USE
I used a lot of traditional elements in my
magazine. Firstly I used the “HAVE A PEEK” item in the corner which I took from
another magazine but made it tie in with my magazine. The center of my cover is
also a common feature. Having large text over your picture, which go together.
I had to use this feature because it was an obvious feature in music magazines
so I thought I needed to include it. The column on my contents page is also a
common feature and worked well with my design so I used it. Another feature,
which is common that I used, is box outs. They can have many different forms
and purposes but mine is a simple Q&A asking basic questions. Talking about
my double page spread, I also used coherent columns which is a must have
because it tidies up the page and makes it neat. I also used drop-caps, which I
think makes it more of a formal article and makes the paragraph more dynamic.
Another element I used is a subscription advert, which is on my contents page.
It’s traditional to use that issues cover as an example.
DEVELOP
I’m not sure how far I developed common
features but simply put my own twist on them and made them fit in with what I
was doing. The bars containing artist’s names on my cover is an example of
this. Most people would the text simply on the side, a bit like the area above
it, the bars make it look its coming out of the space not seen and turns it in
to a interesting feature. A simple feature I used is the use of lines in
titles, subtitles and to fill spaces. I think it makes it more formal and is an
easy way to fill spaces. And I haven’t seen to many people doing the same
thing. This is also a challenge but the use of shadow on a lot of elements like
shapes and words lifts those features of the page a little bit and makes it a lot
more dynamic.
CHALLENGE
My response to this would be simply to
state that I put my own style on everything and made it my own. I took common
features then used the fonts, colours, themes and formatting that made my
magazine what it is and produced my final product. However I think my use of
shadow on lots of things was not a common thing I saw in magazines but helped
my magazine achieve a specific look.
2.
I don’t think my magazine is focused to one
social group because that would limit it. I think my magazine portrays numerous
images across a range of social groups. I did this by using a range of tools,
the use of fonts, themes, format etc. all tie in together to give you a final
image. I used very sophisticated fonts
that all carry a theme of being tall and thin. They don’t suit one genre, which
makes them good for a range of social groups. I changed the colours to make it
more dynamic and more interesting. They all suit each other though and tie in
nicely. My contents page is formatted very simply and that was my goal. To over
the top would make it more metal or radical forms of pop. To under-done would
mean it was a more formal magazine that was very article heavy, I really wanted
to avoid that because my younger readers would be put off. I think my magazine
is in the middle of that so appealing to a wide range of people. A theme in my
double page is not making it jam-packed. I filled all the spaces without making
it over the top. Its simplicity will appeal to a lot of people and would work
for all people. The blue is a common colour across a lot of genres so it will
draw in various social groups. An obvious factor of my magazine is the wide
range of artists I’ve shown to be in it. I needed to do this so I could get a
wide range of consumers.
3.
The Media
Institution that would want to publish my magazine is Bauer Media. They are a
company that doesn’t just publish music magazines but delves into other types
of magazine. But that’s not it. They also go into other areas of media like
radio and TV. I think my magazine has a lot of potential in other areas of
media. Maybe a underground show on a music channel brought by “Linked” could be
a start. I believe they would recognize this potential. They could start us out
as a music magazine, see where it goes, if successful we can see about getting
onto TV or other Media formats.Also, my
magazine is primarily based in the southwest. So there is also an opportunity
to bring the same magazine to different regions of the country, especially for
the underground segments, which are based in the local area. Bauer Media are a
very diverse company and would recognize the wide range of opportunities
surrounding my magazine.
4.
The audience for
my music magazine is late teens to early adult. From the start I didn’t want a
young audience because it wouldn’t be something I would read. I wanted it to be
something that I would pick of the shelf and look at. I think I portrayed a sophisticated
enough magazine that still has style and enough to draw in a reader.
5.
I attracted my audience in many different ways using the tools I
had. My images aren’t childish and my layout is formal. I used sophisticated fonts like “Bellerose”
which are thin and stylish. I tried to maintain a level of consistency
throughout meaning the colour schemes, fonts, layout and images had to match.
My colours changed depending on what the feature was. On the front cover I used
black, brown and grey together in the side areas. These colours together with
the fonts make a stylish look and would draw my audience. The layout of my
contents page is an example of being formal but still maintaining a level of
interest with the reader. The font on the side bar is very striking bringing it
off the page, which is needed because the titles are small. Changing the colour
of the numbers to red was necessary because it’s easy to recognize and is an
important element on the contents page. For the content itself in the magazine,
I wanted it to be interesting to read. So I set up the double page with a brief
history of “Josh Holloways” band then went on to give an engaging Q&A without
really serious questions because that will disconnect my audience. The box out
was an added feature that I wanted from the start. It asks all the questions
that fans like to know about there favourite artists and can be reused each
week.
6.
Firstly, a major thing I learned was simple navigation of Mac computers. I was used to using regulars PC's so I had to get used to navigating menus and operating efficiently. I think I have mastered a basic understanding of how to use Macs. Throughout the process of doing this task I
have become efficient with pages and learnt some new skills in Photoshop. In
pages I have learnt a lot and can create anything I want now using the tools I
now know. The inspector tool is an example of this. I can use most of the tools
available, the most useful is the wrap tool. When its enabled shapes and text
don’t overlap which is frustrating so disabling it saves time. I've also
recognized the use of the colour and font panels. The font panel is more
helpful when applying shadows because it makes it more detailed and all the
text options are in one place. The colour panel is more helpful went you want a
more specific colour and the bold ones cant help you. In Photoshop, learning
the magic wand tool really helps with images. I can use it to get just the
person out of the background, which helped when I wanted to put my model over
the title. Then I can apply the background as a separate PNG so I have two
layers form the same image and adjust them separately. Apart from computer skills, I have learnt about cameras and how to get the best out of them. I've learnt how certain lighting creates a certain feel within the picture.I used my phone to take my pictures. Its got a quality camera but I also used settings within the phone I hadn't used before and had a play around with what looked the best. Once I imported my pictures, I learnt how to apply different filters in Photoshop to get a certain look. This meant using tools like Contrast, Brightness, Hue and Saturation. At first I didn't really know what looked good but once I'd had practice I knew where to go first to get the look I wanted. I have also learnt a lot of skills in on-line tools like Popplet and Prezi. They are very useful and have there own independent uses. They can all be used for different purposes and I will definitely use them again for different tasks. Overall, the skills I have acquired will be very useful in future tasks.
7.
I have learnt a lot over the process of the
course. And I feel I have covered all areas of music magazines. Not just what
goes into construction but the business side. This podcast will show the whole
process and summarizes what’s gone on.Back
in early September, we were put in to do our preliminary task. This was to
construct a school magazine cover and contents page. I had never really done
anything like this before so it was a new experience. I had to take the
pictures myself, edit them. Then create a plan and go into construction. It
wasn’t the best piece of work I’d ever produced but I could learn from my
mistakes. Once
the preliminary task was done. We started research and planning for the final
product. It was a long process but I needed to make sure I had a wide range of
knowledge to make sure my magazine met the expectations. I conducted surveys,
which found out information for our target audience. I studies fashion and how
it would fit in. I also looked at how the pictures contribute to the magazine
and how they have a massive impact on how the magazine will end up being
presented. I did all the tasks across a wide range of online software like
Popplet and Slideshare, which will also become useful in other areas because I
know how to use them. Once I felt I had done enough research and planning, I
moved onto the construction. During
the construction I made a lot of changes from what I had originally intended. I
found experimenting with all your features in different formations helped make
the final product better. The process of constructing was fun and I learned a
lot of skills on software like Photoshop and Pages. Overall,
I’ve come along way over the course, I’ve taken a lot of skills in all areas
and will definitely use the knowledge I have acquired in different things.
