Project Evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My media product follows many of the conventions of real media products. From my magazine deconstructions I know that real established magazines have a generally similar basic cover layout, for example; a large picture occupying much of the cover, a masthead aligned towards the left, and smaller pictures of secondary articles. My product included all of these as I decided that these would be a base to plan my design upon.



2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My product represents young (i.e. late teens) musicians. They are presented in a positive light, as opposed to the representation of this age group in most other forms of media.



3. What kinds of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

As well as conventional media outlets such as newsagents, my magazine would be distributed at music shops (both chain and independent). Also it would be sold at live music venues and at music festivals, as these are likely to be places where my audience would be found.



4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

My media product was designed to appeal to fans of alternative/’indie’ rock music, aged from around teenager to late 20s. In order to appeal to this demographic I made sure that the people represented within it all fitted within this criteria, as well as this I made sure that my layout was suitable. For example, it had to be attention-grabbing beyond bright colours, so I had to consider the design of the masthead and titles, and make sure the layout was visually interesting.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

The feedback from my target audience was mostly positive. It was suggested that I add more colour to it, as the dominate colours are black and white. It was also suggested that the images aren’t as good a quality as they could be. The target audience appeared to like the design of the masthead and the general layout of the magazine, especially the double page spread.


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

When producing this media product I used GIMP software for the first time, so I had to learn to use that for cutting the main picture on the cover from its background. This was a relatively easy process once I learnt how to do it.



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

My skills in both design and construction have improved greatly between the preliminary and the full product. My photo editing has improved, as in my preliminary I couldn’t cut the background from pictures, but when creating my full product I discovered the software that would allow me to do this easily. Smaller details, such as titles have improved, as I used ‘word art’ on my preliminary, but for my main I created my own title style using ‘paint’ software.

Magazine - Front Cover

Magazine - Contents

Magazine - Double Page Spread

Pictures Used In Magazine

These first three pictures are used in un-edited form on the double page. They were taken in one of the school music practice rooms.

This is the picture I chose to feature on the front cover. For this purpose I cut out the background using GIMP software. Although it looks like i cropped the bottom on the cover, actually I placed the other images over it.

This picture, of the fictional band Coalition Of Nothing, was was used in unedited form on the cover. It is a still taken from the video taken for my previous coursework.

 This image is used in unedited form on the cover. It was taken by me at a concert.

This imaged is featured on the contents page. It was cropped for this purpose (see below). It was taken by me at a concert.

 This is the cropped version of the above image. This was used on the contents page.

 This imaged is used on the contents page. For this purpose it was cropped to remove the background.

Next is the cropped version, this was edited using GIMP software.

This image was used on the contents page. It was cropped to fit the region it was to be placed in. As the second image below shows.

Magazine Deconstruction #3 - NME

There is a lot more going on visually in this cover than the others I have deconstructed (Q and Artrocker). The magazine uses a large, mid-long shot, picture of Muse; which includes the scenery behind them, an Italian town, as a backdrop for the cover. The faces of the band are the main part of the image visible, and thus are more noticeable in this cover than the other covers, with the main focus of the picture being on them. This suggests that they are a well-known band who is likely to be recognised by the target audience, and entice them to buy.
The target audience is teenagers and young adults, as suggested by the use of bright colours and an abundance of exclamation marks – suggesting the contents are exiting. From this it seems that this magazine is aimed at a slightly younger audience than the other magazines.
Red is used a lot on the cover, which is a bright and eye-catching colour, and draws the reader’s eye towards the features. The colours used are red, black, and white; and these are used many times on the cover so as to maintain coherency.
The main headline is very large and the name of the band dominates the cover, this is done because they are a popular band amongst the target audience and will attract readers. The use of ‘Exclusive’ in the headline is also used to attract people with the promise of a new story about the band.
The masthead is semi-obscured by the picture and a text-box, suggesting that he magazine is well known enough to not have to worry about people not seeing the name.
There is also mention of posters and competitions inside which would entice a potential reader.

The contents page is well laid out and easy to use. It makes use of sub-headings to organise pages into groups (such as News, or Reviews) which makes reference much easier. Another way this contents page makes reference easier is the Band Index feature on the left, which allows the reader to find articles about their preferred group instantly. The contents page maintains the colour codes from the contents to maintain coherency through the magazine, although white is used as a background to make reading easier. There is a large picture in the centre and a page reference, suggesting that this artist is recommended by the magazine to look at. This magazine has the most organised contents page out of the three magazines, and is the easiest to read, although as a smaller, weekly magazine it possible this is becasue the contents does not have to catch the readers eye as much, as they will only use it for reference, and not to choose an article.

This double page consists of a large amount of text and many smaller images, which is different to the other two magazines. The images are used to illustrate the article rather than the band, and many of the pictures will correspond to points made in the text. This is further exemplified by the positioning of the pictures – most of them are at an angle so as to look like photographs lay out to illustrate the story, instead of conveying a particular message.

The article is black writing on a white background which keeps with the colour coding used on the contents – helping to keep the magazine uniform. There are also important quotes set apart from the main body to entice the reader to investigate. This layout is quite similar to Q, although it has an extra column most likely due to the larger width of NME; this would suggest the target audiences for both magazines overlapping – resulting in both magazines adopting a similar design for their article.

Magazine Deconstruction #2 - Artrocker

The cover of this magazine is much more eye-catching than Q. It makes use of green and yellow, as well as black and white, which makes it more visually interesting. The use of yellow also has could connote a ‘punk’ or alternative influence. The masthead is placed above the image, on top of all the other visuals, this and the bright colour suggest that the magazine is not very well known, and they need to advertise themselves to a potential buyer.

The cover makes use of numerous different fonts and the text is often placed at different angles, which help implies the magazine is more ‘underground’ and creative, as well as making it more visually striking. The magazine is more specialist, and is aimed at fans of alternative/indie music, we can tell this because it doesn’t rely on big names to draw a reader in. Its target audience is people in their teens or twenties, the layout would suggest, as it conveys an image of youth and excitement.
There is only one image on the cover which covers the entire front. It is of a musician, in his twenties (Martin from The Answering Machine) wearing clothing normally associated with ‘indie’ music; and is obviously a shot from a concert as opposed to a studio picture, as most other magazines would use. This connotes that the band (and the magazine) prefer live music, and also makes the magazine seem more personal. The cover has two black text-boxes which include a teaser for a competition inside; this is to entice the target to look in the magazine.

The contents are well laid out and easy for a reader to use. It continues the font styles used on the front; as well as the colour codes, which helps keep the magazine fairly uniform. The contents page is a single list, in chronological order. This is because the magazine is smaller, and also it may not maintain all of the same regular features every month.

There are more images than the cover on the contents, which can help the reader find a feature that looks interesting. This is because the magazine is based around bands which may not be so well known, so it must rely on good visual hooks to attract a reader, as opposed to magazines such as Q, which can rely on the well-known artists to attract readers.
All of the article titles on the contents are the same size, although some have a direct quote from the article to entice a reader.

This double page has a large image on one side and an opening to an article on the other side.
The image is a high angle mid-long shot, the high angle makes the band appear small and connotes that they are up-and-coming, instead of an established band. The band are dressed smart-casual, with cardigans and shirts – similar to what would be worn by the target audience. The image appears to be taken in an attic or room in a house, and there is lots of mise-en-scene in the image – the band are surrounded by retro equipment such as portable record players, and lamps; suggesting that they have older influences (as the Beatles sticker would also suggest), and that they are more down to earth. This is very different to the image in Q, which is taken in an empty studio, and helps highlight the difference between the two magazines in terms of audience and content.
The Headline is in the same font as the headline in the front which helps to maintain coherency through the magazine. The article is white on black, which looks more striking that the plain black/white of Q and NME. The article, excluding the opening paragraph which sets the scene and introduces the band, is a simple question and answer, but where the band are given space to elaborate instead of keeping it to short answers.