of AMP magazine

EVALUATION

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PROJECT USE, DEVELOP, OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

The conventions of the front cover of an indie music magazine are the same of any other genre. There are certain aspect that are expected to be included; a masthead, a tagline, a strapline, dateline, puff, buzz words, featured artists and articles either shown textually or visually, banners, and a barcode as well as other aspects. A brand identity is expected to be maintained as it creates a familiarity with the magazine for the readers. This brand identity can be achieved through colour scheme, text size, fonts and the number of them, and positioning, and finally the general layout of text, images, and masthead.

FRONT PAGE

However, there are a few of these conventions that I decided not to meet in a conscious decision to challenge the conventional forms of music magazines. For instance, I decided to not use a tagline as I didn't want to clutter the front cover with too much text; this may put off potential readers from purchasing it. I also decided to not use a strap line because as it is the first issue, I wanted to have a realistic view of readership. If I were to include a free prize or competition on the first issue, people may only buy it the once for the competition/prize. I would instead tell the readers of a competition in the second issue as it would convince them to continue buying the magazine. In terms of adhering to conventions, I decided to stick to the rough count of 3-4 different styles and sizes of fonts and 3 separate colours to add a variation to the front cover that would appeal to the reader and catch their eye. I also included all of the other conventions expected and previously mentioned.

For the contents page, there are a set of codes and conventions to follow as well. A heading, an editorial, a focus on the main article, sub-headings, page numbers, month of issue release, varied fonts, columns and a estimated ratio of 50:50 in terms of the contents table and the title and images above. The only convention not met on this page is the inclusion of an email address or social networking addresses. These haven't been included as on the final page of the magazine was to be a contact page with a list of writers, their images, and the various methods of contacting the magazine; this would be accompanied by the competition information.

CONTENTS PAGE

I have, however, met all of the other conventions. There is a bold, eye catching title that also lists the month of issue, a structured table of contents that includes numbering and symbols, that has been scientifically proven to appeal to a male audience, a variety of fonts in different colours to keep the target audience's interest, and a series of articles that would appeal to the desired audience.

Finally, the double page spread; this page is the main article of the magazine and has been featured across all three parts of the magazine. By doing this, a symbiotic link is achieved. This is enhanced through colour scheme, fonts and repetitive layout techniques that give the reader a sense of familiarity between the pages. The conventions of a double page spread are similar to those of the previous two; there must be a main image, a bold headline, a starburst, and also a by-line.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Each of these are featured, however one not featured, that hasn't been mentioned, is the placement of the magazine name in the header or footer of the page. This wasn't included as it would have disrupted the white, black, and cream colour scheme that the double page spread had been designed with. Disrupting that would have ruined the flow of the article and the layout of the page; it would have no longer looked as aesthetically pleasing.

HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PROJECT REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?

The social group of my magazine is that which is described in the target audience profile. This stated that my audience was:

• Predominantly male

• Of a younger generation (17-30 years old)

• A student or with a full time occupation

• Listens to the indie genre of music

• And is passionate about music

I feel that I have represented this target audience well as I have included features that would appeal very well to them, but also to the other gender. For example, my colour scheme is seemingly simple, however there are particular reasons behind the decision. Red, white, blue, and black are all known as a predominantly male colours. By choosing these and putting them together so that they both blend and contrast when needed, the male reader can feel comfortable whilst reading. If a more female colour was chosen, such as pink, then the reader would become uncomfortable and put the magazine down. These colours help attract and retain customers.

In regards to content, I researched the indie genre thoroughly to investigate the various types of the music. Different bands use different instruments and methods to create their music, and I wanted 'AMP' magazine to show that and reflect the diversity that falls under the indie title. After my research, I chose a variety of bands that have unique and different sounds. The Black Keys use electric guitars, The Decemberists have a Spanish influence with special guitars, The Cinematic Orchestra use stringed instruments and an orchestral sound, Wakey! Wakey! use piano's and violins, and there is even more variety in the sidebar of the double page spread. This variety not only reflects the genre, but the readers as well. Not every band is the same just like the reader's tastes, and by choosing an assortment of sounds, I managed to appeal to a wider audience.

WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA PROJECT AND

WHY?

The media institution most likely to distribute AMP Magazine would be IPC Media. This company was formed in 1963 after three of the UK's largest publishing companies merged to form IPC Media. However, the history of each of the three companies reach back much further than the 1960's, each were established in the late 1800's. This age and legacy show how successful these companies have been; they have strived through national economic turmoil and downturn. This economic success would help push AMP magazine to succeed as they have done for NME Magazine. The proof of their success is shown below.

WHO WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR MEDIA PROJECT?

As previously mentioned, the social group of my magazine is that which is described in the target audience profile.

"The reader of ‘AMP’ is predominantly of the male gender between the ages of 17 and 30. The target audience will be enrolled in 6th form, college, university or in a full or part time occupation. His love for reading has made him smart, funny and sharp. His wit is his greatest asset, and sarcasm his second language making him an ideal friend, never letting the humour die. He is very basic in both his life and his needs, and his main extravagance is music. He enjoys going to concerts when he can afford it, but will settle for going to a bar where people are performing for a beer with his friends. The target audience has a passionate love for all kinds of music, but primarily enjoys indie music and will have wanted to play an instrument when they were younger. They find solace in music when life is at it’s hardest and finds a friend in it that helps them to cope with daily life.“

To expand on that further, my audience would read magazines of a similar genre; NME, Kerrang, Q, or Rolling Stone. Each of these magazines appeal to a similar audience to my own, however AMP offers features that these do not. AMP gives the readers the opportunity to learn about the business, gives them the chance to breaking into the industry, and encourages interaction between the readers and the magazine.

HOW DID YOU ATTRACT AND ADDRESS YOUR AUDIENCE?

There are a variety of ways that you can appeal to an audience, but they mainly fall under three factors; visual, verbal, and material. The audience wants to see something they like, read something they like, and get something they like. This can be achieved through images, vocabulary, and content; and AMP magazine covers all three. A diverse group of artists are presented visually and verbally on the cover and throughout the magazine to attain and retain the audience’s attention. Were the magazine to be focused upon one single artist, not only would it limit the demographic, but the reader could become bored after the first issue. In the future, however, the magazine would do special edition issues focused on various artists with less sub-articles on others to make the magazine seem special and appealing.

Verbally, I used a range of ‘slang’ terms throughout as this creates a camaraderie between the reader and the magazine. If the consumer reads words that he uses in everyday life, the magazine becomes a kind of friend to him. And finally, material; the consumer wants to read articles that give them something, other wise it isn’t interesting. AMP’s double page spread on The Kings offers them an insight into daily life for up-and-coming music stars. This can give them the knowledge to enhance their dreams and wishes or give them the motivation to follow them. Also, the sidebar gives them music that they may not have listen to before, so they are receiving something from the article.

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

A magazine’s primary aim is to fulfil a set of needs that the audience has. These can be the most basic; like those to survive and safety, the more psychological such as love and accomplishment, and the need for self-fulfilment. AMP magazine’s role is to provide the top three tiers for the reader. By providing articles that are up to date and informative, AMP provides fodder for social interaction which in turn covers the need for belonging. The information in these articles can also cover self actualisation and also esteem; the knowledge can help them to achieve their dreams and reach their full potential.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE PROCESS OF

CONSTRUCTING THIS PROJECT?

Through the process of researching, designing, and creating in this project, I have learnt how to use a multitude of technologies. Firstly, in order to hold my work, I needed to learn how to use Blogger. As someone who knows the internet and it’s working well, it wasn’t too hard for me to pick up, however some steps were very laborious and had me seeking help from peers and online sources. Processes such as uploading photos and embedding video files took ‘trial and error’ to accomplish the correct sizing and positioning within the blog.

In addition to this, I had to learnt how to create and embed a music playlist from Grooveshark into the sidebar as well as a ‘photostream’ from Photobucket. For this aspect of my blogger page, I had to research bands that fall under the indie genre and locate images. From there I had to upload them to Photobucket and create a slideshow to embed into the sidebar of my blog. On Grooveshark, I simply created a playlist and copied an embedding link into the blog sidebar. After learning how to embed with Photobucket, Grooveshark, and then YouTube, was much easier to insert.

LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE

LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?

Since creating my preliminary project I have learnt much about the magazine industry. I wasn’t aware of how much thought goes into every aspect of a magazine; colours, font styles, images, and even symbols all have hidden meanings behind them that evoke something in the reader. Red can create lust, small type can create meaning and emotion behind words on a page, or a particular stance can change the entire message of an image. There are countless factors that make up a single page or article in a magazine, and each need to be cleverly thought out, even more so than I did in my preliminary task.

But even before that, there needs to be intense research and planning before the design stage is even considered. A target audience needs to be decided upon, a mission statement for the magazine written, the target audience needs to ne further researched, and that isn’t even mentioning the research that needs to go into the photoshoots and articles.

From this project, I have learnt that to achieve something successful, that fits the brief given and suits the desired audience, research and planning is essential and should be as in depth as possible.

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

The feedback given by my questionnaire was pretty much all positive. However, some of the questioned audience gave some critical feedback on how to improve the magazine and where I went wrong in my production.

Ways in which the image of an indie genre wasn’t met:

"The checked shirt on one of the models gave a more country vibe rather than indie."

"The use of acoustic guitar made me think it was a folky, bluesy sort of mag."

"The images of the bands at the bottom didn't look like indie music to me."

"It just didn't fit in with my idea of indie music. It needs more electric guitars and stuff."

"The bands featured and the look of the artists on the cover gave me more of a rock feel."

Improvements:

 "Red, white, and blue could be brought into each of the pages to link with the masthead further. The photographs, though in keeping with the style of the magazine, could draw in the colour scheme further as well.“

"I think that it could use more images in the contents page."

"The masthead looks slightly unprofessional and could use some refining."

"Most contents pages are far more information and relation to the cover."

"The text on the front page could have a bit more variation in colour so that it stands out more.“

After reading through the comments left and analysing the 50 results of the questionnaires that I handed to 50 people, I have managed to see the potential flaws and improvements that my magazine can have. The magazine was mainly received very well, especially the artists featured, photography and layout, by both genders. this could become a window of opportunity for the magazine to branch out in the future and have music articles for women as well as those designed for men. However, after reading the comments left, I know that much more deliberation needs to go into the photoshoots and their clothing, and the props used in the shoots. Also, a further deliberation into the photographs used throughout the magazine is needed as they need to fit into the indie genre better. I will also deliberate as to whether the colour scheme and magazine masthead need to be implemented into each page to reinforce the knowledge of what magazine the consumer is reading.

In the next issue, after reading these comments, the photoshoots will become much more focused on the indie style of clothing, the overall images of the magazine will become much more focused on the genre and the masthead will be placed on each page.

HOW SUCCESSFUL DO YOU FEEL YOUR END PRODUCT IS IN FULFILLING THE TASK AND

HOW WELL DOES IT FIT THE BRIEF?

Looking back over my final products, I can see that the results of the questionnaires were correct; there is a clean and easy to digest layout, good photography, articles suitable for the style and genre of magazine, and a good amount of content within those articles, and an elegance to the magazine. However, there are always improvements to be made, and those would be that it needs more imagery and far more content on the contents page. This is the first page of the magazine after the cover and needs to show the amount of articles the magazine has to offer. The second issue would also be a good time to adjust the masthead slightly to create a much more professional looking name to the magazine. This is important because the front cover sells the magazine; if it doesn’t looks aesthetically pleasing, no-one will buy it. This professional look will need to be applied to the contents page as well as it looks far too ‘cut and pasted’ as it is. Again, the second issue would be the perfect time to adjust it slightly so that the sudden change doesn’t create a large impact as the magazine is still gaining readers.

In conclusion, all of the main elements of a successful magazine are there; informative and enticing articles, clear and smart layout, a style that fits within the indie genre and an overall smart and elegant look to the magazine. There are aspects to change, but none that aren’t too hard to do so. The brief for the project was to create a music magazine for our chosen genre. We were to produce a front cover, contents page, and a double page spread each featuring an original artist along with the necessary research and planning, and I feel that I have successfully completed this task and that that is visible in the final products and the post production questionnaires.

THE END