Product coparison

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

It's difficult. Since when I started I couldn't hold a candle to the computer skills of any human being, I have come a long way and came to realise the enormity of the challenge set and have come to appreciate the skill used to create magazines which line the racks of newsagents nation wide.

Everything from changing fonts to uploading the pages to the blog was hard but I feel I am better for it.  I still cringe at computer work but my skills have improved exponentially compared to my position at the start.

The concepts of cropping, light specra alteration, copy/paste and even the magic wand tool along with other methords of photo manipulation was something completely alien to me and would never be approached but now it is just second nature to me. Even if my magazine gets a low mark I will still have benefited in the long term going away with some new skills.

Q: How did you attract your audience?

I attracted my audience by choosing a genre of music that my target demographic would listen to (young people 17/25, hipsters) either out of enjoyment of the content or out of irony. Either way I've got a large audience.

I also used a mixture of  the subjects featured, very intranet relevant topics and it is something every audience member can relate to. Since my genre is border line main steam/obscure this leaves my audience range open to these two social groups, but not going out there to alienate anyone else by specifically not using jargon. This leaves room for anyone unfamiliar with the genre as well as my target demographic.

I hoped the masked figure on the cover would trigger our natural curiosity. But if that failed the chance to get a free song on itunes might tempt the uncertain.

Q: Who would be the audience for your media product?

My audience are young 17/ 25 year olds but I have not alienated others. I chose my genre to attract a large audience since dub step has increased in popularity as of late, so that targets the younger audiences. But the genre has not gone main stream so this attracts those who listen to the music ironically or because 'the music is wholesome and is not corrupted by the consumer driven society we live in'.

But I did not limit myself just to these people, the way my featured article was written it did not exclude other up and coming electronic/ indie music listeners.

Q: Looking back at your preliminary task (College magazine) What have you learnt in terms of progression from that to the full product?

I have learnt that this task was a lot harder than initially anticipated. The process was far harder than simply using a picture and pasting text over it and boom there's my magazine. I had to plan meticulously the photos and features I would include.

But as I've said in previous posts this fear of photo shop and computing in a whole has gone and I am revitalised with new skills I could not have conceived before this year and for that I am thankful. On a whole I believe my music mag genuinely looks and feels more professional. Weather my mag measures up to my style model is another matter but on that I am proud. To have accomplished something that I would not have thought remotely possible the things I can take away like mise en scene, the placing of images and text to create something that doesn't burn your eyes out of your skull, but some thing that is legible and is (depending on your own definition of 'well') well done.

Q: In what ways does your media product challenge forms and conventions of real magazine products?

I had intended on having a magazine designed to be short and sweet you know to the point. This would mean few articles but they went into great detail. But this idea was scraped for two reasons. 1 these super in depth articles I had planed would not fit on a double page spread and 2 this idea of a cut and dry magazine would simply not sell so for that reason Pulse was changed in the way that it has been.

Q: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My product might reflect teens in a slightly negative light, possibly branding them as deviants since my genre is fairly underground but is gathering momentum in mainstream music. I also give the impression of teens being some sort of anti social creatures doing nothing only if it clashes with societies views.

But it is not far from the truth (well in my experience anyway) but that still does not deviate from the fact I have appeared to demonise these individuals. I mean my article is on an anonymous artist who hides his identity out of shame, fear he would not be taken seriously or maybe through physical appearance whatever the reason this highlights our prejudge mental society and that these youths respond to this message does give out a poor image.

publication plan

Name: Pulse
Tag line: indie music hub
Sale: weekly
Price: £2.50
Distribution: newsagents, supermarkets
Rational: I wanted it to be minimalist, straight to the point like an uncluttered cover and dark colour schemes to go with the dark rhythms of the genre.
Style: Dark fluorescent contrasting colours
Content: top indie charts, ask an artist, letters, editors notes
Features: interview with Anonymous Beats (Main), Work3r, Vinyl scratch, Open circuit, Pulse cast, Storm breaker, Rift walker, Live wire and Tempo tantrum

Production plan

Frontcover image: friend in front of sixth form
Coverlines: Anonymous Beats, Work3r, Vinyl scratch, Open circuit, Pulse cast, Storm breaker, Rift walker, Live wire and Tempo tantrum
Regular content: top indie charts, ask an artist, letters, editors notes
Features: interview with Anonymous Beats (Main), Work3r scandal of YouTube confession, Vinyl scratch talks about success on the club scene, Open circuit, Pulse cast feared closure, Storm breaker, Rift walker, Live wire and Tempo tantrum
House style: cover lines, headline

magazine progression

Music mag cover progression

For my cover I wished it to be simple but share the characteristics of a morning magazine, a mix of the styles of 'Q' and the 'Wire' if you will. But looking back iI shall make alterations to the cover on the grounds it is pretty sparse of cover lines and contrary to my research the cover just looks weak. I have concluded from this realisation I shall add more cover lines and in turn flesh out my contents page.

Music mag contents progession

My contents page in my opinion is far better than my cover. It emulates my genre and I used more of my knowledge of photo shop and I am very proud of it. This page has undergone the most changes in planning, it is a bit sparse in content in hindsight, but the price and genre (that in question was independent music) was the intended reason for this.

I love the colour scheme. The grey background which I have continued through to my featured article page. The grey and contrasting turquoise title and other shades of blue were chosen to show the dark nature of the genre. But what was said about the cover still applies and I shall add more articles. What they will be I do not know, I'll come up with something.

Music mag featured artical progression

 

My plan for my featured article stayed the same throughout the production process. As you can see I continued the colour scheme on from the contents. My layout is just a garden variety double page spread.  Nothing convention shattering. But I feel it is the simplicity of the spread that gives it its charm. It certainly is the most professional looking of all my work. All the things I've learnt ultimately culminating to this my crown Jewel if you will.

magazine cover research

Magazine cover analisis

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Pulse mock up

These are just some rough pencil mock ups of my magazine. I shall see how they compare to the finished product at the end of production.

Top left is my cover and simply put, it is a close up shot of my featured personality, usual conventions will apply i.e. masthead at the top etc.


Top right is my contents page, the layout is that the images corresponding to the relevant article are spread across the page. While the featured articles are situated at the bottom of the page.  The regular content is filling the space between the images.

The last image is my featured article. I like the layout, in my opinion the most professional looking page. I plan to lay out my texts discourse in a semi interview style.

mood board + audiance profile

Magazine mood board + audiance profile

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magazine cover research

Magazine cover research

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Style model

I have decided to make this issue of Q magazine my style model to base my own cover on. The plain, light background, the varying size and colour of the font and the way it wraps itself around as well as hugs the image.  Its these features that I would like to mirror for my photo shoot.

Going into more detail, the cover model covers the masthead partially, this draws the attention to her and adds depth to the image. But the masthead is still recognisable. She uses a direct mode of address and the picture is a medium shot. The text wraps itself around the model further emphasising her importance. Her appearance is relevant to the theme of the magazine, the 80s style has been perfectly emulated.

contents page analisis 2

This one is more conventional in layout and is easier to read than the previous example. It features a main image presumably the featured article, surrounded by supporting secondary images and past that is a column of text highlighting articles and page numbers.

The sub-headings stand out by pasting a contrasting text over a background. The caption on the largest image has been cleverly made to standout unlike others I have seen where the text is hard to read due to colour similarities within the image.

It is safe to say that this page carries on the theme and genre well and is obvious that the mag is rock. No wasted space and plenty of featured articles. This contradicts my research on front covers since the covers I looked at had barely any cover lines and this page has tons of articles. The only conclusion I can draw from this (granted this is a different genre from what I have in mind, never the less) is that, only the important articles are frontcover worthy, this will be taken into consideration.

contents page analisis 1

I like this contents page for its untidy slap dash apperance, very "gangster" and down with it. Its pallet of colours and varying size of font leaves the eye spoiled for choice and flitting about the page unsure where to go. There apears to be no visible stucture to it more like a dictionary vomited over the page.

Yet I shall not base my page on this but I will draw a few useful aspects from it.

Contents page plan

A rough plan will be the background with an image of some ambigious object on a white background perhaps a pair of headphones with the articles hugging the object of focus. Where the mast head would be, perhaps the featured article could be there instead.

This will probably be changed because I now can use more photos I've just taken during class to help, so now I will replace the headphone idea with a slapdash effect with these new photos.

plan for photo shoot

• Figures- mode of address
• Costume- make up, accessory's
• Pose- intimidating, curious
• Props- non, main focus, supports the image
• Background- bland, plain, full
• Lighting- dark, light

Magazine initial ideas

Genre: electronic I have not thought about the sub-genres eg. house, dub-step, trance

Names: must be relevant to the genre and roll off the tongue and sound right when used in day to day conversation "I'm off down the shop to buy X"

Suggestions: pulse, flow, drop it, blip, rip, slam


Image: the front cover should naturally be of the featured article so perhaps a close up of the subject and either have the cover lines hugging the borders of the page or have them slap dash all over the place keeping with the genres chaotic nature.

College mag contents page analysis

Nothing special for the main image, I just chose a simple shot of the interior of the school. Because I thought it would be a nice change. I do feel however that my skill in photoshop have stunted the projects potential but since I am a novice and the current level I'm at, anything at this stage will be an improvement. Once again the colours I used were so the text would contrast the background but to also fit in with the colour scheme of the school. The mis en scene just encompasses the multiple floors, hand rails and the stairs are all visible allowing me to insert my text in an appropriate area.

But I believe that it is a creative way of displaying the magazines contents if I do say so myself.

College mag front cover analysis

The cover model of my magazine is an anonymous student whom is shown seated on a stone block looking relaxed and at ease. His attire and props scream student i.e. the school bag, playing field in the background and the ear buds. The model may not be blatantly in your face that he's a student but I chose the image simply because 1: we don't wear uniform anymore and then the mag would be aimed at a different age group. 2: the cliche student surrounded by stacks of paper, piles of books and stationery has been over used. The mis en scene has a mix of items in the foreground and background trying to hint that this is a college magazine without outrightly saying it.

The title was meant to be a subtle hint towards the free periods we get at times being a jab at the 'Sunday Times', 'Shooting Times' and 'Everything else under the sun Times'. Anyway, I decided to have no tag lines since I was relying on people to guess it was a college magazine (the poor quality being the biggest give away) besides the setting, in hindsight this was not the best location because the jump from the light sky to the dark earth below was too jarring and said overlaid text would need to contrast in order to be readable and that would have made it worse. Plus I wanted to focus on the main image so the less text was my aim.

The colours used were so that the text could be read and the models clothes were beyond my control.

College mag contents

College mag front cover