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Media Studies Evaluation

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Evaluation

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

In my magazine I have tried to fit conventions while also trying to create a unique product. I have stuck to a conventional magazine as I thought it would appeal to more people.
I have used conventions in each of my final products (front page, contents and double page spread). For example the title for the front cover is on the left hand side and the bar code, price and issue number are positioned on the bottom right hand side. My double page also follows conventions as it has an introduction explaining what the article is about, one large image and one small image and the interview on the right hand side.
My analysis of existing products has helped me when creating a conventional product as I have looked at existing products for inspiration.

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

My media product represents the social group of teenagers and young adults who listen to “indie” music. I think I have achieved this through the images, layout and informal language I have used. I think I have met all of the aspects of an “indie” music magazine and have represented the particular social group well.
My media product also divides social groups through gender and age. For example the images I have used throughout the product are of the same age as my target audience. If I had used an older person on the front cover I may not have attracted the audience I was aiming for or represented their social group. I have aimed my product at both males and females as I wanted to attract a wider target audience. As I have used a young male on the front rather than a female I feel I was able to attract both genders.
In order to represent the social group “indies”, I looked at existing products and did research on the Internet of bands. I noticed that there was a very stereotypical view on “indies” and I have tried to represent this in my magazine through what the people were wearing in my images. Also from my research I looked at the hobbies and interests of my social group and tried to focus on this in my final product for example upcoming tours.

3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I think that the following institutions are most likely to distribute my product:

Social networking sites such as facebook and bebo
Digital publishers
Music stores such as HMV
Newsagents/convenient stores
Gigs and festivals

I believe that music stores such as HMV are the most likely to distribute my product as it would target my particular target market better. Digital publishing is now becoming more popular with 17% of magazines now available online; therefore this would enable my product to be distributed on a larger scale if this method was used. I also believe newsagents would be a successful way to distribute my product as I believe my front page is eye catching and would attract my audience when they were purchasing something else.

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

The target audience for my media product is teenagers and young adults both male and female aged from 16-24. I have chosen this age group as my target audience as they are more likely to buy music magazines and be interested in indie music. I have targeted the magazine to both genders as I wanted to target a wider audience.
To choose my target audience, I did research to find out if there was a gap in the market of music magazines. I found that there weren’t many magazines aimed particularly at the social group of “indies” so I decided to focus my magazine on this genre. I am also interested in indie music so I felt this would be give me more ideas for my product and allow me to relate with my target audience.

5: How did you attract/address your audience?

I feel I have attracted my audience in a variety of ways. For example on my front page I have used an image which fills the majority of the page to grab my audiences’ attention. I have used the image of Luke as he is 20 years of age and is in the age group I have targeted my magazine at. In each of the images I have used I took into consideration what the people were wearing as I wanted the audience to relate to the magazine for example people with the same style in clothes.
I have used conventions in order to attract my target audience. For example a conventional layout which I felt would attract my audience. The fonts I have used are also conventional and are bold to attract the audience’s attention.
I feel the colour scheme I have used also addresses’ my target audience as I have used neutral colours and fonts instead of using a distinctive colour such as pink.

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

Throughout the project I have come across lots of new software and technology which I haven’t previously used. I have also expanded my knowledge on other programmes I have used before such as fireworks. I have learnt about lots of new editing skills using the programmes fireworks and Photoshop using tools such as the magic wand tool and bevel emboss. Learning how to edit images has proved very useful in this project and it will also help me in the future.
As well as learning to edit images, using new programmes has given me knowledge on how to construct a magazine. Looking at existing products helped with this and I feel confident that in the future I would be able to create another magazine from the knowledge I have gained. In addition to using programmes when creating my products, I have also used a number of websites which I haven’t previously. For example blogger.com to upload my work. I feel blogger is a great website to use when uploading work and hope to use it again in the future.

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

Looking back on my progress from my preliminary product, I feel that my preliminary product has helped me in many ways when creating my final product. One major factor that my preliminary product helped me with was planning my time, for example when organising when to take my images to allow enough time to edit them. However I had difficulty with some of the images I had taken as they were hard to edit due to the background I used. I think if I had taken into account the background of the images I was taking I would have been able to create more unique shots throughout my final product.
Another major factor I discovered when creating my preliminary product was that fireworks is a much better programme to use than publisher for final products as it creates a much more professional finish.
Although my preliminary product helped with the planning of my time I have also had to learn new things which weren’t covered in the preliminary products. For example as the magazine was a school magazine I was only able to use 3 main colours to create a conventional magazine whereas my music magazine I was able to be a lot more creative and pacifically target my audience.
Overall I think I have improved significantly since my preliminary product and have created a much more professional and creative product with the knowledge and experience gained.

Evaluation Of Final Products

Final Products

Below are my three final products; Front page, contents page and double page spread. I am pleased with how professional the final products are and I think I have met my target audience's preferences well.

Final Contents Page

This is the contents page I will be submitting as my final product. I have made the changes suggested by my target audience and I am very pleased with the results. I think the page looks professional and is aesthetically pleasing.

Audience Feedback- Contents Page

After I had completed my contents page I asked my target audience for their feedback. Nearly all of the comments I have received were positive and the only two suggestions to improve were:

"Maybe you could make the outline of the pictures slightly thinner"

"You could change the size of the numbers on the images to make them stand out less"

I will now work on these suggestions for my final product.

Possible Final Contents Page- Feedback Welcome

This is the contents page I plan to use as my final product. I am pleased with the results and I will now ask my target audience for their feedback and suggestions on how to improve further.

Contents Page Development- Editing

I have developed the colour and size of images on my contents page for example cropping the image of Gareth. I think this works better as it fits in better with the other images on the page and looks more effective. I have also experimented with changing the colour of the images to black and white, as I thought this may look different, however I am not pleased with the results as I feel it looks quite dull.
To improve further I will look at resizing the images and editing the image of Danielle slightly.

Contents Page-Development Layout

I have developed the layout of my contents page to create this page. I have also experimented with fonts and colours. I think this has given the page a more professional look, however I am still unhappy with the images as they need further editing.

Possible Contents Page

This a possible contents page I may use as my final product. However a lot of work is still needed with the fonts and colour scheme and although I am happy with the images used I think they need further editing to make it look more professional.

Final Double Page

This is the double page I will use as my final product. I have decided not to change the colour of the title "Discovery" as I think it looks effective and is easy to read. I am pleased with the results of my double page and think I have created a professional eye-catching product.

Final Double Page- Improved

This is the double page I will be using for my final product. I am pleased with the results and think it has a professional look which will attract my target audience. I may still change the colour of the title "discovery" as I'm not sure that it is that easy to read. I will collect further feedback from my target audience to find out their opinions on the orange title and the overall product and may make further changes.

Feedback From Target Audience

I have collected feedback from my target audience to find out their opinions on my double page spread and whether or not they would be attracted to read the article. As well as finding out their opinions, many of my target audience also made suggestions in which I can improve. Some of the most useful comments include:

"The double page is very eye-catching and the images work well, however maybe you could change the colour of the glow on the second page to a lighter colour"

"You could change the letter of who is being interviewed to make it stand out more"

"The introduction box works well but perhaps you could change the outline to being yellow as it looks a bit much with the orange title as well"

"You could make the lettering of who is being interviewed slightly larger"

I received many comments about changing the letter to a different colour or a bigger font so I will work on this and the other suggestions I have received.

Possible Final Double Page- Feedback Welcome

This is the double page I aim to use for my final product. I am pleased with the results, however I think a few more changes may need to be made to improve further. I will ask my target audience for their feedback and on my product and then make the changes suggested.

Double Page Development- Layout

I have experimented with the layout in this double page spread and I much more pleased with the results than my previous double page spreads I have created. I think this layout looks more interesting and unique and will be more likely to attract my target audience. I have also used two images over the double page which I think works well.
I will now make a few alterations such as changing the shape of the introduction box to a more distorted shape and possibly the colour scheme.

Double Page Development-Colour

I have experimented with colour on this double page spread. I think that the orange and yellow colour scheme works well however I think that the yellow box on the right hand side of the page needs changing as it stands out too much and I don't want it to be the first thing that my target audience is attracted to. I have also added a title which informs the reader what the article is about. I am pleased with the font and colour of the title, however I think it needs to be made a little bit smaller.

Possible Double Page Spread

This is a possible double page spread which I may use for my final product. However I still need to develop fonts and colours in order to improve further. Also I think that the layout is quite plain and not very original so I may experiment with different layouts to make it more eye-catching to my target audience.

Final Front Page

This is the front page I will be using as my final product. I have left the title of "Luke Jackson" as orange as when I tried other colours they looked too bright or were hard to read. I asked 30 members of my target audience whether they could read the title and all of them said they could so I am happy to leave it as orange. I am pleased with the results of the front page and I think it is eye-catching enough to attract my target audience.

Final Product- Improved

This is the front page I will use for my final product. I may still change the title "Luke Jackson" to a slightly darker colour but myself and my target audience think that it looks effective and is easy to read.
I have taken the feedback from my target audience and made the changes suggested. I have also made a few changes which I thought would help my product look more aesthetically pleasing. I am pleased with the results of my front page and think it will attract my target audience.

Feedback From Target Audience

I have collected feedback from my target audience to find out their opinions on my final front cover. Many of my target audience also suggested improvements which was helpful. I have selected a few of the comments which were the most useful:

"The page is eye catching and instantly attracted me to look at it, however I think the red text is too bright and rather than being attracted to the image first, I was drawn to the text"

"I'm not sure if the font of Luke Jackson fits into the other texts on the page"

"The white text to the left hand side is quite hard to read at a first glance"

"I think a brighter colour would look better along the top and bottom of the page as the current colours tend to blend into the background"

I received many positive comments about my final product saying it was eye catching, however I also received many suggestions about the colour of the text "Luke Jackson" and the white font being hard to read. I will work on these comments and the others I have received to improve my product.

Possible Final Front Page- Feedback Welcome

This is the front cover I am considering using as my final product. However I think I still need to make a few changes. I will ask my target audience for their feedback to help with the changes. This will also give me a chance to see if my front cover will attract my audience.

Final Front Cover Development- Layout

I have experimented with two different layouts for my final front page in order to decide which one works the best. From my research earlier in the project I found that a page with one main image and less text was popular with my target audience so I decided to experiment with this. I have also added a tag line under the title "Are you plugged in?" which I think works well. However I am still not happy with the colours and fonts used so I am going to develop this further.

Final Front Cover Development- Title Colour

I have experimented with different colours for the title of my front page. I think that the black one looks the best as it stands out, it also matches Luke's top which works well. If I decide to change the colour if it doesn't work well with the other information I can always change it at a later date.

Final Front Cover Development- Colour

I have experimented with different background colours for my final product, I think that the brick texture and the brown background work best with the image of Luke so I will take these forward for my final product. If they do not work well when there is other information on the page I can change the colour scheme at a later date.

Feedback From Target Audience

I asked my target audience "Out of the two images used which one do you think works the best and attracts your attention the most?" The results are as follows:

The first image: 09

The second image (looking up) : 31

My results show that the second image was the most successful so I will take this forward for my final product. Many of my target audience believed that the second image with Luke looking up was more original and eye catching than the first. I will use the other image on my double page spread as I think this will work well.

Deciding On Image For Front Page

From my audience feedback of the pictures I had taken, I found that the two images of luke were the most popular with my target audience. I have created two quick mock ups using both of the images to try and decide which one looks the best. I will ask my audience again for feedback to see which one they prefer.

Mock Up Of Double Page Spread

I have created this mock up to give me an idea about what my final product may look like. I am pleased with the image as I think that it looks effective and will attract my target audience. However I will need to do a lot more work on the fonts, layout and colours used in order to create a more professional finish. In the development of my final double page, I will also experiment with using another image and changing the layout so the image is on the left hand side.

Mock Up Of Contents Page

I have created this quick mock up to give me an idea of my final product. I have based the idea around the mock I made previously but this time I have used my own images. I am still unsure about which images to use on my contents page as I don't think all of them are that effective so I will need to experiment with this in the development of my final product and ask for audience feedback. I will also experiment with my colour scheme and fonts used.

Mock Up Of Front Cover 2

I have created another mock up using my own image with a slightly different layout to the previous one. This has helped give me a better idea of layout and positioning of text.
I think the image of Jenna and Dan works well, it still needs a bit of editing though as their faces appear quite red. Development of colours and fonts is also needed in order to improve.
Although I like this mock up and think it is quite eye catching, I think the one with the image of Luke would be more suitable for my target audience.

Mock Up Of Front Cover

I have created this mock up to give me an idea of what my final product may possibly look like. I like the layout of the page with Luke to the right and I think the background works well, however it still needs a lot of work with the fonts and colours if I were to use this mock up as a final product.

Final Images

I have asked my target audience for their preferences on which images I should take forward for my final products. My results showed that Luke should be used on the front page and the double page spread and the other images should be used on the contents page. However I will need to experiment with mock ups to see how . I may also need to take some more images if I can not edit some of them properly as they have shadows on which may be hard to remove.

Audiences' Preferences

After I had taken the images for my final products, I asked my target audience for feedback on which images are the best and would be the most successful on each particular page. My results showed:

• The images of Luke were very popular and many suggested they would be most successful on the front page
• The image of Jenna and Dan were also popular, however the image would need further editing to improve
• The images of Gareth and Danielle received a high amount of votes and many of my target audience suggested they would look better on the contents page

Editing Practise

I have experimented on fireworks and photo shop to edit some of the pictures I have taken for example using the magic wand tool to cut around images and changing the hue and saturation levels.

Possible Pictures For Final Product

I have taken the following pictures to be used in my final product, I will experiment with editing and mock ups to decide which ones I will take forward as my final images. I will also ask for feedback from my target audience to find out which ones they prefer.

Double Page Interview

After spending some time away from the spotlight, Luke Jackson is gearing up to get back into the music industry with new songs and his album Discovery!
The break, Luke tells Wired, has helped shape the album into something he hopes listeners will find quite different from what they might expect from him. We caught up with him in London to find out he has to say about his recent self discovery…

W: Hey Luke! It’s great to see you again, congratulations on your new single It starts here! It has been a huge hit over here in the UK. How are you finding everything at the moment?

L: Hello! I’m very good thanks but I’ve been so busy at the moment, with preparing for the album release, everything has been a bit hectic.

W: Yeah lets talk a little more about your new album Discovery, it is very different from your last, what made you make the change with your music?

L: Over the last few months, and throughout my travels in the last year, I realised that writing only about my life experiences is limiting, considering there’s so many great stories to be told out there in the world.
I used to write about relationships but now I write songs about travelling because the only relationships I have these days are with hotels!

W: It must be tough spending so much time on the road..

L: Yeh it can be hard at times spending long periods of time away from my family but I want to be inspired by the world and travel, so I would say I am much happier on the road anyway. The production and release of my new album has given me a break from travelling though.

W: Have you been busy in the studio then?

L: (Laughing) no not really! I’ve only spent five weeks in a studio recording the album and to be honest I got bored of all the sound manipulation. I don’t like the idea of being stuck in a studio; I want to be out in the world discovering things.

W: You speak a lot about discovery in your travels, what have you discovered so far?

L: I’ve discovered myself again! Getting time away from everything has not only given me new ideas and feelings to work with musically, I’ve also had the chance to have some time to rediscover who I am. It really is an amazing feeling!

W: Are you looking forward to your upcoming tour?

L: Yeah, I’ve got seven or eight dates lined up at the moment, then I’m touring with another band at the end of may.

W: You’re also doing a mini tour in August?

L: Yeah at the end of this tour, I’m gonna hang out for another four days and do a couple of gigs.

W: Well thanks for speaking to WIRED Luke, good luck with your new album, I’m sure it’l be a huge success!

L: Thanks

Contents Page Articles

I will use the following articles on my front cover. To get the names of the artists I used www.bandnamemaker.com as inspiration. I have chosen the following articles as I believe they will interest the reader and fit in with the genre of my magazine which is indie/rock.


02: Split Culture share their story on hitting number one for 17 weeks in a row!
05: Exclusive interview with Hidden Destiny!
08: Upcoming tours in 2009!
12: Forgiven release two exclusive singles!
15: What artists to look out for this summer!
19: Win tickets to spend the weekend with The Calling!
21: Luke speaks out about why he’s moving on!
26: Sacred Fold: all time band of 2009?
28: 15 reasons to love Wake Now!
31: Free Distortion poster!

Mock Up Of Double Page

I have created this mock up to show what my double page will look like when it is complete. I will experiment in my mock ups using my own images to find out if the image looks better to the left or right hand side of the page.

Basic Layout Of Double Page

This is the basic layout of my double page spread, in my mock ups I will experiment with the large image to see if it looks better to the right or the left. I have decided to use an image that fills the whole page as I think this will attract the audience to read the article.

Mock Up Of Contents Page

I have created this mock up using the basic flat plan I produced, I like the layout of this page as i think it looks interesting and will attract my target audience. I will experiment with colours and fonts when creating mock ups using my own images. I will also need to consider the colours used in the photographs I take as I think it will look best if they have a similar theme.

Basic Layout Of Contents Page

This is my basic plan for the contents page. I got the inspiration from my research of existing products. I think this layout will work well as it is conventional yet still looks quite different and unique.

Mock Ups Of Front Cover + Feedback

I have created five mock ups of possible front page layouts for my final product. I have used images from the Internet to give me an idea about which images are more effective when targeting my audience. I will be creating some more mock ups at a later date when I have taken my own images as the five mock ups here to do not give a very good implication about what my final product will look like.

I am pleased with the results of the mock ups and I think each one is eye catching and original. After I created the mock ups I asked 30 people from my target audience for feedback. The results are shown below:

1: 7

2: 10

3: 4

4: 2

5: 9