Evaluation

Evaluation
My evaluation answers eight questions about marketing and distributing my magazine,  and the challenges I had to face whilst I produced my final product.

Construction

Front

Contents

Article

• Captions have links to Google Docs (to maximize picture)

Research and Planning

To create my own music magazine, I first had to analyse and research different magazines from various genres to get an idea of what conventions are followed.

Front Cover Analysis

Top of the Pops
XXL
KERRANG
NME
Contents Page Analysis

Top of the Pops
XXL
KERRANG

NME
Double-Page Spread Analysis
Top of the Pops
XXL
KERRANG
NME

Questionnaire

I made the questionnaire to find out what my target audience liked to see in a magazine.

Link to Questionnaire

Reports

 The idea of the reports was to see the overall view of magazine conventions/layouts to see if they have been followed or broken.

Report #1 - “My Findings on the page design of music magazines.”

Report #2 - “My findings on representations within music magazines.”

Preliminary task

As part of my preliminary task, I was asked to construct the college magazine - I had no skills in using Photoshop. Moreover, I had little knowledge of magazine conventions.

Front Cover

Contents page

Preliminary Task - Draft of Front Cover

Preliminary Task - Draft of Contents Page

Here is the link to my Evaluation of my Preliminary Task. (x)

Target audience

The target audience that I am trying to grab the attention of is both males and females, between their middle teens to mid-adults - age range of 18 to 24 years old. The readers that I am attempting to catch the interest of are people are interested in the music genre of R&B and Pop music, since I will be doing a hybrid of the two.
The reason I picked this audience is because I find that I can communicate my layout and information effectively. Moreover, I can relate to them since I can fit into their social norm. In my magazine, I will be able to use informal language to suit my audience. I will also be able to include various tie-ins to my magazine. For example, I will be able to inform the audience of tours, albums, etc. to make them acknowledge the way the magazine can appeal to them. As well as that, I hope to include a summary of eye-catching information and images on my front and contents page that will ultimately be the selling point of the magazine.

Brief

The purpose of this unit of media coursework that we have been given was to evaluate my ability to plan and construct a magazine based on a given topic. We were expected to use technical and creative skills to accomplish a good grade. Furthermore, I was finally assessed on my ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research in my coursework.
My brief was to produce a music magazine, but before all this, I had to do a preliminary task which involved me using Photoshop to make the front cover and the contents page of a College Magazine named "Pulse." We were made to do the preliminary task so we were able to extend my Photoshop knowledge, which in future will aid me in producing my final construction task. The preliminary magazine had to involve an image with an appropriate layout of a magazine. You are supposed to use correct language on the basis of your target audience, and manipulate the house style to fit your target audience.

From the preliminary task, you begin your actual magazine. You will need to include:

• Front page
• Contents page
• Two-double page spread.

All images must be taken and used by me, along with my own information and Photoshop skills on the end product. There must be understanding of what a magazine layout looks like. You have to use such as sub-texts, mast-head, layers, representations, the music industry and media language.

For my final construction work, I have decided to do a hybrid genre of R&B and Hip Hop music as I believe I will be able to attract a mass audience due to the use of stereotypes that the audience can relate to and possibly idolize.

First hand, I researched a variety of magazines that consisted of Top of the Pops, KERRANG, NME, and XXL. I went into depth in analysing front covers, content pages and double-page spreads. Furthermore, as a back-pointer, I looked through a variety of magazines to get a feel of what my final magazine should look like.