,400 people. Bauer Media is a multi-platform UK-based media Group consisting of many companies collected around two main divisions – Magazines and Radio - widely recognised and rewarded as being industry innovators.

Some of there magazines include :  

• Heat
• Grazia
• FHM
• Q
• Kerrang

EMAP

Emap started life as a local newspaper company in 1947. Today Emap is a global media group, playing a crucial role in giving the retail, media, finance, fashion, health, education, government and automotive sectors the essential news, analysis and access they need to succeed. Emap is a business-to-business multiplatform media group, whose brands inform, inspire and connect within the sectors they operate in. For millions of people across the globe involved in the built environment, retail, media, fashion, health, education, government and automotive sectors, Emap provides essential news, analysis and access.

Some of there magazines include:

• Drapers
• MEED
• Nursing Times
• Retail Week

If i was to pick one of these magazine institutions to own my magazine it would be IPC Media as i think they play a big part in the magazine market and would have a clear understanding of how a magazine works. Seeing as they already own NME one of the world largest selling music magazines i would hope that they would know the right way in which to produce and market mine.