JamesTaasinASMedia: 2014

Evaluation Draft:

Q1.

My magazine front cover uses similar fonts to those used in magazines such as ‘NME’ and ‘Kerrang!’ which are well known rock magazines in the UK. For example, the font and style of my masthead is similar to the masthead used in NME’s magazine which is featured in my magazine. My magazine masthead was made using many fonts such as outlines and shadowing, however many existing rock magazines use flashy fonts and fonts that aren’t very simplistic such as NME and Kerrang. As well as that, many existing rock magazines tend to stick to a plain white or black background with two additional colours. I have decided to stick to that concept and use a black, white and red colour scheme for my magazine. Another similarity is that, I separate cover lines by giving them different font sizes as well as colour schemes which is a technique used by many existing magazines today. Also, my magazine uses techniques commonly used in magazines. For example, my model is looking directly at the camera/audience - a technique commonly used to draw the reader in as it creates a connection while catching the reader’s eye. Furthermore, the cover lines for my magazine are located on the left side of the page as that is the part of the magazine that is seen when the magazine is stack up on shelves while being distributed. As well as that, the free giveaway on my magazine is also visible on the left side of the magazine. This will catch the reader’s eye and give them incentive to buy the magazine. However my magazine differs in the sense that it doesn’t have a skyline, and in place of the skyline is my magazine’s website. Also, another difference is that some many magazines like Kerrang position the image of their model in the centre of the page, while I place my image towards the right side of the page away from my cover lines which I believe will make my model stand out. In addition, my main cover story is located in a red textbox with a white outline that follows the design used for my masthead.

My magazines contents page features a subscription box much like other magazine such as NME. It also features topics/categories for each cover line in the magazine. However, my magazine does feature more pictures while NME and Kerrang show one or two pictures related to their main cover story.

One similarity between my magazine and the magazines mentioned in my case study is that they both show that the story on the double page spread is an exclusive story using a box at the top of the page. Also, another similarity is that the both feature pull quotes in big and bold writing. However, the double page spreads of the magazines in my case study lay their text out on one side of the page while an enlarged image of the featured artist is on the other. Also, they tend to have less text on their double page spread but more pictures while with my double page spread there is more text.

Q2.

My magazine is targeted towards people between the ages of 16 and 25 and is aimed to achieve a gender ratio 60:40 (60% Male, 40%Female). This was decided as the press packs for the existing rock magazines featured in my case study show that they have a similar gender ratio and age range for their viewers.

My magazine uses language that is quite formal, but there it does feature some phrases like; “rocking out “ - which is why I believe it is not targeted towards people under the age of 15. As well as that, my magazine features a colour scheme that consists of the colours red, black and white. These colours are colours that I believe will both males and females; however the colours red and black are quite masculine colours, which is why the magazine is aimed more towards men.

The model on the front cover of my magazine is a 19 year Filipino Drummer/Guitarist. This was done to show that not all artists/rock bands typically consist of white male members. However, the other bands featured in my magazine consist of white male members.

Q3.

I have decided to publish my magazine with IPC Media as they are one of the leading media institutions in the UK. This will allow my magazine name to spread faster as they are already well known. Also, other rock magazines like "NME" and "Guitar& Bass" use them as publishers. This means they will have good knowledge of how music magazines should be advertised and distributed. As well as that, the fact that they are the publishers of other successful music magazines is very reassuring.

My magazine will be available through online subscription as my target audience is within a young age range so most of them will most likely rather read magazines online as it is easily accessible through apps or the internet on their mobile phones. Also, publishing online is much cheaper than printing out physical copies to distribute as the production/printing costs will be very high. However, they will be able to subscribe to get a physical copy of the magazine but the subscription/form will have to be filled out online. This is a good way of distributing the magazine as it allows us to find out around how many copies should be printed; meaning more money used for the production costs is saved.

Q4.

The audience for my magazine will be young people who are interested/like rock music and are between the age of 16 and 25. The gender ratio for my magazines audience will be 60% male and 40% female. I have chosen this age range as the press packs of many other rock magazines such as ‘Kerrang!’ and ‘NME’ show that they have an audience between the age of 16 and 25. They also show in their press packs that the gender ratios for their magazines are around 60% male and 40% female. After learning this I have decided to stick with the gender ratio that most rock magazines like 'Kerrang' and 'NME' are aiming for. As well as that, the fact that the target audience is quite young means that companies will be able to advertise products that are targeted towards young people.

Q5.

The audience for my magazine will be young people who are interested/like rock music and are between the age of 16 and 25. The gender ratio for my magazines audience will be 60% male and 40% female. My magazine features a colour scheme that consists of the colours black, white and red. The colour white appeals to both men and women, however the colours black and red are quite masculine colours which is why my target audience is aimed to be 60% male, and 40% female. Another way in which I attract my audience is that the model I am using for my front cover and that is featured in my double page spread is a 19 year old Filipino male. This may be seen as something inspirational for members of my magazine’s audience who are young teenagers or have an Oriental-Asian background as are few Oriental-Asian rock artists today.

My magazine also features, cover lines on newly released instruments that are available, this will attract those who are interested in the particular instruments mentioned. As well as that, the language used in my magazine is quite formal, but it still mentions words like; “rocking out”. This will attract a more mature audience (young adults) which is why my magazine isn’t targeted towards those under the age of 16. Another way in which I have attracted my audience is that my magazine features bands that people in their 20’s would be interested, however it also features artists like ‘Arctic monkeys’ and ‘You Me at Six’ who younger people would be interested in.

Q6.

I have learned how to use many different types of applications/technologies such as; Blogger, Prezi, Photoshop and InDesign. I have found them very useful when pitching ideas, displaying my progress and creating my music magazine.

Blogger: Blogger is a website that I found very useful when marking my progress. It allowed me to upload pictures, text, presentations and many other things that would allow me and others to check on the progress that I have made on my music magazine. It is also very convenient in comparison to printing out physical copies of the work I have done.

Prezi: Prezi is a website that allowed me to create presentations, which I used to show the ideas I had during the creation of my media magazine. It is a very creative way to present ideas as it is features bright and eye-catching colour schemes and a variety of themes. It was also very convenient as Prezi is accessible through the internet, while presentations made on presentation software such as Microsoft Power Point must be downloaded onto the system you want to view it on.

Photoshop: Adobe Photoshop is a very useful application that must be used when creating a magazine. It features many different tools that aren’t available in other photo editing apps like Paint. For example, the quick selection tool allowed me to outline my masthead and get rid of any unnecessary parts of the image.

In Design: Adobe InDesign is also another application that is very useful and necessary when creating a magazine. It is an application that most publishers use for their magazines as it provides you with many tools that other word processors do. For example, Adobe InDesign uses rulers and guidelines to help layout your magazine.

Q7.

There are many things that I have learnt through the creation of my magazine. One of which is the use of Photoshop and InDesign. Overtime, I have learnt how to use Photoshop and how useful it can be in the production of a magazine. Also, I have learnt and adapted to the various features that it has to offer such as the large variety of colour schemes, font designs and effects. Learning how to apply effects in particular was very useful to me as I was creating a music magazine and they are known to feature more effects than the average music magazine. As well as that, I have also learnt many things about photography and photography equipment such as how the positioning of flashlights in a photography studio affect the lighting. I have also learnt how the use of composition in your photography can make the focus of your image really stand out. Most importantly, I have learnt many things on the layout of a magazine. For example, on the front cover of a magazine, the model is placed in front of the masthead as they are more important. Another thing that I have learnt is that the model must be looking directly at the reader/camera in the image for the front cover as it creates a connection with the reader.

I have also learnt many techniques used when creating a magazine. One technique used when constructing a magazine is Psychological pricing. This is when you give a magazine a price that ends with the number 9. For example, £4.49, £2.99... Etc. This helps persuade people to buy the magazine as they think that they are saving money. Another technique used is to place your magazines cover lines towards the left side of the magazine as that is the part of the magazine that is showing when it is placed on the newsstand. As well as that, another technique is to have your model on the front cover look directly into the camera/audience as it creates a connection with the audience and it also catches their eye. Another technique that has a similar purpose/outcome of the last technique is to position the magazines free giveaway within an area that is seen when the magazine is placed on a newsstand for distribution.

Audience Feedback:

Question 1. How often do you read magazines?

- Very Often = 0

- Sometimes = 3

- Never = 1

Question 2. What is your opinion on this magazine?

Respondent 1. I think the magazines style fits nicely into the genre of music it is based around, yet offers something a little different compared to other rock magazines as it is more formal than the average rock magazine which I feel appeals to fans of the genre.

Respondent 2. The magazine is very eye catching and appealing to new readers due to its vast variety of colour schemes which were used in order to make it stand out.

Respondent 3. I think it is great as it is very attractive. it looks like a very professional magazine and grabs the reader's eye straightaway.

Respondent 4. Nice, but you used the same picture too much

Question 3. What do you think of the layout of the magazine?

Respondent 1. I think that the layout is pretty clear as it separates the important features of the magazine in the contents and front cover.

Respondent 2. The layout is set out nice, and neatly. The information is separated into topics preventing any jumps in information to the reader.

Respondent 3. The layout of the magazine is good. Using the close up of the model's face looking directly at the audience is effective. all the cover lines are on the left and this is great for when the magazines are stacked up in shops as the audience can see what they are picking up straightaway.

Respondent 4.Good layout, fits convention of magazines

Question 4. What do you think of the colour scheme of the magazine?

Respondent 1. I like the colours used in the magazine and think they are very eye-catching.

Respondent 2. The colour scheme is very dark in the contents, would be better if it was a bit more bright so its more appealing to readers.

Respondent 3. The red, white and black go very well together. The black is a dark colour which represents the rock side of your magazine. The red and white contrast against the black and it is very easy on the eye.

Respondent 4. Good - suitable

Question 5. How do you think the magazine can be improved?

Respondent 1. More colour and possibly more pictures.

Respondent 2. Different font styles, and a variety of different colours complementing each other would be a good step forward into making the magazine better.

Respondent 3. You could have had links to social networking sites as it can further develop your magazines publicity.

Respondent 4. Not to use your front cover model in your DPS + Contents too.

From this feedback I have found out that my audience like the fact that my magazine is a little more formal than other rock magazines and that they believe that its what makes the magazine differ from other rock magazines. I have also found out that they find the colour scheme very eye-catching as the colours contrast and make text stand out. Respondent 1 and 2 have also mentioned that they like how I've separated each cover line through colour and layout. Also, respondent 3 has said they like how my model is looking directly into the camera which shows how effective this technique is. However, the respondents have also said that I have used the same picture too often and that I should have used a wider variety of colours.