Final Cover

Here is my cover after completing all alterations.

Here is my finished contents page.

Here is my finished double page spread.

Audience Feedback

Here is a link to flickr where I have posted a video with two evaluations of my magazine by two members of my target audience.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48335940@N08/?saved=1
I also asked other member of the public, not necessarily my target audience what their opinions of my magazine were:

"Julia's magazine is really attractive! I think that it looks like an acoustic magazine because of the colours and the design." Lewis, 17


"I really like the contents page, I like the flower pattern because it makes it look really professional and attractive." Laura, 17


"My favourite page is probably the front cover because the image immediately attracts my eye and the title is really well designed!" Clare, 40


"I like all of the pages, they all look like they are from the same magazine and from looking at the front cover and the contents page, the sneaky previews of articles make me want to read more." Leigh , 27

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

Looking back at my preliminary task it is evident that my designing skills have developed and improved. In my preliminary task, I did not take much time in planning my layout and the content. You can see that the front cover does not have much content, I have used the left-side third concept and this works effectively to attract the eye, however the cover is too empty.Therefore, after my preliminary task I knew it was important to research magazine layouts and find out what the conventions were for the amount of content used of a cover.  My music magazine cover is far more professional looking and there is a good amount of content and prominence on the cover to attract my audience, and importantly, make the cover look attractive.
 For a school magazine targetted towards a younger audience, the long shot of the children jumping is suitable as it connotes fun, therefore fulfills its purpose. My music magazine also fulfills its purpose in terms of using a suitable image; the medium close-up provides a closer relationship between the viewer and the woman on the front. This makes it attractive for my reader. In terms of photographic composition I was fairly confident after my preliminary task that I understood what photograph was suitable for an acoustic magazine.

The contents page for the school magazine was far too empty and unconventional; there are not enough pictures and text, the guttering and kerning are not conventional of magazines and the fonts are not suitable for a younger audience. This showed, that I really needed to work on InDesign and develop my typography skills in order to create a conventional magazine. I feel that I effectively corrected these errors on my music magazine. I have used conventional guttering and kerning so that the blocks of text are quite narrow; short and snappy. The fonts suit the style of magazine and the layout is much more appealing. Each section has been clearly broken up into sections and there is a good balance between pictures and writing. 

Overall, the preliminary task proved that I needed develop my skills in InDesign and research the traditional conventions of magazines and I feel that I have been able to fulfill this in order to achieve a professional looking magazine, well suited to my audience. 

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

Photoshop
I am very familiar with Photoshop and know how to do almost anything, therefore using it was very straightforward and allowed me to edit my images with ease. I know all the specific tools and methods used in industry to retouch images such as the 'spot healing tool' and 'clone tool.' By knowing how to easily and effectively edit images I was able to create images that looked realistic and by using the 'curves' tool I could make the images look warmer therefore becoming more suitable for my target audience and genre. Below is a link with annotations showing the specific tools that I used.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48335940@N08/4481355481/in/photostream/

InDesign

I used InDesign to create and edit the text on my magazine and putting together the magazine. I had never used InDesign before and so it was interesting to learn everything you can do on it. I really liked the manipulation that could be done to text such as changing the metrics and kerning. It allowed me to personalise my magazine and perfectly suit the target audience. Below is a link with annotations showing the specific tools that I used. http://www.flickr.com/photos/48335940@N08/4481360245/in/photostream/ 

 Blogger 

I used blogger to publish my project. I have never used blogger before and so it was interesting to see all of the tools it provided. I was able to attach links to other websites and able to customise the layout of my blog. Blogging is an easy method to connect and publish my work to the world. 

 Flickr

I used Flickr to host information. I provided a link on blogger to Flickr as a way of creatively showcasing information. On Flickr I learnt to use the 'tag' tool so I could easily annotate pages from my magazine. On Flickr I also learnt how to publish videos.

Photobucket

I used photobucket to upload the images I took and also host an animation showing the editting that I had done. I was already familiar with Photobucket and so did not learn much; only used the skills that I already knew.
 http://www.brusheezy.com/
I used 'brusheezy.com' to find brushes to decorate my contents page and double page spread. This was a website on the internet that provided a range of free decorative photoshop brushes and patterns. I then downloaded them and imported them into photoshop and used them as a basis for some of the designs on my pages, such as the flowers on my contents page. 

How did you attract/address your audience?

Here I have annotated pictures of my front cover and the cover of 'Acoustic magazine.'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48335940@N08/4478906632/
Here I have annotated pictures of my contents page and one from 'NME'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48335940@N08/4545409791/
Here I have annotated pictures from my double page spread and one from 'Acoustic Magazine.'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48335940@N08/4545371673/in/photostream/

Who would be the audience for your media product?

 

As my magazine is targetted to more of a niche audience, the target audience can vary between people of a younger age to older adults; anybody who enjoys the Acoustic genre. The two people shown here represent the stereotypical buyers/subscribers of my magazine:

The first image shows Emma. She is 17 years old and lives in a small village called Chacombe. Her taste in music is eclectic, she prefers mellow, acoustic music such as Paolo Nutini  and also indie music such as  Bombay Bicycle Club. Emma shops in places such as Topshop, H&M and other vintage shops that are off the main high street. In her spare time she enjoys reading, listening to music, walking and socialising with her friends. Emma would buy my magazine as the musicians featured throughout are appealing to her, the young woman on the front cover is of similar age, slightly older and therefore Emma can relate to her and would be more inclined to buy a magazine that shows someone of similar age and personal style as opposed to a magazine such as Kerrang! which could feature very opposing artists to her own personal tastes.

The second image shows Paul. He is 54 and lives in small town. He is very fond of music and has a varied taste including acoustic, rock and alternative music. However, he gets frustrated that there are no commercial magazines dedicated solely to the Acoustic genre; he does not like commercial magazines such as Q as it is too vague and diverse. He likes bands such as Pink Floyd and Acoustic artists such as David Gray. He is not very interested in fashion and his wife normally buys his clothing. In his spare time he enjoys walking, going to concerts, gardening and watching television documentaries such as 'Life' and watching channels such as Sky Arts which provide documentaries about musicians. He would buy my magazine as he would be interested in the gear reviews and the information about concerts. Also the artists featured would be appealing.
Generally, both Emma and Paul would buy my magazine as it is specifically for the Acoustic genre. The layout is not too complicated, and the colours used complement the style of the magazine.

Other people that would read my magazine would be those that in fact play the Acoustic guitar. The gear reviews featured are specifically aimed at those people who know what they are about; only someone who plays the guitar would understand the gear reviews. The gear reviews are also aimed at those people wishing to buy the gear, and are looking for a professional opinion. 

What Kind of media institution might distribute your music magazine and why?

'Acoustic Magazine' is a very similar magazine to mine. It is a niche magazine that is not sold in high street retailers such as WH Smiths and Supermarkets like Tescos. It is distributed mainly via subscription. Below is a link to the options for subscribing to their magazine: 

http://www.acousticmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=26
As my magazine is a niche one too, it would probably be hard to secure a distribution deal with high street stores as it would not give them enough turnover. Also it would compete with other monthly magazines such as Mojo and Q. 

Between January - December 2009, Q reached a readership of 554,000 of readers aged 15-44 according to the National Readership survey. This is roughly the same age range as my target audience and so it would not benefit my magazine to compete against these mainstream ones.

Therefore, I would probably follow in the footsteps of Acoustic Magazine and provide a subscription option and this will be advertised online on music websites such as MySpace or in music shops such as One Man Band in Banbury. If I were to sell copies of my magazine, it would be best to sell them in Specialist music shops such as One Man Band. This would therefore put my magazine right into the direct market of musicians and music lovers. I would use a distribution house such as http://www.musicmags.net/ as they focus on specialist niche magazines. 

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

These two images show the image that I used on my front cover and an image of acoustic singer Amy Macdonald who I feel is most similar to 'Willow' in terms of style of music style and age.

Amy's direct mode of address provides a strong bond between the her and the viewer, and I felt this was important to demonstrate in my magazine as I want to broadcast a feeling of friendliness and warmth to the reader. The camera is positioned at eye level and similarly to the picture of Amy Macdonald, the medium shot fills the page and emphasises the close connection between 'Willow' and the viewer. 

Dissimilarly to the picture of Amy Macdonald, I did not want to include a background as I wanted 'Willow' to be the main focus of the shot; her smiling expression again fullfills the representations of Acoustic as being positive and friendly and the floral dress adds femininity and adds to the connotations of purity and nature when thinking of the Acoustic genre.

The lighting used in my shot is warm and as a part of post production I increased the yellows and reds in the image to add warmth which I feel really links the whole composition together, and I have used this warm lighting and colour scheme throughout my magazine.

Overall this image represents the niche audience of Acoustic/Folk to be friendly and have warm personable qualities.

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

1. Title of my magazine:

When thinking about the name of my magazine it was important to think about how it would represent the genre of music and the vibe that i wanted to portray. I did not want to represent the acoustic genre as being dull and unexciting, however wanted to maintain the connotations of purity and nature. I chose to spell it phonetically to make immediately it attract the eye and the 'coo' creates a soft sound therefore suggesting that the magazine is natural and pure.

2. Mise-en-scene of images:

As my magazine is focussed on the Acoustic/Folk genre, it was important to compose my images to reflect the genre of music. In the picture labelled '2' you can see that the model is positioned against a plain background and is the focus of the image, she comprises of over 2/3rds of the shot making her the focal point. The plain background emphasises the connotations of acoustic being pure and simple and so the mise-en-scene of the images did not need to be over crowded. I think the simplicity of the shots work well with the genre of magazine as opposed to a very crowded image found on mainstream magazines. (Example)

3. Costumes and props:

In picture '3' the model is wearing a flowery dress and is posed with an acoustic guitar. I decided to have no other props to complement the mise-en-scene of images and again, reinforce the connotations of the Acoustic genre unlike some mainstream magazines that use a variety of props and have busy set designs. (Example)

4. People:

The models used on the contents page and front cover represent older musicians of the Acoustic/folk genre. I chose musicians that were recognisable to fans of this genre, no matter what age or gender therefore maintaining and increasing the market for my magazine. Here is a link showing the real life musicians pictured: (Imogen Heap) (James Morrison) The only reason for not photographing people of a similar age to the musicians was that I could not find any body with real resemblance, but the models I chose do in fact represent older musicians. 

5. Title font and style:

The masthead uses a font which connotes antiquity and has a rusty appearance due to its colour scheme and design. I feel the colour scheme works well to complement the rest of the magazine and also represents the acoustic genre very well; they are all warm browns, oranges and greens which enhance the natural/warm quality of my magazine.

6. Written content:

The content included in my magazine maintains the conventions of a music magazine; I have included interviews with musicians, information about concerts and a selection of reviews. I have tailored these features to be suitable to my genre.

7. Music genre and how your magazine suggests it:

I have included an effective use of prominence on my front cover; the BBC Folk Awards (Info about Folk awards) is an event that my target market would collectively recognise and understand and so would be appealing for them. The colour scheme throughout my magazine is based on colours which I feel effectively represent the acoustic genre as being pure and natural and therefore most of the colours are warm and neutral. Also the features in picture '7' show that the content of the magazine is specifically focussed on the acoustic/folk genre; there are gear reviews based on acoustic guitars and the interviews feature prominent acoustic/folk artists.

8. Layout:

Conventional layouts of magazine use techniques such as the left-side third in which the main pieces of information are placed on the left hand side vertical third on the front cover (Example). However I have not decided to do this as my magazine is a niche magazine and so does not need to attract a mass market. I placed the information on my cover where I felt appropriate: I used a visual hierarchy to place the main article anchoring the image directly below it, the second most important article in the left-side third and the other  articles framing the main image. The double page spread also uses a simple layout and colour scheme to emphasise the prominent musician.

9. Contents page:
The contents page does not necessarily conform to the generic conventions of magazines; there are not as many pictures and there are no adverts as you would find on magazines such as Kerrang! (Example) However this simple style works well for the genre and the fact that it is a niche magazine means that having adverts and an overcomplicated style would not complement it. I included features that would be found on other magazines such as reviews and concert dates but tailored them to be suit the genre I am focussing on.

Double spread analysis

Contents page analysis

Analysis of 'Acoustic Magazine.'

Here are the suggested changes that I will make in order to make sure the magazine is at its best and suits the genre and target audience.

Cover Draft

Here is my final magazine cover. I chose this image for the cover as the direct mode of address creates a link between the viewer and the artist making it much more welcoming. Also the smiling expression adds to this effect and creates a warm atmosphere.
The articles that I have added all have a linking theme of 'awards' to give the magazine a professional look and give a sense of familiarity and purpose.

I chose a warm colour scheme, as these are the kind of colours that I would relate to an Acoustic magazine.
Also, I decided to incorporate a competition in order to directly involve the reader, and the competition is well suited to readers of my magazine, who like the Acoustic/Folk genre.
I will show it to my target audience, and incorporate any changes that would make it more effective.

Here you can see how I have editted my pictures. Click on each picture, it will take you to photobucket, where I have written about the changes made.

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Chosen Pictures

From looking through all of the pictures that I have taken, I believe that these here are the best ones, and will be used on the front cover, contents page and double page spread. I will edit them in photoshop in order to make them suitable and professional.

These are all of the pictures that I have taken. My main model will be featured on the cover and also the contents and double page spread. I also took a few using a male model to be included on the contents page.

Here is a link to Photobucket...

http://s970.photobucket.com/albums/ae189/Juliamedia/Media%20Photos/