FINAL
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Monday, 1 February 2010
EVALUATION
I and two other girls created a magazine as a group. This meant that we all made a magazine cover, contents page and double page spread each. We named our magazine “Un-Plugged” and used the same font and style for the masthead on our magazine covers. We followed particular conventions to ensure that all three magazines looked as if they were the same magazine, but different issues. We also used the same layout for all our contents pages. We also used two main colours for the cover page and contents; however we added a colour of our own to show the three different issues. We all looked at the same magazines for our research so that they all followed the same conventions. As a group we followed the conventions as the magazine NME for our cover page as they use a different layout for every issue, however they keep the masthead in the same place and use the same font. But, unlike NME, we changed the colours for our cover pages.
I created three media products; a cover page, contents page and double page spread for a magazine we called 'Un-Plugged'. We decided to use this name for the music magazine as it suggests that the magazine is 'unplugged' from the typical conventions of general music magazines. It also suggests not just any other magazine; it's something new, something fresh. Also, when you hear the word "unplugged" you think of acoustic music, which is raw and it sounds good even without other instruments; it doesn’t need all the added extras. So when consumers buy the magazine, it suggests they don't need any other magazine, 'Unplugged' will satisfy them and give them everything they need. The word “plugged” also makes you think of electricity, therefore making the audience think of electric music and instruments such as electric guitars. This relates to the edgy models on the front cover.
The two girls on the cover image look unique and individual. Using this image on the front cover implies to consumers that by buying the magazine, they too can be like these girls. Their poses also show that they are care free, independent and confident; this is also suggested through their outfits. The clothes they have on are bold and brightly coloured, they look like they would stand out from the crowd. The style of clothing relates to the age of the target audience. One of the models is wearing a floral, multi-coloured boob tube with a red skirt and a white and grey hooded jumper. She also has on sunglasses and bright red lipstick. This gives an urban, trendy look. Their outfits make them look like their personalities would be interesting. Therefore making the audience want to read their interview. They fit in with the genre of the music magazine as it's meant to be urban and retro. The title anchors the two girls as they look like they don’t want to fit in with what society sees as normal. I wanted the audience to feel like they can be different and unique by buying the magazine. I edited the image so that the two models stood out. I did this by using the lasso tool to select the girls and make them brighter, I then lowered the saturation on the brick wall.
The three media products which I have created follow the generic conventions of real media products. To ensure my front cover fitted the conventions, I studied the front covers of a popular magazine so that I could look at how they used particular media techniques. I looked at the magazine ‘NME’ which is a rock magazine. For every issue of ‘NME’ they used the same mast-head, colours and font. They also, changed the cover image on every issue, and in most issues they’d cover a small section of the masthead to suggest the popularity of the magazine. However they challenged the conventions of a typical magazine cover by changing the layout drastically on each issue. For example, in one issue there’s bold strap lines and small images down the left hand side of the cover page, whereas in another issue there’s a dominant main image with a quote anchoring the image with no strap lines on the left. But on both there’s a skyline and kicker.
For the front cover of my magazine, I used the generic conventions of a real magazine cover. I used a masthead, kicker, barcode, issue number and date, pug and man image. I used the rule of thirds with the layout and main image. I took the photo so that there was a small space to the left, this is so I could place the pug and the kicker there without the page looking over crowded. I used three main colours on my cover in order to make it appear professional. I wanted to use a colour that was already on the photo, I also wanted it to universal, and therefore I chose to use green as the main colour. ‘NME’ covered a section of the masthead to show that it’s a well known magazine; I wanted my cover to have this same effect on its consumer, therefore I to cover a section of my masthead. I then added a main strap line at the bottom of the page. I used text and secondary images and framed them with a black border so that they could stand out. I took into account the rule of thirds when adding this to the magazine cover. I wanted the text to be on the left and the images at the right. This is because the eyes automatically read from the right. The text also anchors the images because it’s been placed along side it and it talks about the girl in the image. I used the same colours for the text that I used for the mast head to maintain a professional outcome on my magazine covers.
As a group, we wanted to keep the contents page simple so that on every issue the contents would look exactly the same. This is so everyone would recognise it. To keep the simple look I used three images, and kept the same three colours used for the cover page. In order to keep it looking neat and professional, I placed all the images on one side and all the text to the other side. I wanted the pictures on my contents to be of a retro pop star. Therefore I took photos of someone wearing the same styled clothes as the models on the front page. The images would anchor one of the pages to the left.
For my double page spread, I decided to do an interview. Therefore I had to make my layout suitable for this. I wanted a simple but effective layout, so I just used a block of colour to the left, and an image of the people who were being interviewed on a strip in the centre of the page. I tried to use rule of thirds by placing the two people in the middle of the page. I placed the block of colour to the left as that’s where the eyes tend to look first. In the title I used the name of the band and an image of a guitar to suggest their edgy style. I used the colour grey because it was one of the main colours on the front page. I used pink as this is the colour on one of "The Misfits" lips. I made up the questions for the interview, ensuring that I included the information from the introduction, which is on the left hand side of the page. I wanted the questions and overall interview to be informal to show what sort of personality they have. I added a small picture in the corner of the page showing them with another star. However I didn’t mention this in the interview whereas I think I should have.
IPC Media Time Inc is a media institution company who distribute media products. This is the same company who distributes NME magazines; therefore I think they would be the kind of institution to distribute my magazine.
In order to attract my target audience I had to use suitable colours, images and style. My magazine was aimed at teenagers or/and young adults from the age of 16 to around the age of 19, therefore the magazine had to look modern and up to date. To do this I mentioned recent artists and used outfits which people would wear. The main image is what would attract them first as it's the main element on the page; therefore it had to look appealing. Their outfits had to be eye-catching and interesting. The models used look young and one of the models is wearing headphones, which suggests they're into music; therefore they'd relate to the consumer. I didn’t want the page to look too busy as I wanted the image and the mast head to speak for itself.
In order to create the products, I had to use a professional camera and professional software to edit the photos and put the magazine together. When taking the photos, I had to ensure I had the correct lighting for what I wanted. However due to the fact that we were outside, the lighting was all natural. I also had to take the rule of thirds into consideration, so I left necessary space on either side of the photo. In the photo I ended up using, I left space on the left of the photo so that I had space for strap lines. In the process of constructing my products, I learnt some useful techniques for editing photos in order to make them appear professional. I used tools such as magnetic lasso. This was used for placing the models heads over the masthead. I also used the brightness and contrast tool to enhance the photo.
When looking back at the preliminary task, I can see that the music magazine required me to use more skills and techniques on Photoshop. I also had to think about more layouts due to the fact that I had to do more than one media product. For the music magazine I also had to do background research about other music magazines, therefore I knew what things to add to my cover page and what would attract my audience. For example I had to use music artists, not just any model. I also had to write strap lines related to music.
I and two other girls created a magazine as a group. This meant that we all made a magazine cover, contents page and double page spread each. We named our magazine “Un-Plugged” and used the same font and style for the masthead on our magazine covers. We followed particular conventions to ensure that all three magazines looked as if they were the same magazine, but different issues. We also used the same layout for all our contents pages. We also used two main colours for the cover page and contents; however we added a colour of our own to show the three different issues. We all looked at the same magazines for our research so that they all followed the same conventions. As a group we followed the conventions as the magazine NME for our cover page as they use a different layout for every issue, however they keep the masthead in the same place and use the same font. But, unlike NME, we changed the colours for our cover pages.
I created three media products; a cover page, contents page and double page spread for a magazine we called 'Un-Plugged'. We decided to use this name for the music magazine as it suggests that the magazine is 'unplugged' from the typical conventions of general music magazines. It also suggests not just any other magazine; it's something new, something fresh. Also, when you hear the word "unplugged" you think of acoustic music, which is raw and it sounds good even without other instruments; it doesn’t need all the added extras. So when consumers buy the magazine, it suggests they don't need any other magazine, 'Unplugged' will satisfy them and give them everything they need. The word “plugged” also makes you think of electricity, therefore making the audience think of electric music and instruments such as electric guitars. This relates to the edgy models on the front cover.
The two girls on the cover image look unique and individual. Using this image on the front cover implies to consumers that by buying the magazine, they too can be like these girls. Their poses also show that they are care free, independent and confident; this is also suggested through their outfits. The clothes they have on are bold and brightly coloured, they look like they would stand out from the crowd. The style of clothing relates to the age of the target audience. One of the models is wearing a floral, multi-coloured boob tube with a red skirt and a white and grey hooded jumper. She also has on sunglasses and bright red lipstick. This gives an urban, trendy look. Their outfits make them look like their personalities would be interesting. Therefore making the audience want to read their interview. They fit in with the genre of the music magazine as it's meant to be urban and retro. The title anchors the two girls as they look like they don’t want to fit in with what society sees as normal. I wanted the audience to feel like they can be different and unique by buying the magazine. I edited the image so that the two models stood out. I did this by using the lasso tool to select the girls and make them brighter, I then lowered the saturation on the brick wall.
The three media products which I have created follow the generic conventions of real media products. To ensure my front cover fitted the conventions, I studied the front covers of a popular magazine so that I could look at how they used particular media techniques. I looked at the magazine ‘NME’ which is a rock magazine. For every issue of ‘NME’ they used the same mast-head, colours and font. They also, changed the cover image on every issue, and in most issues they’d cover a small section of the masthead to suggest the popularity of the magazine. However they challenged the conventions of a typical magazine cover by changing the layout drastically on each issue. For example, in one issue there’s bold strap lines and small images down the left hand side of the cover page, whereas in another issue there’s a dominant main image with a quote anchoring the image with no strap lines on the left. But on both there’s a skyline and kicker.
For the front cover of my magazine, I used the generic conventions of a real magazine cover. I used a masthead, kicker, barcode, issue number and date, pug and man image. I used the rule of thirds with the layout and main image. I took the photo so that there was a small space to the left, this is so I could place the pug and the kicker there without the page looking over crowded. I used three main colours on my cover in order to make it appear professional. I wanted to use a colour that was already on the photo, I also wanted it to universal, and therefore I chose to use green as the main colour. ‘NME’ covered a section of the masthead to show that it’s a well known magazine; I wanted my cover to have this same effect on its consumer, therefore I to cover a section of my masthead. I then added a main strap line at the bottom of the page. I used text and secondary images and framed them with a black border so that they could stand out. I took into account the rule of thirds when adding this to the magazine cover. I wanted the text to be on the left and the images at the right. This is because the eyes automatically read from the right. The text also anchors the images because it’s been placed along side it and it talks about the girl in the image. I used the same colours for the text that I used for the mast head to maintain a professional outcome on my magazine covers.
As a group, we wanted to keep the contents page simple so that on every issue the contents would look exactly the same. This is so everyone would recognise it. To keep the simple look I used three images, and kept the same three colours used for the cover page. In order to keep it looking neat and professional, I placed all the images on one side and all the text to the other side. I wanted the pictures on my contents to be of a retro pop star. Therefore I took photos of someone wearing the same styled clothes as the models on the front page. The images would anchor one of the pages to the left.
For my double page spread, I decided to do an interview. Therefore I had to make my layout suitable for this. I wanted a simple but effective layout, so I just used a block of colour to the left, and an image of the people who were being interviewed on a strip in the centre of the page. I tried to use rule of thirds by placing the two people in the middle of the page. I placed the block of colour to the left as that’s where the eyes tend to look first. In the title I used the name of the band and an image of a guitar to suggest their edgy style. I used the colour grey because it was one of the main colours on the front page. I used pink as this is the colour on one of "The Misfits" lips. I made up the questions for the interview, ensuring that I included the information from the introduction, which is on the left hand side of the page. I wanted the questions and overall interview to be informal to show what sort of personality they have. I added a small picture in the corner of the page showing them with another star. However I didn’t mention this in the interview whereas I think I should have.
IPC Media Time Inc is a media institution company who distribute media products. This is the same company who distributes NME magazines; therefore I think they would be the kind of institution to distribute my magazine.
In order to attract my target audience I had to use suitable colours, images and style. My magazine was aimed at teenagers or/and young adults from the age of 16 to around the age of 19, therefore the magazine had to look modern and up to date. To do this I mentioned recent artists and used outfits which people would wear. The main image is what would attract them first as it's the main element on the page; therefore it had to look appealing. Their outfits had to be eye-catching and interesting. The models used look young and one of the models is wearing headphones, which suggests they're into music; therefore they'd relate to the consumer. I didn’t want the page to look too busy as I wanted the image and the mast head to speak for itself.
In order to create the products, I had to use a professional camera and professional software to edit the photos and put the magazine together. When taking the photos, I had to ensure I had the correct lighting for what I wanted. However due to the fact that we were outside, the lighting was all natural. I also had to take the rule of thirds into consideration, so I left necessary space on either side of the photo. In the photo I ended up using, I left space on the left of the photo so that I had space for strap lines. In the process of constructing my products, I learnt some useful techniques for editing photos in order to make them appear professional. I used tools such as magnetic lasso. This was used for placing the models heads over the masthead. I also used the brightness and contrast tool to enhance the photo.
When looking back at the preliminary task, I can see that the music magazine required me to use more skills and techniques on Photoshop. I also had to think about more layouts due to the fact that I had to do more than one media product. For the music magazine I also had to do background research about other music magazines, therefore I knew what things to add to my cover page and what would attract my audience. For example I had to use music artists, not just any model. I also had to write strap lines related to music.
Before i created my magazine cover, contents and double page spread I had to ask my target audience some questions to help me create a magazine which would be aimed at them. I went around my college asking teenagers the following:
Do you read music magazines?
yes IIIIIIIII no IIIII
What do you think is the most common colour to appear on a urban, retro music magazine for a young female audience?
Red and black IIII White and blue III Green and Grey IIIII Other II
What would you prefer to read about inside a music magazine?
Interveiws IIIII Concert reveiws III Gossip II Upcoming artists IIII
Which title do you think best suites an urban retro magazine?
Shake III Rolling III Pump II Switch II Un-plugged IIII
Are you most likey to stop and look at a magzine with a busy cover page or a simple cover page?
Busy IIIIIII Simple IIIIIII
When I recieced the feed back I included them in the making of my meida products.
Do you read music magazines?
yes IIIIIIIII no IIIII
What do you think is the most common colour to appear on a urban, retro music magazine for a young female audience?
Red and black IIII White and blue III Green and Grey IIIII Other II
What would you prefer to read about inside a music magazine?
Interveiws IIIII Concert reveiws III Gossip II Upcoming artists IIII
Which title do you think best suites an urban retro magazine?
Shake III Rolling III Pump II Switch II Un-plugged IIII
Are you most likey to stop and look at a magzine with a busy cover page or a simple cover page?
Busy IIIIIII Simple IIIIIII
When I recieced the feed back I included them in the making of my meida products.
I then had to draw up my moc-ups so that I had a plan of what I was going to do before I done it straight away.
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
This is the completed double page spread. I made up the questions ensuring that I included the infomation from the introduction on the left of the page. I wanted the questions and overall interveiw to be informal to show what sort of personality they have. I added a small picture in the corner of the the page showing them with another star. However I didnt mention this in the interveiw whereas I think I should have.
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