Thursday, 31 October 2013

Analysis of a Double Page Spread 2

- The main colours used are red, black and white. These colours could connote excitement and fun. However, in this particular case, I think it connotes more of a rebellious vibe. There are a few different font types used and the headline is big and bold and mostly in capitals in order to stand out. The headline catches the eye of the reader because of this but also because it is different, with some letters lower case and with the block, black background.

- The article seems to be organised but then with the headline just thrown on. This connotes a rebellious feel, while still keeping the article quite simple, so it is easy enough to read and a bit sophisticated. I think, like many music magazines, the language and mode of address off this magazine is very chatty, at the same time as being quite formal.

- There is only one image and this covers the whole of the page on the right and edges a little onto the other page too. This layout connotes an easier read, as it makes the reader think there is less to read, with there being half and half text to image. The image, similarly to the whole article, connotes rebellion and a sense of the term YOLO.

- The audience for this magazine is quite a wide audience of older teenagers and young adults, as Lily Allen is, one, quite popular and, two, she fits into a sub-genre of music that a lot of people listen to. Although Lily Allen is a female artist, I think this article appeals more to males, as it connotes a rebellious feel and the text relates to this. I think the audience would be mainly D and E, as most readers would be students.

Analysis of a Double Page Spread 1

Wednesday, 30 October 2013

Analysis of a Contents Page 2

- The main colour scheme is red, white and black and this is continued from the front cover, as is the Q logo. This is the typical colour scheme of Q magazine. These colours connote fun and enjoyment but also a sense of sophistication. The fonts are very simple and some are bold, in order to stand out from the less important text. The simplicity of the fonts add to the sophistication of the house style and also make it easier to read, possibly connoting relaxation. The sense of sophistication and easy to read feel of the house style connotes that the target audience is older teenagers and people in their twenties, students perhaps.

- There is only one image and that covers almost the whole page. It is a close up of James Blunt and it connotes possibly sadness or seriousness but in a light way. This could add to the sophistication of the magazine. Apart from the Q logo, the page title and the issue date of the magazine at the top and a little bit at the very bottom, all of the text is down the right hand side. There are the names of several artists and bands and articles with the page number at which you can find the articles about them. There is also a few words about each artist and article. The percentages of images to text is about 65% images to 35% text.

- The  is very organised, again adding to the sophisticated feel. This makes it a lot simpler to follow allowing you to not have to concentrate constantly while reading, letting you relax more. Although the magazine comes across in a very sophisticated manner, it still has that chatty feel, which again allows you to chill out a bit more. I think the magazine talks about formal topics in an informal way.

Tuesday, 22 October 2013

Analysis of a Front Cover 1

Q Magazine, Coldplay.

Institution Research


Action Plan

Week 1
- Post initial ideas
- Post institution research
- Analyse other front covers

Week 2
- Analyse other contents pages
- Develop pitch using Prezi

Week 3
- Complete pitch
- Complete further research

Week 4
- Present and post pitch and audience feedback
- Complete mock-ups
- Produce a style sheet
- Organise models, locations, props, locations, photoshoot and blog progress

Week 5
- Develop front cover

Week 6
- Develop front cover
- Make adjustments to magazine design in response to feedback

Week 7
- Develop contents page
- Make adjustments to magazine design in response to feedback

Week 8
- Develop double page spread
- Make adjustments to magazine design in response to feedback

Week 9

- Develop double page spread
- Make adjustments to magazine design in response to feedback

Week 10
- Finalise design of all pages
- Begin evaluation

Week 11
- Evaluation

Week 12
- Develop evaluation

Week 13
- Complete evaluation

Friday, 18 October 2013

Initial Ideas for Main Task

coldplay_v.jpgI will have unsigned bands featuring in my magazine, in order to give them the push they need to get signed. I want to create a music magazine for quite a wide audience, so my sub-genre(s) will be mainly alternative pop and rock, with some classic rock but I will publish about pretty much any sub-genre of up and coming bands/artists.  As well as featuring unknown artists, I will include a few articles about big artists. Some popular artists that I could include are AC/DC, James Blunt and Coldplay, as they fit the main sub-genres. I have chosen these sub-genres because they are my favourite type of music and I know others who like it too.

Photo_-_Festival_de_Cornouaille_2011_-_James_Blunt_en_concert_le_19_juillet_-_028.jpg

Introduction to Main Task

My main task is to create a front cover, contents page and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text that I use have to be original, produced by myself. I must use a minimum of four images.

Thursday, 17 October 2013

Evaluation of Preliminary Task

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Before completing the preliminary task of designing and producing a new student magazine, I analysed and researched other student magazines, such as Aspire and Campus Life, in order to find typical themes and features that I could include in my own magazine. I found that there were certain elements that all students magazines seemed to like to use. Most of the magazines I looked at had a central image of a student/students or something student related. This creates a bigger connection with the reader, even if they don't know it, as it shows somebody of a similar age to them. They also all seemed to have similar mode of addresses by being quite formal but in an informal manner. They did this by giving information and news about serious things in a rather chatty, light-hearted way. This makes it an easier read and so, for that reason, would appeal to students as they probably want to read to relax. Another thing I found was that the colour scheme and house style should catch the readers eye but shouldn't be to in your face as that may be annoying.
After doing my research I had a better idea of how my magazine should look. However, I did try and stay away from a completely typical student magazine. I chose to have a central image of a student, in order to get my magazine to relate to the reader more but also to introduce a story that will hopefully interest the reader. I chose 'Ntertain' as the name and masthead for my magazine, as it says literally what type of magazine it is but it is also unique, and that will create a connection with some students. The colour scheme and house style that I chose, of mainly pink and blue colours and quite organised sections, relates to both males and females and is also eye-chatching but quite simple. The fonts that I used connote fun and enjoyment but also maturity. This, I feel, is great for students, as they are at the stage where they want to enjoy both childhood and adulthood.
How does your media product represent certain social groups?
I chose the target audience of students at my college. So this is both male and female teenagers between, typically, the ages of 16-18. From completing my audience research I found that students don't want to pay very much for a student magazine. Possibly because they cant afford to spend loads on luxuries and things that are not necessities. So, taking my research in to consideration, I chose to charge only 99p for my magazine. My colour scheme and house style represent male and female students, as it is quite simple and fun. However, it does represent them in a bit of a stereotypical way, as there is pink for girls and blue for boys. On the other hand, my central image appeals to all genders, as it is a picture of something everyone enjoys someway or another - music. The image is also simple and so connotes relaxation and enjoyment.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I would have the magazine produced and sold in college, as it contains local information as well as bigger news. It could become an enrichment choice, for people interested in media and producing media products. It would be a great experience for people who want go into a media based career.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
My audience would be all genders aged 16-18, maybe older for people doing longer courses or started college late, and would be anybody interested in gaming, movies, music and more, as well as college life/news.
How did attract/address your audience?
I attracted my audience by using images, fonts, colours, etc that would interest and appeal to them. My images, especially my central image, showed events and news that would interest a lot of students, so these attracted them. The fonts that I used were simple but bold and eye-catching and this catches the readers eye at the same time as connoting relaxation and easiness. I didn't use to many, which gave a sense of consistency to the magazine, adding to the easy feel. My colour scheme and house style give a similar effect to my fonts, as it is simple but eye-catching, in the way that it isn't in your face but draws your attention to the magazine.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
To design and produce my magazine I used Adobe InDesign, which is a little similar to Microsoft Publisher but just with more possibilities. However, this does make it a little complicated at times, especially as I had never used it properly before. But, all in all, InDesign is relatively simple and very effective in the production of a magazine. the skills I have learnt with this programme will most definitely help with my main coursework task of creating a new music magazine. Another programme i used was Photo Booth. Photo Booth is very simple to use and was an effective way to record information and research for my task.



Front Cover and Contents Page of Student Magazine



Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Experimenting with Mode of Address

My magazine will be mainly informal and chatty. However, there will be some formal issues given, so this will have to be a little more formal. So overall I think the magazine will informal but formal issues given in an informal manner. From my research I found that students prefer an informal approach, as it is an easier read.

Research of Target Audience

I have thought up some questions to ask students about what they want from a student magazine and I have produced a video of their responses.

Here are the questions that I asked them:

1) What do you want the articles to be written about in a student magazine?
2) Would you prefer a more formal or informal approach from a student magazine?
3) How much would you be willing to pay for a student magazine?
4) Would you prefer a bright or duller colour scheme on a student magazine?
5) Do you want lots going on in a student magazine?

To summaries, I think that students want articles that relate to them in a student magazine, so they want both helpful and entertaining articles. the colour scheme should catch the reader's eye but should find a middle ground between bright and dull. They also don't want to pay very much for a student but feel they should get their moneys worth, so there should be quite a lot going on.

Font Experimenting