Unedited photos.

Unedited photo for preliminary task.

Photos for main pieces.

Question 6. Addressing of Audience

How do you attract/address your target audience? Base is a magazine which will address its audience in a friendly manner, the content will be written in such a way to connect with the reader in an easy and informal way. The writers upbeat stlye of writing keeps the reader engaged and interested in the content. My magazine attracts the target audience by using the day to day language instead of really formal language which might make the audience feel out of place with the magaizine. Adding rhetorical questions into articles etc also attract the audience as it makes the readers feel at one with the magazine, as if it is directly talking to them. The layout of my front cover also helps to attract my target audience with typical conventions of a front cover. For example the fact that the front cover is spacious connects with the reader and promotes the magazine as not overwhelming and upperclass with lots of information and formal language. The double paged spread of my magazine has been layed out in collums with reasonably sized gutters, this allows the reader to easily see the information and not be overwhelmed with the amount of text on the page. The double page spread also connects with some of the readers that have either been through the same as Ramona or aspire to get somewhere in life that they dont think is possible.

First front cover design.

This was the first front cover that I designed on photoshop. However I thought this didnt look at professional as my other two products, even thought it looked quite good. I decided to change it also becasue it didnt tie in well with the other products.

Paper draft of front cover.

This is a quick paper draft of what I think my magazine will look like. It will be quite simple but really bright.

Contents page analysis.

Contents page analysis., a photo by Naomi Jenkins on Flickr.

This is a contents page for the magazine Q. I really like how they've gone into detail with the writing. I think In am going to do a similar thing however I will use more pictures as I want my magazine to appeal to all reading abilities.

Double Page spread of a music magazine.

Double Page spread of a music magazine., a photo by Naomi Jenkins on Flickr.

This is another double pages spread which I chose to analyse. The layout is more formal than the other one and it looks much smarter. I like how the small picture breaks up the text and I think I will use this technique on my own double paged spread.

double-page-spread2

double-page-spread2, a photo by Naomi Jenkins on Flickr.

I chose to analyse this double page spread mainly because I like the layout. I like how the picture takes up most of the page making it a focal point. Aswell the title and masthead are really bold and 'in your face' making the article more interesting to look at.

"My Initial Ideas"

For my music magazine I have decided to create a magazine that is targeted at both male and females. Aswell as choosing a magazine based on my own ideas, I used the results from my survey. These are as following:

Based on these findings I have chosen to create a magazine for both male and females and for a range of different genres of music, to attract a wider audience. At the moment there arent many magazines that feature a wide range of music genres, the closest being NME. In the magazine I will include things such as; music posters, interviews with well known bands aswell as new comers, information on all the latest bands, gig reviews, festival reviews and upcoming gig dates.

Finished products

Question 7

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

For my preliminary task I had to create a college magazine cover, I did this on photoshop cs5. Doing this helped me to remember the basics of photoshop and I got to practise essential techniques needed to create products on photoshop.
I used many different photoshop techniques including; clone stamp tool, photoshop rulers, text alignment and changing opacity levels.
I used the clone stamp tool to remove remove part of the image that I didnt want without making it look obvious that I had.
I used the photoshop rulers on all of my products to keep my products tidy and all my columns of text the same width.
I used text alignment to keep my text tidy and to fit nicely around images and pull quotes.
Aswell I used the opacity bar to change how visible certain things were.

To the left is both my plenimary task magazine cover and my Final college magazine front cover. They are quite similar, however the 'Base' cover is much more detaied and refined. They both keep to the colour scheme and arent swaying towards one specific gender.

My final cover looks much more professional and better layed out than the 'Forward' cover, with the cover lines spaced out and not just in a continuous line.

Below are my plenimary task contents page and my new contents page for my final piece. There is a clear different between two as you can see. On my new contents page the colours are much more refined, the actually contents of the magazine is in more depth and it looks far more proffesional.

On the first contents page there arent any headings, the writing is quite hard to see and there is no page number or anything.

Question 6

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

For this project I have used a range of different software. I have used web based products such as Flickr, blogger and survey monkey. I found survey monkey really useful and a very easy way to conduct surveys easily and on a much larger scale. If I was to conduct my survey by hand then the amount of results I got would be extremely less as I would not b able to get my survey out to as many different people as I did using Survey Monkey. I found it really easy to use and think these types of web applications make surveys a lot easier to produce.

As well I have used programmes such as Microsoft word and Photoshop cs5.
I already had a lot of knowledge in Photoshop as I've been using it for a long time so found using it easy. Photoshop made it really easy to produce a good looking cover as without it I would have has to create it on a less technical application such as publisher. Therefore I would not have much freedom in the look out and it would have a set structure that you cant change. I took my photos using a digital slr which was quite hard as I had to use the right exposure times etc. Whilst taking my photos I had to consider a number of different things such as; camera angle, background and shot distance.

ckground and shot distance.

Contents page

Double page spread

Final Front Cover

Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product? Most magazines have a set target audience for a particular 'group of people', however I have made a magazine that is for a much wider audience. Demographically the audience for my magazine is male and female between the ages of 15 and 27. But psychographically it is for an audience that is very open minded and have a very diverse opinions on music. I found that this type of audience is very similar to that of 'Q magazine'. They state their audience profile as 'Open minded experience seekers, the Q audience don’t define themselves by the music they listen to. Music is an important passion, but their love of music will never be to the detriment of their other passions, such as film, sport and comedy.' I chose the age range I did because my magazine will contain lots of information and reviews from gigs and festivals. So therefore anyone under 15 either wont be old enough to attend these events or generally wont have the money for them. Furthermore I chose around the age of 27, because people older than that tend to settle down with families etc and therefore wont attend the events often, if at all. As well the age range I chose has a much higher disposable income than any other ages, so they will have more money to spend on things they want rather than what they need or for mortgages etc. However if I had to put some sort of lable on my target audience it would be 'Indies', as they fit the profile for my magazine. It is aimed at the group A,B and C1s on the soci0 economical scale because of my target age range of 15-27 year olds. This means they will all be either students or workers that are not in a full time professional job. This means they will have a large disposable income to spend on things they want like I stated above.

Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? There are many different publishing companies that sell magazines, ranging from the really well known ones like IPC, which is owned by Time Warner, the worlds biggest multinational media company in the world to smaller companies like 'Bauer' the largest privately owned publisher in Europe. Even really small companies such as Clash, the producer of just one magazine -clash magazine. For my magazine I would like to use one of the really large publishing companies to maximise the chances of getting my magazine known and selling large batches of my magazine. There are many benefits of choosing a large publishing company, such as: they will have more money for publishing and they can advertise your magazine in other products. However the larger the company, the more I would need to pay for it to be produced so I would probably start with smaller companies, getting a well established audience. (Solus readers) However I could also look into using ‘sister’ companies of large distributers for example IPC have a sister company called MarketForce for distributing their magazines, by using sister companies that aren’t as well known you getting the same benefits and experience but at a lower cost. Once my magazine is an established well known product I would start using large distribution companies such as WHSmiths. They are in connection with IPC media so by using IPC media ad a distribution company I would be expanding the distribution of my magazine to large stores like smiths and most supermarkets. However the disadvantage to this is IPC's main focus is men, womens lifestyle and upperclass citizen magazines. My magazine is targetting a younger audience for both genders. Aswell unless my magazine brought in a huge profit, IPC would not be using my magazine for generating revenue, therefore they could just drop my magazine when ever they wanted. This is what happens to hundred of magazines. Only 3 in every 10 magazines make it past the first year. There will probably an online version of my magazine on the Internet, this will be to maximise the number of people buying the magazine as they can buy online and also to give existing customers and subscribers more than just whats in the magazine. I have chosen the web page for my magazine to be: http://www.base-magazines.com/. (note: there is no website for this hyperlink). I chose to keep the link simple and easy to remember. Once my magazine has successfully become well known and producing a good income I would look in to sponsoring different award ceremonies, linked with my magazine. For example the Britt awards, which contain many different genres or MTV music awards. This would get my magazine publicised on a much larger scale.

Question 2.

How does your media product represent particular social groups? A social group can be made up of two or people who share a common identity. My magazine is targeted at many different social groups. Either by their interests, ie- festivals or with sub-cultures. As my magazine is for a wide audience it is targeting many different sub-cultures, some of these being; indies, trendy and moshers. I found this image on the internet of an existing magazine cover which is similar to mine in the sense of the model. Both are a long shot of the model with a face on view, the models are looking at the audience. They are both smiling which suggests the vibe of the magazine is quite uplifting, not depressing in anyway. Aswell in the 'Elle' magazine cover all the colours are similar, her dress matches the text and masthead. I have also used a similar tactic, matching the models hair colour with the mast head and some of the cover lines. Furthermore the fact that on both the covers the model is in long shot suggests the idea of gender issues. Making women seem just as important, for example if it was just a head shot, the image would come across to the readers as something to do with the mind. However the long shot could also be taken as a stereotype of the models physical attraction, portraying women as objects to be looked upon. The clothing used for my magazine represents the sub culture of 'Indie', the comfy yet unique outfit suggests uniqueness and a personality that doesnt just follow the crowd. This is different to the outfit the model is wearing in the other magazine, her clothing has been chosen to highlight her femininity and portray the stereotype of women, sexy and to be desired. As it is a womens magazine it has been done not to attract male attention but to make women aspire to have the 'ideal body'. Whilst producing my magazine I didn't really think about if it had a pro-consumerist or anti-consumerist stance. However If I had to choose one I would say there was a pro-consumerist stance, showing the audience that they too can aim high with their life and just becuase they didnt have the best start in life doesnt mean they cant achieve their dreams. This message is more highlighted throughout the double page spread but is mentioned on a cover line on the front page. I have included less known artists and bands into my magazine as it is aimed more at 'Indies'. Indies are most populary known for experimenting with new music. If i was to go more mainstream with the music, for example current chart toppers, then I would not only be limiting the market but also putting my magazine in competition with lots of other similar magazines.

Question 1.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
There are three main conventions used within media, these being; Technical (camera techniques and shots), Symbolic (clothing, colours etc) and Written/Audio (music etc). These help the magazine create their own identity, making it stand out from other magazines. One convention I have used is cover lines. I have used these throughout my front page to advertise the magazines content and style. My cover lines connote youth to some extent as they are quite simple and bold. As well I have used capitalised letters at the beginning of my interview, making it easy for the reader to see where to start reading from. The genre of my magazine is not just one, but a variety of different genres. I chose to do this because based on my audience research this is what people wanted in their magazine and I found the biggest gap in the market for magazines was for magazines with a wider range of music content. I didn’t really take inspiration from other magazines as I chose what I wanted to do, however if I had to link my magazine to another existing one it would probably be ‘Q’ magazine, as they also have a range of genres, even if their range isn’t quite as large as mine. I chose to keep my masthead quite basic becuase that way its not too female or male orientated. I used the colour red as it is bold, in your face, and will apeal to both genders. I used a serif font and enlarged the text size to make it both easy to read and to help it stand out against all the other magazines that are around. For this cover I have only used one main image, keeping the page clean. I did this to connote to the audience that the magazine isnt too busy. However I have used lots of coverlines, to show it is not too plain and to attract lots of different types of people. The main colour scheme of my cover is black and red, these colours contrast and look good together. The model is looking straight at the camera and therefore straight at the audience. Her pose suggests she has an attitude but is also 'cool' and down to earth. I kept my contents page quite 'tidy' to follow on from the front page, although I changed my colour scheme to blue. The text 'contents' is really large as I wanted that to be the first thing the readers see. I have used a layout which looks quite professional. Unlike the front cover I have used lots more images. This was for two reasons - 1) we needed to include atleast 5 images and 2) I think to attract the readers attention to the contents page, there needs to be more images.

I have used quite a unique cover line for my double page spread, tying in with 'Ramonas' attitude. I have used 6 separate columns, all the same width with the same spaces between them. This is used in most magazines to keep it looking professional and I think it adds consistency to the article. I have used lots of pull quotes throughout the text, breaking up the text so its not just block text. Throughout the text are several pull quotes chosen from the extract. Pull quotes are used to break up large amounts of texts and highlight important/interesting phrases or quotes. A kicker is a phrase found above the headline. Usually set in a smaller type than the headline, the kicker can serve as an introduction or as a type of section heading to identify a regular column, for instance. For my double paged spread I have used a fair amount of text highlighting the subject, this being the word ‘Ramona’.

First draft for double page spread.

Looking back at Ramona’s life 3 years ago, you would never expect that she would make it to where she is today. Thinking solely about her next fix her life spiralled out of control, forcing Ramona to loose pretty much all she had. However after a year of continuous drug use and crime, she finally decided to clean up her act after picking up her dad’s acoustic guitar, which he used to play before he died. In the interview we had had with her she stated ‘picking up that guitar was the turning point in my life. I realised that I was wasting my life getting high and I was going to get nowhere with it. My dad died at the age of 40, which really impacted me, but it taught me to achieve all my dreams as soon as I could and not wait around. He drove a JCB for a living but often performed at local pubs and community events, unfortunately he never made it as a singer which is why I aspired to follow in his footsteps. I wanted to lead the life my dad always dreamt of and make him proud’. Now 3 years on, Ramona is a huge part of the music scene with her unique voice and quirky guitar playing. She mixes indie with acoustic to make powerful songs. Her music style has been linked to that of Regina Spektor and her voice has already been connected with Stevie Nicks. Set to be huge this year and already planning to tour with two major bands, both The Frattelis and The Pigeon Detectives, we meet up with her in her small home town just outside London for a quick interview which she happily agreed too. Before we begin Ramona, I would just like to thank you for taking some time out of your hectic schedule to speak to us.That’s fine honestly, in fact I really like doing interviews, it gives me chance to put the real me across to the public before the press get to me. I want to prove the point that anyone can achieve their dreams, nothing is impossible. You just have to work hard and never give up the dream. Well working hard has really paid off for you, you must be proud to have achieved what you have.Well yeah, of course I am, I think it’s one of my best achievements in life. However I do give most of the credit to my dad, without him I would never have even thought of entering the music business. So how did your passion for music/ guitar playing all begin?I’ve been singing and playing for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories in life is sitting on my dad’s knee whilst he was playing his guitar, watching in awe at his playing. It went from there really. I started to learn the same pieces as him and slowly began to add lyrics to them. Then about the age of 10 I started to duet with him at a few of the local pubs on a few songs. I loved it! My dream at that age was always to become famous with my dad, but when I turned 14 he tragically passed away. It was at that point when I put down the guitar and stopped singing. It brought back too many memories. That must have been so hard for you. What pushed you to pick up the guitar again and try to succeed in the music business?It was definitely the worst part of my life, but like my mum says ‘we develop from the negatives’ and I think that has played a huge part in my character building. It has made me a lot stronger and more determined than ever. Picking up that guitar was the turning point in my life. I realised that I was wasting my life getting high and I was going to get nowhere with it. My dad died at the age of 40, which really impacted me, but it taught me to achieve all my dreams as soon as I could and not wait around. He drove a JCB for a living but often performed at local pubs and community events, unfortunately he never made it as a singer which is why I aspired to follow in his footsteps. I wanted to lead the life my dad always dreamt of and make him proud’. Your new single ‘Never Forever’ has really taken the UK chart by storm. Where you surprised at the success of your first ever released song?It’s an amazing feeling, I love going to local supermarkets and seeing my face among the isles of CDs, fame hasn’t really kicked in for me yet. I’m just so surprised at the amount of people that already knew me. No way did I think I was going to get this big this quick! It’s an amazing feeling. The actual song I wrote a few months ago whilst on a train. That’s what I do, when I get inspired, I write. I think that’s how the most powerful lyrics are written. So you write all of your songs then? That’s quite an achievement! Are you working on any new material at the moment?Yeah, at the moment I do anyway. I think that’s the main part of becoming an artist. If you write your own songs then you can sing with more passion, as the lyrics are usually close to the heart. Well at the moment I am currently working on my album, which will hopefully be released around June time, so look out for it! Wow, things are really moving quickly for you. What are your plans for the future?‘Take things as they come’ that’s what I believe. There’s no point in planning the future because whatever you plan probably won’t ever happen. I’m just focussing on my career now and I’m sure whatever happens with happen for a reason.

Music Magazine cover analysis - Details

Music Magazine cover analysis - Details Originally uploaded by Naomi Jenkins

I chose to analyse this magazine cover because I like the 'clean' minimalist effect. The fact that there is only one image on the cover suggests that he is the main focal point of the issue and inside theres not that many images within the magazine either.

Music Magazine cover analysis - NME

NME Originally uploaded by Naomi Jenkins

This is an NME music magazine cover which I have analysed for my media. I chose this magazine becuase it is based around festivals, a topic which I want to focus my magazine around.

Music magazine cover analyis - KERRANG

KERRANG Originally uploaded by Naomi Jenkins

This is a Kerrang music which I have analysed for my music magazine cover. I chose to analyse this magazine because the layout is similar to one that I want to produce.

Here is the survey I used to receive my audience data:

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

contents page finished

contents page finished Originally uploaded by Naomi Jenkins

For the contents page I copied the format of a similar magazine contents page. Using this I made my own for my college magazine. I kept with the same colour scheme which I used for the front cover and also added in extra information regaring what was on the front cover.

Completed College magazine cover.

college mag cover Originally uploaded by Naomi Jenkins

For this of preliminary task we had to design a college magazine cover using basic photoshop skills which we had learnt.

soup

soup Originally uploaded by Naomi Jenkins

Hover over different sections of the image to see the annotations.