9th December 2011

Evaluation

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

My product, AlternativeGirl magazine, uses conventions of real magazines in the fact that it has a masthead, tag line, a main photo with various sized plugs and a bar code on the front page. The contents page has a list of what's in the magazine and various photos to go with it, and the double page spread is an article in a similar style to one you would find in a real magazine. It has page numbers and branding, larger text for the page titles and a continuous colour scheme and theme throughout. It's conventions are aimed at a specific audience as most usually are on magazines, and this is continued throughout the magazine to the contents page and double page spread, which both also have conventions of a real music magazine. My product challenges forms of real media products as it is aimed at an audience that I feel the media does not currently cater for. Educated young females who have a genuine interest in music and want to actually read about it and not just read gossip articles about the artists.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My music magazine represents the females who are interested in the music industry, not just for the gossip and 'hot' male artists but for the actual music and everything that goes into making it. These females are well educated and are not the type to just believe anything they're told, they want to know the meaning behind artist's music, they are perhaps not the stereotypically 'popular' or 'girly' girls but they are the hardcore music fans that would rather read a magazine aimed at females like them than a more male orientated magazine such a 'Q.'  

These females are the type of individuals that are not one to follow the crowd and aren't too bothered about what's top of the charts and what's not, and the ones that will spend the money to buy the magazine.

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

Looking at media institutions that produce magazines similar to mine I found Bauer Media who distribute magazines of the same type, music. They distribute Q magazine and Kerrang magazine which are both music magazines like mine but aimed more at males. So if they were to distribute mine it would be a good alternative for them as mine is aimed at females, whilst the others are aimed more at males therefore AlternativeGirl would fit in nicely with their publications and fill the gap in their market range.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My magazine AlternativeGirl would be aimed at young but mature, educated girls aged around 16-27, that are interested in music. It's an alternative option for girls who don't want to read more masculine music based magazines or extremely girly gossip-y music magazines that don't actually feature much information on music. These girls would be probably middle class who don't mind spending more than £2 on a magazine but wouldn't commit as much as to spending around £4/5. 

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience to my magazine by featuring plugs on the front cover of specific music artists that my audience would be like and therefore be interested in reading about, to entice them to buy the magazine. Including a plug that says 'Free Download' which after asking some of my target audience, I found they said it would make them more likely to buy the magazine. I chose a colour scheme of black white and purple as it is not too girly but still girly enough to appeal to girls that would read it, and because black and purple are often classed as rocky colours which link with the image I want to give off to my target audience. I chose a photo that was quite strong to go on my front cover as I feel this represents someone my target audience could relate to and will admire as a person and musically. I also chose a price that is affordable to my audience and quite appealing so that it won't stop them from buying the magazine. I kept the language used in my magazine quite informal but still formal in parts as I am aiming it an more educated females who would more than likely not have problems with more sophisticated language. But I didn't want to make it too sophisticated as this could be a reading barrier and put someone off reading it.

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

Whilst constructing my product I have learnt a lot about how to use Serif Draw Plus and what tools work well and which ones don't. The colour picker tool was a great advantage to me, whilst I feel the cutout tool used to cut out the background wasn't the best and was very fiddly and temperamental. I also found that the program often froze, sometimes for several minutes which was a great disadvantage and rather annoying.
    I have learnt the importance of having a good quality photo, taken with a good quality camera, as they are a lot easily to cut out and take editing a lot better. The quality of the photo and the editing was one of the most crucial factors effecting how professional my product was going to look so this was important.

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

I feel in the progression from the preliminary task to my final product I have developed a better use of the software and Serif. This has enabled me to give my final magazine a more professional and sophisticated look. I feel on the full product I have had a better choice of colour scheme and a much better choice of fonts. I feel this is one of the biggest differences between the two, as although the font on my preliminary suited the style of the magazine looking back at them I am not too fond of them, and think I may have used too many different types of font in different colours. On the preliminary the text was not always as readable as it should be, as on the bar going across the page with photos and plugs in the text seems to get lost on the photos. On my final product I limited the number of different fonts I used and made sure all the text was clear and easy to read so to do the best job it could in attracting the target audience. Also on my final product I had developed a better use of the cutout tool and so used this on my photos when needed. I did not do this in the preliminary and I think in doing this I have made my final product look more realistic, as photos taken in a studio would have a plain white background like the one on my front cover as it looks a lot more effective and stands out more. It also meant I could cut out photos so they were different shapes and therefore make my double page spread more interesting.

6th December 2011

I have now moved on to do the double page spread of my magazine. After looking at examples of double page spreads in existing magazines I found there was two common styles, question and answer interviews and an article on the person being interviewed. I decided I wanted to do an article of when I met Cassidy when she came to do a photo shoot for the magazine, featuring quotes from her in relevant places. I looked at other magazines to get ideas for the layout of my double page spread. I noticed that most of them commonly have a large photo covering the whole of one page and then text on the opposite page. Featuring a quote in bolder bigger font and the speech marks in a colour that corresponds with the photo and colour scheme and complements it, linking the two pages together so it is clear they are both on the same person. It also makes the page look more interesting and the quote gives you an idea of what type of person the interviewee is. When there is more than one photo on the two pages there is usually a variety of different type of shots to make the page more interesting and appeal to different audiences. The background is often the same colour across both pages to again show that the are linked and is also often white so that the text and the photo both stand out.

The first letter of the first word of the article is sometimes in a larger size font, this is so it entices the reader to read it and draws you in. It also makes it clear where the article begins as to avoid confusion. The photo of the artist portrays what type of person the artist is, and in all the double page spreads I have looked at, the artist appears to be having fun and is smiling and happy. This would suggest that this is the type of image the magazine wants to give off of the artist to the reader, so she appears fun loving and likable, and to be having a good time. The text size of the actual article is quite small as it looks more sophisticated and I think if it was larger it would look more like it was aimed at a younger audience as the font in there magazines is usually larger so it looks more fun and readable, there is usually a lot less text on pages aimed at younger audiences too. By using a lot of text in a smaller size I made sure I was catering it for my target audience. On the Rihanna double page spread there is also a quote in big bold font going diagonally across the two pages. I really like this and the effect it gives, making a statement and bringing the two pages together. There is sometimes also smaller photos on the second page of double page spreads, alongside the text to link the pages together even more and keep the reader's interest sustained across both pages. All these codes and conventions have influenced the way I have produced my double page spread and the way I have made it look.

         My double page spread is on my cover star Cassidy Wilde. I have given the page the title 'Go Wilde'. which is a play on words as her name is spelt Wilde but is said the same as wild, as to mean go crazy or mad. This is what I meant by 'Go Wilde'. I have positioned the title across the page as after looking at the Rihanna pages I think it is really effective and it inspired me to do something similar. The font is in a large bold white font to show that it is the title and that it is important. It is in the same font as what I have used previously in the magazine and I have added a white glow around it to make it look brighter and stand out off the page more and so that is definitely noticed. The remainder of the title is done in smaller text as although her name is important I did not want it to steal focus, and there is a large photo of Cassidy on the page anyway so you would still be able to tell who it was even if the font isn't as large. It still stands out on the page never the less as it is in a contrasting colour of black which stand out clearly on the grey background and apposing the white text above it. The main text of the article begins with a larger capital A so it is clear where the article starts. The rest is smaller and goes across both pages although it fills up the majority of the second page of the spread. It is in a small yet readable sized font which an educated reader with a longer attention span an interest for the article would be happy reading. It fits around the smaller photos of Cassidy on the second page, which show different sides of Cassidy. The real Cassidy sitting and playing her music, which matters the most to her, and then smashing her bass guitar and showing the tough rock star image that she gives off to the world. The photos are full length to show her image and what she is wearing, the purple tights again complementing the colour of the font for the quote. The converse and tight short skirt showing that she is not afraid to show herself off and that she doesn't have the perfect body but it is one that others will admire and want to be like. It shows she has confidence and is a good role model despite being a rock star. Her converse are a bit worn and scruffy which shows she is not afraid to get her hands dirty and get messy, this could mean that she is also not afraid to do this when it comes to music and she is quite happy to do things for herself in a non-diva type manner. The main photo on the left hand side page shows another side to her again as she looks coyly away from the camera whilst hugging her guitar, as if she is in a daydream. This is the side of Cassidy that I particularly want to show the reader as it is the one that they have never seen before, and will only see here in the exclusive interview. It shows a softer side, and a more relatable angle as every girl has a dream and she is just following hers like all girls aspire too.

The background of the photo was of a grey colour and this was plain enough that all my text would stand out on it, so I decided to keep that colour instead of making the background white. This also make the double page spread different from the front page and contents pages which is what I want, as often when you open a magazine on a double page it looks quite different from the single pages, and it makes more of an impact. But I still wanted it to be clear that it was part of the same magazine so I branded the page with the little AG -standing for AlternativeGirl- in a purple box in the bottom corners of the pages, as I had done on my contents pages. Before adding page numbers in the same way I had also done on my contents pages and would have done on all pages of the magazine. To get my background the same colour on the second page I made a box and then used the colour picker tool on serif to select a tone of grey that would link the two pages together, it was quite difficult to get a match because of the lighting of the photo and the colour of the background. I then added a gradient so the background looks purposely tonal and fades from left to right.

    Also in the top right corner of the pages there is a quote from Cassidy in larger font, this is an effective way of giving the reader an insight on what the article will be like before they've read it as it is in quite noticeable purple font and stands out on the page. At the end of the text on the page, it says 'continued over page' with a small arrow pointing over the page, as the article is too long to fit on one page, and in magazine they often span several double pages so by doing this it makes my article seem more realistic as it would continue on the next page.



2nd December 2011

After speaking to my teacher about my front cover he pointed out that the quality of the main photo wasn't as good as it was originally before I cut it out and edited it. I agreed with him, as it did look a bit blury and the colours wern't as sharp as they should be. So after re-evaluating my page, I think perhaps I'd over edited it slightly when brightening it and lost some of the definition in the photo. I decided to amend this to get the best result possible. 
  So I used picnik on picassa to firstly increase the contrast of the photo and then sharpened it to make it clearer as the original was a little blury.

Then I used the black and white tool to make the background black and white, and then used the boost tool before going over the background to make it brighter and a more crisp white, I did this a couple of times to get the brightest white. I then had to go around the edges carefully being sure not to cover parts of the photo I didnt want cuting out. Then I was left with just her and the bass guitar on a white background which is what I wanted. I then positioned her on my magazine front cover, replacing the first version of the photo so that the plugs still fitted around her. I feel by making these adjustments the photo looks a lot better and I have improved the overall look of my magazine. I am glad I have made these changes.

27th November 2011

After producing the front cover for my magazine 'AlternativeGirl' I started straight away on my contents page. I originally wanted to do my contents on just one page, but after looking at a few existing contents pages I decided to do it across two, as this way I could have the photos as big as I liked and still fit in all the information about what's on what page. 

 So I drew out a very rough plan of what type of layout I wanted my magazine to have. This shows that I will have space for the photos of four different artists that are featured in my magazine all the page numbers and their content, a space for a section explaining how to obtain the free download that you get with the magazine, and another section explaining about an offer to subscribe to the magazine. I have found these are common codes and conventions of a contents page, after looking at a few different existing magazine contents pages. I decided images definitely make the page look more interesting rather than just a block of text which would look more like a boring index page than a contents page of a music magazine. They often have everything in blocks with photos in separate blocks alongside them, although this is a good orderly way to set it out I decided I didn't want to follow this exactly and preferred the layout of the contents from the summer 2001 issue of Q as all the page numbers and the description of what is on the pages is not in boxes, and the photos are more creatively spread out with their corresponding page numbers next to them. Although I felt it necessary to use boxes to separate certain parts of the page, for example the 'SUBSCRIBE' section and the 'How to get your FREE download' section, this needed to be put in boxes as otherwise it looked a little messy and wasn't clear which text went with which part. They also have branding on the page so that it links into the theme of the magazine and the front cover. Taking this all into consideration when creating my contents page I decided to take inspiration from both the different style of contents pages above and just make it more relevant to the style of my own magazine.

    On my contents page I have kept to the same colour scheme as on my front cover, and also used the same fonts to show a clear link between the two. 'This Month' is written across the two pages in big bold font so that it is noticeable as the title of the page, then 'Contents' is written slightly smaller but still in a bold font above where the contents starts so that it is obvious that it is the contents if it wasn't clear already.

    The page numbers are in a larger font than the text that tells you what is on each page, this is because the page numbers is the main information that you look for on a contents page. Although what's on the page is also important so that is in bold text and then below in a smaller font is a little teaser giving you a little bit more information about what the page contains, whether it be an interview or an article or review. I have used all my own photos on the page, all in different sizes to add some variety to the page, including a photo of Cassidy my cover star that I have cut out. I did this because this way all my photos are not square, and also on the contents page from Q the photos are cut out and all different shapes and I like the look this gives.

   I have simply put the most important words in alternating blue and purple in the boxes concerning subscription and the free download as this matches the colour scheme and is also the most important information and therefore needs to be eye catching. I have also added page numbers to the bottom corners of both pages, alongside a little icon saying 'AG' which stands for AlternativeGirl. This is presented in a little purple box the same colour as the purple of the masthead font on the front cover. I did this to make it clear that the pages belong to the same magazine and link the whole thing together as I feel it is important that everything follows the same style to make the magazine look more professional.

26th November 2011

 I am now moving on to look at which photos to use on my contents page. I have taken them all myself, some are of my friends and others of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry I have taken when I have been to concerts to see them. There is a variety of different type of shots that I could choose from, including long shots and medium close up shots. I think I will chose the photos that best represent the artists as who they are, give off the image I want for my magazine and that will also look interesting on my contents page. Also I have to consider the quality of the photos as some were taken at concerts and then go for the best quality photos also.

19th November 2011

I have now chose which photo to use on my front cover and have started putting it together. I chose this photo because I think it is quite strong and will stand out on the page. Also she looks like she has a bit of attitude and has a bit of an edgy side but she is still quite cool and likeable.

    I wasn't too keen on the lighting in the photo though, so I edited it and made it brighter so the colour of her tights and on the bass guitar really stand out. I also cropped it and cut the background out, before cutting the floor out too so I had her on just a plain white background which I've found is quite common on magazines as it puts all the focus on the photo which is what I want.

 I then started placing the plugs around the photo, carefully as to not draw too much attention away from it. I decided on the font for my masthead as I found it complemented the theme of the magazine, and matched it to the girl's tights which are of the colour purple. I placed the name of my magazine across the top of my front cover as that way it is the first thing people will read when they see it, and it makes it obvious that it is the name of the magazine. Below it there is a tagline which reads 'A different take on music.' this sums up the magazine in a sentence, makes it clear what it's about and reinforces the fact that it's a music magazine. The font of this is black and bold so it is noticable as a tagline, but not so bold that it steals focus from the masthead.

The main plug 'CASSIDY WILDE' is in upper case and in larger size copy than the other plugs as well as being the same colour as the masthead. These features show the importance of the plug and make it the main selling point of the magazine. Below it is carried on with a quote from her " I'm more than just your average rock star" this is not in upper case as I feel this would overpower the page and be too much. I still feel the plug does it's job though and entices the buyer to read inside and find out why.

There are smaller plugs positioned around the photo also trying to entice the target audience to buy the magazine and want to look inside. 'COLDPLAY MYLO XYLOTO' is in upper case to catch the reader's eye and then the rest of the plug is below in lower case as not to take too much attention away from the first line of the plug as it is just adding a little extra information onto it. The plug is more specifically aimed at fans of Coldplay as they would know that 'MYLO XYLOTO' is the name of their latest album. Whilst other readers may not know this but still perhaps be intrigued to read inside and find out what it does mean. There are similar style plugs down the right hand side of the page. There's a quote from Ed Sheeran and his name below in upper case, blue font to complement the colour scheme. This style of plug is quite common in magazines and also quite effective. I looked at a few magazine front covers and found that they looked quite busy with lots of plugs around the main photo, this is the format I have tried to follow with my magazine. The plug 'THE SCRIPT on their massive world tour' has the name of the band written in black bold upper case letters, to draw attention to it, whilst the additional information is in lower case. I feel that if you saw a band's name on the front of a magazine that you liked, you would pick it up to have a read either way to find out what it features. Therefore the text written in lower case is not as important but still needs to be there as not all readers will do this. There is also another plug 'KATY PERRY and the meaning behind her new single' fans of Katy Perry would know what her new single was and be interested to know where it came from. Again the most important part of the plug, the artist's name, Katy Perry is written in larger upper case letters in purple for the same reason why the other plugs are done in similar ways. By featuring plugs of certain artists and having them say things that only someone who liked the artist would understand is a clever way of attracting my target audience.

     Another very important plug on my front cover is the black circle shape which has inside it ' FREE DOWNLOAD' in white font. This font is different to the other fonts on the page which are all the same, other than the masthead and the web adress. This makes it stand out more, as well as it being in a black circle which makes it stand out massively on the page. This is because I wanted to emphasise the plug as I think a free download is a big selling point of the magazine so showing it in this way highlights its importance as well as making it more eyecatching and noticable. The word 'free' is even typed in a larger font than the 'download' this emphasises even more that it's free and to get the target audience to buy the magazine and read inside to find out how to get the download. The format of a plug in a circular shape has also been seen in magazines before and is an effective way of attracting attention to a specific plug.

      For the final plugs there is a rather large + sign in the bottom left hand corner, this is supposed to link to the bar on the bottom which features more plugs, as if to say 'plus all these bands too'. I decided to use the plus sign as I had seen it used on a few other magazines such a Q and I liked the effect it had. The bar along the bottom of the page is also another common method of showcasing plugs. Mine is black with white font to make it stand out, with the names of different bands and music artists that feature inside the magazine. These are in the same font as most of the other plugs on the page to ensure that although they are in a seperate bar, they are not seperated from the magazine and there is still a link. There is also a link with the colour scheme which still follows the same colours, with a dot in the same colour blue as used before on the cover seperating the different artists to show they are all individual artists and it is not one long word. This avoids any confusion and again I feel entices the target audience to look inside and find out what there is to read about the artists that they like.

     Finally I have placed a copyright free barcode in the bottom right hand corner as I feel it fits in well here and gets noticed without stealing focus from any other features on the front cover. Alongside the barcode I have put the magazine's issue number and price so that the target audience can tell how much it is. I priced my magazine at £2.60 as I feel this is an approriate prize for a magazine  like this and after asking a few of my target audience they agreed that it was worth that and they would happily pay that price. I have also put the web address for the magazine's website next to the barcode so that if the readers want any more information they can see that there is a website they can go on to get this. It is written in the same colour and font as the masthead to show the link between the two and distinguish the fact that it is in fact the website for this magazine.

13th November 2011

   I have now done a rough design of what my front page and contents page will look like. They are not precise and I may end up adjusting them slightly when I produce them on serif to improve them.

  I have decided on a colour scheme of purple, black and blue as these are not ultra girly colours but still can pass as feminine. It also gives it a bit of a different or 'alternative' look from normal pop magazines as it is not pink, and the colours do not nescesserily resemble pop which was what I wanted as it is not a just a pop music magazine. The main plug will be in the same colour as the masthead to show it's importantance and the rest in the other complementing colours.

   I then did a brainstorm and came up with a lexical field of music to help me think of ideas for the name for my magazine. I eventually came up with the name 'Alternative Girl' as alternative means something different, or a different option and I think this is what my magazine is. It's an alternative option for girls who don't want to read more masculine music based magazines or extremely girly gossip-y music magazines that don't actually feature much information on music. Therefore I feel the slogan 'A different take on music' is quite fitting. Alternative is also a genre of music which my magazine could possibly feature in my magazine, although I thought about it I do not want to make it specific to this genre. Once I have made up my front page and contents page I will do a full evaluation of them both.