Formal Evaluation

Introduction:
For my media coursework i have created a front cover, contents page and a double page spread for a music magazine. I had to define and chose a genre of my choice were i would aim my magazine at a certain target audience. I chose the genre of music, Indie and Acoustic music and then i was able to find my target audience by using a questionnaire to define who they were and what they wanted to see in my magazine.
As i was only creating a few pages of the magazine i worked on my own and all the work i did myself. From designing the layout of each page to taking the photos for my pages. The entire project was done by myself i didn't have any help, only from my teachers giving me some feedback on my progress and rough extracts.


In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The genre of my music magazine is a cross between indie and acoustic music. However my magazine also has a slight fashion slant, so that it is different to other magazines on the market, dealing with the whole image of the genre not just it's music.
My front cover is used to establish my magazines identity and to show what the whole of my magazine is going to be like, just like any other standard magazine.
I have also used your typical Strap lines at the top and bottom of the page to help break up the information and to make things stand out more. Making it look more interesting.
My main image sticks to your typical print conventions by being paired with a leading caption, this adds information on the main feature article, so that the reader is more likely to pick the magazine up and possibly buy it just because of the exclusive. It is also clear to see that my magazine has a unique colour and font scheme for the magazine, again adding identity to the magazine and character, which also indicates a sort of retro/vintage theme with the black and one colours and also i would say the fonts used are fairly retro. Several headlines have also been used on my magazine like typical magazine conventions, this is to add more information for the reader so that they will hopefully be more persuaded to buy the magazine and read it. Like all magazines i have used a barcode, date and price, however they aren't all placed near each other like you would find on your typical magazine. Instead the price and date is near the main header, i did this so that it was easily noticable for the reader/buyer also i thought i helped to fill a small gap at the top of the page and made the bottom of the page look less congested.
The contents page sticks to the main conventions of a contents page by obviously displaying the contents of the magazine. It also has headings for each individual article which has been covered in the magazine. Also all the different stories have been broken down into sections which have bigger headings so that they stand out. Even though my contents page has a dark background i would say it is colourful and the main items on the page stand out well. iI would say my contents page may be different to others because it has the logo of the magazine in the corner which again adds identity. However i have only used one image wereas other magazines tend to use more images which are intended to make the reader feel more excited about the magazine. I only used one image to attempt to keep the contents simple.
My article sticks to your normal magazine conventions by having a main headline which introduces the artist, this is so the reader instantly knows what the article is about and who. I have used columns to organise and neatly set out my interview and article which i think makes it easier for the reader to read. I have also used a text grab to entice the reader in to the article, grabs their attention as soon as they look at the page. I have used your typical Bolder letters for the Q&A like on your usual conventional question and answer interview, however i have used the magazines initial and my artisits initials to make it more unique.
I think it was vital to stick to many of the typical magazine conventions because these are what help a magazine look effective and proffesional. In addition if these conventions weren't effective then they wouldn't sell millions of copies every year, so sticking to them has helped make my magazine more proffesional and effective. It also gives it instant identity of a magazine, people wouldn't be mistaking the front cover for something like a poster. The things i have done different have been described up above in the paragraph. I think it is vital to do something different to the genre to make your magazine unique, therefore if it is unique then the buyer will notice this and be more partial to buy your magazine than one that is similiar to another. Things that tend to be different usually work better, as long as they aint that different that they don't work.

How does your media product represent particular social groups ?
The main social group i have represented, which is easy to identify from the front cover, is famous music artists. This is easy to see from the main image which is of a male artist, so straight away it is easy to identify that solo artists are being represented. The image indicates that Jack is an artist because it is from a live gig of his, also it is shown in his big double page spread, he chats openly about being a music artist and what he would like to happen. He discusses how he lives his life as well. I think this shows that these artists aren't always willing to share information on their lifestyle but by making my main feature article do so, it is what the target audience would want. Hearing more exclusive information on an audiences favourite artist makes them happy. So by conveying Jack Brown to be open and not scared of letting people in on his lifestyle, makes the target audience happier, which is what a producer would want.
I have also focussed heavily on representing males, this is because on the marker i believe magazines tend to appeal a lot more to females so i thought by making them more appealing to men then it would add a wider variety for males in the market. I would say i have represented them as individuals who are in to fashion and music, they are in to the whole "image" the music mixes with the fashion. I have done this by using images of just males and by basing it on males fashion as well as music. Also the main feature article is based up on a male so again it conveys that it's a male based magazine.
In addition i have also represented the younger generation, elder teenagers going on to young adults, id say my magazine would appeal to people between the ages of 14 and 24. There is a big age range but all the people no matter what their age have the same interests hence why my magazine would appeal to them all. Id say i have shown the representation of this age range by basing the magazine on the musical genre of indie bands which have a big following from this age range. Also by adding a mix of fashion with the music it appeals to teenagers because people of an older age you wouldn't really associate with being very fashionable.
My magazine also is representive of the Savant music passion group. This is because i want my magazine to be based on music that perhaps only the keen follower will know of, up and coming bands and artists who will be big in a few years time but these people hear about them now and follow them and help the artists become something. this steroetype makes them seem like the true music followers and this is what i would like to potray in my magazine.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why ?
I think one of the main institutions which would fund and publish my magazine would be the editors and publishers of the NME magazine. Which belongs to the IPC media company which is now ran by Evelyn Webster. I think they would be willing to publish and fund my magazine because it is aimed at a very important market and target audience and it also focuses on a very popular genre of music at this moment in time. In addition i believe some sort of fashion company, such as Topman or ASOS would also like to fund my magazine. This is because of the fashion slant i have on my magazine and by using the website ASOS i think it would help create a profit for the publisher because the magazine would work in connection with the website, the website could promote music or articles which are appearing in the latest edition of the magazine and in contrast the magazine would be able to advertise all the fashion tips and best sellers in the magazine, and have special offers for magazine buyers etc. This would then boost the sales of the magazine and then the website would also benefit hugely.

Who would be the audience for your media product ?
My main target audience would be the male sex, this is because i don't think there are as many magazines dedicated to them as there are for women. So by aiming it mainly at males would encourage them to buy the magazine. They are a huge audience to target as their are billions of them in the world. I would say they are correct for my product financially because i believe they would buy the magazine as long as it appeals to them and it has in articles which they want to read about.
In addition i also believe my magazine would be targeted at people who tend to like the genre of acoustic and indie music. At this moment in time i would say there is a large number of people who are in to such genres. This is because live gigs are becoming alot more popular, and it is more indie acoustic artists who tour more, as they dont make it in the official charts as often as your pop music. There i believe that it would make a big profit for the publisher. As they would deffinately buy the magazine. So if there is a wide audience then i dont see why they wouldn't buy the magazine if it focuses on what they like. In addition i believe people, mainly males who tend to follow fashion would also be a big target audience. This is because it adds another element to the audience as it appeals to a wider range. There i believe it would deffinately make a profit because if people are in to fashion then they will be willing to buy magazines to get hints and tips and the latest trends exactly like my magazine does.
My main age range for my target audience would be from the age of 14 to 24. This is because i believe the whole genre of music and fashion is enjoyed by mainly this age group, from older school students to university students. So if there is a wife range of age then there is a big profit available for the magazine to snap up.

How did you attract/ address your audience?
I wanted to make my title simple but easy to remember. I wanted it to be simple yet to have lots of meaning. There i think "Vintage" is perfect. It sums up the genre i believe and it also shows that its got that old taste of fashion and music in the magazine. Especially by splitting the word up on the title, to "Vint" "Age" i think it adds more effect and attracts the reader because they want to read the magazine to find out more.
My main image addresses the reader that the magazine likes to base it's material on live acts and also acoustic/indie artists. This is shown by conveying the image of my model performing live at a gig. The lighting shows that it is at a gig with it being a dark set and then the figure in light. I think it shows to the reader that it is a bold image and some what exclusive.
The use of an editor's note on the contents page adds information for the reader, and by stating advice on not to miss articles it makes the reader feel as if they have to have a look at it as they dont want to miss out on it. It also atracts the reader as it is in a big bold red box and stands out against the dark background. The rest of my contents page addresses the reader as it indicates what else is in the magazine worthwile for the reader. The bold headings make the reader feel as if they have to view them.
The main article atracts the reader, because it's not just based on his amazing music, it's also on his top secret fashion tips and everybody knows the public loves a good tip from a celebrity. The bold fonts indicate that its an exclusive and make it stand out because its a one off so they dont want to miss it. The use of many different articles on my contents page addresses to the reader that there is a lot of choice in the magazine and its not all the same so it is a very good read.
My double page spread attracts the reader with the use of the colour scheme randomly applied throughout the interview. Also the use of images in between questions adds detail for the reader. With the images being shot at a live gig it gives this sense of the magazine being very well in to live gigs and concerts. The main heading informs the reader of who the article is based on. This then decreases the possibility of any confusion. The columns attract the reader because it makes the article seem easier to read and it makes the page look more tidy. The language in the article also attracts the reader because it is very chatty and fun. It is very conversational feel so that the reader thinks they are involved directly which will make them want to read on.
My article gives the impression that my celebrity which i am using is open and willing to share his views with the public, he isn't scared of saying what he thinks which the public usually like. Therfore this will appeal to the reader and they would be more likely to buy the magazine if they know this celebrity is like this because then there maybe something new he has to say in the interview.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
At the start of the project i learnt how to use a blog. We had to record all our work on here and generally record our progress. We were also able to upload images from the internet for research. In addition i had to learn how to convert some images from certain files to JPEG images, this was so that they would be able to be uploaded on to my blog. We did this by opening them in a prgramme called Photoshop. I used photoshop for many different reasons and learnt many new skills, some of these being:

• How to convery a file to a JPEG file.
• How to cut images out of their background.
• How to import and export images.
• Scanning images in which i had created and then fitting them together and making them into JPEG's so that they were available for my blog.
• Uploading my images from my camera and editing the lighting and effects on them.
• Crop images

These all allow you to edit images to how you want them to be. If you aint happy with an image you can easily edit it so that it is perfect for you. For example you can get rid and perfect the smallest of things such as a spot on a person. However sometimes i found that Photoshop could become complicated with layers and it's good job we had training on it before.

In addition i also used InDesign, i used this for all 3 of my pages. I learnt how to:

• Add backgrounds to pages
• Use text tools
• Bring items forwards and backwards to hide and show certain things
• Import images and use them with my text and background.
• Use shapes and boxes to create effects.

I have also used Microsoft word for several things:

• To write up my Questionairre
• To write up my article
• To write down and record my feedback from my target audience.
• To write my evaluation

In addition i have used Excel to create graphs for my feedback which i recieved. I also used the internet to gather images for my mood board which i printed out. I also researched existing magazines on here. If it wasn't for the internet then i think it would have been hard to do most of my research. It was here were i looked at existing magazines for free and found free images of the genre of music i wanted to base my magazine on. If it wasn't for this then i would have had to go and buy magazines myself and spend money which i really didn't want to do.

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

Looking back you can see a huge improvement. Now my front cover looks a lot more proffessional. I spent alot more time on making it look very good. I have added and used more conventions to make it look more proffessional, such as Heading strips at the top and bottom of my page. A bigger and better title, which stands out more. My image is more bolder and more meaningful. It is also a lot more fun, there are more colours and bolder fonts which stand out more. You can tell i have spent a lot more time and effort on my final piece than on my premlim.

Conclusion

Overall i believe the whole project has been a big success. I have gone from my prelime which lets face it wasn't at all very good, to my final piece which i am really happy with. I really like the colour scheme and fonts i have going on throughout my magazine pages. I think they are very effective and give my magazine identity and character. I am also very pleased with my title which i would say is the trademark identity for the magazine, i have used it throughout the magazine and it is very effective. It fits and compliments the genre of the music which is being displayed within the magazine. However i'd say my main downfall has to be my images, because i took them at a live gig i was unable to get them of the best quality, however in contrast i think this shows that the magazine has character for getting images at live gigs, and that they are exclusive images. I would say it is very close to the real article, it would deffinately need a few more images, better images, and it would need correcting as i have noticed a few spelling mistakes on my pages, some words have been missed out which i feel is very clumsy and should have easily been avoided.But overall i believe the whole project has been a big hit, and i am happy with the outcome.

Callum Dunn

Evaluation: Final Product & Audience testing.

these are my 3 final pages for my coursework. Overall i believe it has turned out well however i feel my images are the down fall on the final piece.

i think the text and use of different fonts and colours across my pages have worked well, they compliment each other and stick to the theme which i wanted to tick to, a vintage retro theme were things are more older looking and actually retro. i think the use of red made my magazine look more lively and it also gave it more character.
i like my contents page because it sticks to the theme especially with the title at the top, it gives my magazine identity and character. i also like the use of the colour scheme and text however i think it would have looked a lot better with a few more images or a large image of my feature article.
i am happy with my article. i like the title and how i have introduced who it is about. it looks fairly professional i think it looks fun as well. i also like the balance of text and images. it adds balance and makes it easier for the reader to read. i also like the use of colors which i have used, i have sticked with my original theme and it has worked well with each other. however with my interview i think i could have gone in to more detail with the music, but the fashion and image look gives my magazine character and it shows its unique selling point which i think is effective and works well.

Audience Testing

After asking ten people from my class who i would say would be part of my target audience i have gathered vital informtaion that i effectively will be able to use for vital feedback and evaluations on my final product.

I asked them a range of questions, so here i shall sum up their comments and what the main points where.

What does the title suggest?

The main points which i recieved back was that the title gave off mixed notifications. Many thought it meant Vintage as in old and retro music were as others seemed to think it was more different or classical music, i aimed to use vintage as a title to indicate the magazine was going to be based on more retro/old music, or music what was retro which is now back in fashion.

I think overall my connotations of the word vintage are not exactly the same as others, so this could have been made a bit clearer perhaps.

Here is a pie chart that i have created it clearly states the different siggestions to the title "Vintage" and it clearly states that Retro was the main suggestion. Which is one of my aims.

What Genre/Type of music does the magazine focus on and how do you know this ?

All of the people i asked all came back with the answer either of it being a Inide magazine or an Acoustic magazine which is good because initially i wanted my magazine to revolve around both genres of the musical industry. So i'd see this as a big strength of my magazine front cover. Most people said they gathered this information due to the text on the front of the cover regarding certain artists etc. and also because of the live acoustic image, with it being live at a gig.

What makes the page look professional and what stops them from looking professional?

With this question there has been a mixed bag of reactions. Both good and bad, starting with the good, many comment that the images i have used have worked well because they look professional especially with them being from a live gig, which they seem to think adds more character. However in contrast there were a couple of comments that said the images could do with being more clearer, this is because they were from a gig and it was hard for me to find space etc. so if they were not as blurry then they would have been a lot better and more effective. In addition another positive comment which i recieved was the use of the same mix of fonts and colour scheme through out the pages. They said it made the pages look more eye catching and gave the whole magazine more of a personality some what. Finally another negative comment which i received was that on my pages there is quite a lot of unused space, which makes the pages look a bit sparce, this could have been easily modified.

How Genuine does the front cover seem?

Here it is clear to see that everybody who i asked clearly said that my front cover looks and seems genuine so this is very good. However half of the people thought it was more genuine than the others who i asked, but it is still positive feedback because they all think it is genuine.

Does the contents page simply inform or does it also manage to interest you in reading the rest of the magazine?

80% of the people i asked informed me that they would want to carry on reading afer viewing my contents page, they said it was for a number of reasons; the headings are bold and stand out so persuade you to continue, also the variety of information on offer, also the main article they said stands out and is well documented. However in contrast a remaining 20% said that they would just be informed and would only want to read on if there was an increased number in the amount of images used on the page.

Does the article sound like a real piece of journalsim? If not what bits don't sound right?

100% of the people who i asked all said that my article seems like a profesional piece of journalism. They all thought this for various reasons, one being "yes, the layout and use of images and quotes makes it look real" they also said that the language used with in the article and the mood set was very friendly and just like your usual article so i think it has gone down very well.

Does the article's layout make you want to read it ? If not why not?

Again everybody i asked said that they would want to read the article, many said it was because it looked fun and energetic with the colour scheme, were as others said it looked professional therfore they would want to read it because of the neat tidy columns and questions.

Update

i have designed all my pages and i have got the main idea, all i need is to slightly refine them. I got my images from a gig which i attended over the week, and all i need to do now is position them correctly on to my page and attempt to get the correct layout. Here are a few of my images which i am most likely to use on my pages.

Progress and Ideas

Having done all my research and clearly found who my target audience are i am now able to think of ideas which will suit my magazine and help entertain and the audience who are in to this genre of music and style. To make my magazine different from the rest i am going to mix music with the whole image, so i will also lean towards reviews on fashion and the image of the genre of music. This all fits in with the title of my magazine because the whole image could be said to be very "Vintage" as the fashion at the moment is very retro and vintage so i think it all fits in well and will give my magazine a unique selling point. Also to add to the whole vintage image i have found due to my research that my audience believe if i use a black and white theme then it will create the more vintage look which will deffinately help create the effect i want to, - a very retro vintage, black and white images -

I have done several sketches of a basic idea of what my front cover and my article is going to look like. i want it to be vintage with a black and white theme. To replicate this olden look and i dont want it to be modernised. Therefore i am going to aim to go for a minimulistic look, however at this moment in time i am not fully sure if it will work so i will have to make my final decision when it comes down to editing my magazine. in addition by keeping it simple i aim to make it effective, with most music magazines in the market being vibrant and stand out i would like mine to be differnet from the rest so i believe making it simple would do this because all the others seem to be very similar and i am attempting to make something different for the market.

Planning Mood Board and existing pages from the NME music magazine.

I have done a mood board as part of my planning to get images and colors and fonts which i really like that i can use them to help with my own designs. Hopefully i can take inspiration. I have chosen one of the fonts i used on my mood board, this is because i think it will go well with the theme that i am using. And will link in with the whole vintage image.









It is clear that the title is bold and iconic so that people can relate to the font when they see it on the magazine. they instantly know that it is the NME trademark title. The title is broken up with a heading bar at the top which is darker than the title so that there is a contrast and that both stand out but yet they compliment each other. the header bar breaks up the page which also helps provide information and other news in the magazine so the reader wants to read on and buy the magazine at first site. the
The main image is bold and expressive it conveys the main and exclusive article as powerfull, which i will want to also attempt to replicate. The use of differernt colours with the fonts is effective, they all compliment each other and add more fun to the magazine front cover making it lively. the barcode is small and vertical so that it enables more space on the page and makes other things stand out which i may attempt to do on my page. Also the use of a bold coloured circle indicates and conveys what else is on offer, makes these things stand out.i also like the use of smaller images which are linked to other articles in the magazine it adds more informtation for the reader.

Here in this contents page the NME logo is the same iconic logo which is found on the front cover. it adds identity and meaning. it also is a trademark for the compant nme. however it is smaller than it is on the front cover as it doesnt need to be as big or stand out as much. instead of using the words contents it says "this week" i think it is more of a unique way of showing what is in the magazine. it is also made to stand out with the black background and white bold clear font. it is effective because it stands out and is clear for the reader. i like that there is a main image of what i believe to be one of the main articles in edition. it makes it stand out. also everything else seems to work around it. there is a small paragraph based on the main picture and then there are subtitles at the side which split in to certain genres. which i am probably going to use on mine to break it up abit. i also like the subsciption box at the bottom it uses unused space making the page look more full and like more is going on. so i am going to either do the same or have an editors choice sort of thing.an editors note. there is a recurring theme throughout the magazine. which i would like to apply with mine. so that it adds character and gives my magazin a trademark theme sort of thing.

the title instantly illustrates who it is based on, so that the reader instantly knows what it is about. therefore i will want to inform my readers straight away. the article here is traditionally in columns. which i will most deffinately use. i like at the start of the paragraph how they typically make the letter of the first word much bigger and bolder. i will use this as it adds more emphasis on the start of the paragraph. a quote is also used from the interview, i will do the same to add more information. and it makes it more fun and creative and less boring because it shows importance to the interview. instead of over loading the text on this article they have clearly used a full page for an important image. i aint to fond of this as i would rather use more text and have smaller but more images so that there is alot more information for the reader so that it is really exclusive.

Questionairre results

Having created my questionnaire i went out and asked 10 students. I asked them a variety of questions aiming to get several responses. I used them to help decide on the title of my magazine. i gave them the choices of :
The Vint
Ooo so Retro
Vintage
Acoustic Now

When i got my results i found that 7 out of the 10 asked thought Vintage was the best name for my magazine so as a result of this, i am going to use Vintage as my magazine title.

I also asked them based up on the title of magazine they chose, what color schemes would they prefer.

Black and white
Dull blues and Greens
Vibrant blues and reds
fluorescent bright colors

My results showed that half of the people asked preferred it to be Black and shit, were as 4 thought it should be Fluorescent bright colors. however seeing as there were more for black and white i have decided to go with this idea because i think it will be very effective and fitting to go with the vintage image.

The questionnaire has also helped me to define my target audience. I did this by asking them a number of questions such as What music would you be more interested in ? the majority of the answers was Indie bands followed by Acoustic music. Which helped me have a clearer picture of my target audience. i Also asked them if they would be more interested if the magazine had fashion tips and pointers on the latest styles from music artists. 8 out of the ten i asked replied yes they would therefore i think it is a good idea for me to have the whole image going on.

My questionnaire has been very successful as it has helped me fully understand my target audience and, it has given me good ideas for the design of my magazine. :)