EvaluationBilly Ingram

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

Question 1

Front Cover I used the convention of having a large recognisable masthead. The masthead if bold and the white stands out on the sky blue background and contrasts to the rest of the cover. The contrasting colour will make it more easily spotted and easier to identify; the font I used was Trajan Pro which uses all uppercase creating an effect of exclamation and is more of a traditional font which will appeal to my target audience.

The photo I used was chosen because the main focus of the image is central so it would allow me to place text round the sides so the focus isn't disrupted in anyway which is usually the way published magazine set out their front covers. I have also followed the convention of using a landmark or a place in the local area.

The advertising of a competition on the front cover is another way I followed the conventions of a regional magazine. The incentive will grab the target audience’s attention and make them more likely to buy the product because there is a chance to win a prize.

I followed the convention of colour schemes; the use of a white font with an accent colour, which complements the colours of the main image, that is continuous throughout the whole cover. I decided to use a gold accent because it matches well with the oranges and yellows of the leaves.

Advert

I followed the convention of having the address of the company/store which you can find the product. This will appeal to the target audience because it is useful information and gives them a resource to know where the shop is and links with the uses and gratifications theory of surveillance because the audience can gain information from the address.

A convention I followed for my advert is that of the image being brightly lit; the high key lighting on the watch face evokes the focus of this part of the product, which advertises the watch effectively, and means the producer is more likely to receive a preferred reading.

I also followed the convention of having a bold logo. The contrasting red logo on the black background makes it stand out against the rest of the advert. The company name below the logo gives the audience information about the product and allows them to research into other products which the company make.

Contents

I followed the convention of using a sans serif font which is easy to read and will appeal to my target audience. The black font with pale blue headings for the articles clearly separates the information for easier navigation, this is also done by the use of a larger font in upper case for the subheadings for the different groups of articles so the audience can look at what they are interested in and find it all in the same place on the contents.

I used the convention of advertising the magazine’s social media accounts. This will appeal to a younger sector of my target audience who will instantly recognise the logo and the brand.

I included the convention of using pictures related to the articles. This helps the target audience to get a more specific idea of what the articles are about and also helps the contents page to look more aesthetically pleasing.

I also followed the convention of having the magazine’s website at the top of the page along side the name of the magazine which is where the audience is most likely to look.

I decided to do a double page contents which isn’t necessarily a common convention but it is used often, especially in the magazines I researched like Kent Life.

BillboardI followed the convention of having a large recognisable logo which is easy to read. It’s a bold logo and the black font stands out on the grey background making it easier for the target audience to identify the magazine

I used the convention of having a slogan which tells the audience exactly what the product is, this links with the uses and gratifications theory of surveillance because the audience can gain information about the product

I added the magazine’s website because this convention will appeal to the younger sector within my target audience because they would be more up to date with modern technology and will be willing to use it. This links with the uses and gratifications theory of surveillance because the audience can gain information about the magazine and its website.

I followed the convention of using images of the product on my billboard in different media forms; this shows the audience that the magazine is available online as a digital copy as well as being able to pick up a physical copy

I developed the convention of the slogan by adding a bit of extra text saying ‘Available Now!’ which tells the audience they are able to buy the most recent issue of the magazine at the closest retailer or they can download, and pay for, a copy online

I wanted to add a colourful, vivid photo of the local area to grab the attention of my target audience

Website

I followed the convention of having an advert on my website, the advert will appeal to my target audience because it is very simplistic and also has the address of the company, it is also useful information and gives them a resource to know where the shop is and links with the uses and gratifications theory of surveillance because the audience can gain information from the address.

I included the convention of having the masthead at the top of the webpage. This enables greater brand recognition for the target audience.

I also followed the convention of having a main section which features some images from he latest issue. It is placed at the top of the webpage which is the first place the target audience will look, the ease of access will mean more dominant readings.

I added the convention of advertising the magazine’s social media accounts. The links to the social media pages will appeal to the younger sector of my target audience because they will be more willing to click on links and ‘Like’ or ‘Follow’ the pages to receive updates and news. Reception theory can be applied because a large proportion of my target audience will have at least one social media account which means they will respond positively and will appeal to them.

I also followed the convention of having articles on the home page of my website, this will appeal to my target audience because they can read up on what has happened/happening in the local area and certain times. It will be one of the first things that is seen on the website so it will link with the uses and gratifications theory of surveillance because the audience can gain information from these articles

I followed the convention of having a ‘Log in’ and ‘Sign Up’ button on my website because then subscribers can look at their subscriptions and see when the next issue is available as well as receiving e-mail updates about the site.

I also included the convention of having a menu bar at the top of the webpage, this will appeal to the audience because it means easier navigation around the website.

I added a digital archive as well because I found it a common convention on the websites I looked at it will appeal to the target audience because they can go back and review previous issues if they have missed one. This links with the uses and gratifications theory of surveillance because the audience are gaining information from the previous issues.

I developed the convention of the digital archive by adding in an option to download a Thanet Life app which subscribers are able to view on their mobiles or tablets, this will appeal to the younger sector of my target audience because they will find the ease in this feature by being able to look at an issue of the magazine at any time wherever they are.

I followed the convention of having a search bar on my website because this will mean easier navigation for my target audience, this will appeal to them because it means they don’t have to search through the whole website in order to find what they are looking for.

Another common convention I came across was the banners at the top and bottom of the webpage, the banner offers a deal for an annual subscription which will interest new subscribers.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Question 2

The website address is featured on the front cover, contents and billboard. This establishes a clear association between all the products because they are all part of ‘Thanet Life’.

The masthead appears on the front cover, contents, website and billboard. This helps the audience to establish the name of the magazine which also helps to establish a brand image for the products.

My ancillary tasks advertise my main task; on the ‘Magazines’ page on my website and on the right hand side of my billboard which makes it easy to visually link all three production pieces.

Question 3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

The feedback which I received was constructively critical of the first draft of my production, so I made changes according to the feedback that I received. These were my drafts of my production:

‘The shots are very sophisticated which would catch the eye of the older age group and very beautiful I might add. Colours are quite neutral; brighter colours would make it more vibrant, other than this very well laid out and is easy to read. The front cover looks great and the contents is very well constructed, the advert is minimalistic which is good because it is just promoting the product without too much text getting in the way’ - Zara

All good images, maybe lose the picture of the school and add more of the harbour etc. to show the heritage of Ramsgate and the Thanet area. Also would be good to see the promotion of a local business to show what the area has to offer. Overall it looks very professional and the contents is definitely the strong point; it is put together very well and looks great, the billboard looks good although comes across as monochrome and dull’ - Gid

‘I think the layout is spot on personally and it is very nicely presented. There could be a few more prints of the surrounding area as it’s titled ‘Thanet Life’ and also could have featured a bit of local history, like the tunnels. All the information is there and is very easy to read, I like the subtle sky blue theme running on the front cover and contents, the use of the sky blue text on the contents is really clever and ties the two pages together’ - Marc

‘The layout of everything is very nice, there is plenty of colour on the front cover to draw peoples attention to appeal to them and make them more inclined to buy the magazine. The contents looks great and I like the way you’ve set it out in categories so readers can go straight to the page they have their interest in, the font and different sizes of texts separates the information so is easier to read’ - Vicki

‘I like the placement of the images and the text on the front cover; the font is nice but a little too hard to see the smaller text against the lighter parts of the background, but overall in itself the text is good. The contents has an easy to follow layout; articles of interest are clear, nice use of fonts and social media. I like the simplicity of the advert but cant help being drawn to the light spot on the watch. Overall there is a nice layout throughout and the amount of times the name of the magazine Is clearly visible establishes the brand image’ -Natalie‘Front cover image is great, it really grabs your attention as it looks somewhere exotic and interesting. The use of colour is good, white and gold work well together however some of the background image is white so the text is slightly lost in places. There’s lots of content which is well varied and should appeal to a lot of people, you have included gardens which is always good for any publication in Kent. The image of the watch isn’t as good as it could be but only because of the reflection. The website is good – clean, crisp and to the point, I like the use of the image slideshow. The white text needs to be bolder against the images that you have picked on your contents but overall it is very good’ - Carrie

Zara said that my images would catch the eye of the older age group and that it is easy to read which is exactly what I was intending although she said that there could be more colour to add vibrancy, I decided to change a few images to more colourful photos. She gave me feedback saying ‘the contents is very well constructed’ and that ‘the front cover looks great’ so the appearance of the magazine does appeal to her and she also commends my advert for being ‘minimalistic’.Gid says that I should lose the image of the school on my website and add more of what Thanet has to offer and also that it would be a good idea to feature a local business in the magazine/website, although on the other hand he said that it looks professional, which is always a good thing, and that my contents is the strength of the production. He also said that my billboard comes across as ‘monochrome’ because of the grey and white background with black text so I decided to use a colourful photo I had taken as the background to attract the eye of the audience.Marc has said that the layout of the magazine appeals to him and that it is nicely presented which means I have done what I intended to. He also says that there could be a few more images of the surrounding area, because I mainly stuck to Ramsgate rather than using the other towns in Thanet. He mentioned that I could have included some local history, this would have been a good idea but since it is a monthly magazine this wasn’t my intention; my intention was to create a monthly magazine that rounds up what has happened in the previous month and events going on in the following month.

Vicki says she likes the layout of the whole production which means I have done well to appeal to my target audience. She said that the colours on my front cover could be more vibrant, and she likes the use of different sizes of text on my contents page and how the information is separated so she can find what she wants easily and go straight to that page of the magazine because of easy navigation.

Natalie compliments the entire layout of my production and says she likes the text and font although she sometimes finds it hard to read. She likes how easy the layout of the contents is to follow and how the articles are those that will generally interest people and she also comments on my use of social media links. The glare on the watch face proved to overpower the rest of the image but the simplicity is appealing to her. She added that the continuous use of the magazine name was a success in trying to establish a brand image.Carrie compliments the front cover by saying ‘it really grabs your attention’ which links with the uses and gratifications theory of surveillance, she also likes the colour combination of the white and gold but does say that the text does get lost. She notices the mass of content in the magazine which she says herself will appeal to my target audience and also says how the use of the word ‘gardens’ will fit into any Kent based publication. Carrie also states how the image of the watch for my contents isn’t up to standard with the rest of my production but commends my website because of its simplicity.

This is how my final production looks after feedback:

More colourful/vibrant photos

No longer monochrome

Images of the surrounding areaClearer layout

Smaller glare

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Question 4

I used a camera and my mobile phone to take all the photos that were used in my production. The camera I used was a Sony DSC-H200, the 20.1 megapixel lens and the 26x optical zoom allowed me to take photos in good quality and proved to be an effective piece of equipment that I used, my phone is a Huawei P9 which has 12-megapixel Leica dual camera including 2 light sensors; one RGB and one monochrome. Transferring my images to the computer, so I am able to use them, was very simple and easy with the use of an SD card reader. Without the use of a digital camera like my own I would have used a camera which uses film, so I would have had to go through a long process of printing the photographs and scanning them in order to use them on the computer.

I used google for my research; to find images, websites, etc. using google meant that I was able to find the information that I needed quickly and easily. Without google the research process would have taken a lot longer and I would have needed to buy a lot of magazines and cut things out.

I also used Facebook to contact my focus group and gain feedback in order to progress with my production and make it appeal to my target audience as best as I could. Without the use of Facebook I would have either had to ask my focus group to meet up and go and see them individually which would take too much time.

I used Blogger to publish all my research, planning and production easily and quickly at any time I wanted because of their app. Using Blogger meant that my work was arranged in chronological order which meant easy navigation. Without Blogger I probably would have had to print off all my work and archive it in the correct order, by using Blogger it saved a lot of time and hassle.

When making my website I used Wix. Wix is a website builder where you can chose a template and customise it easily. Because of the templates I was able to just add the text and images I wanted and could play around with the layout if I wished to.

I used Adobe Photoshop CS3 whilst making my production; this software allowed me to insert a background image and add text and other images. Because I used the same software for my foundation portfolio I already had the gist of how to use it; I used photoshop to alter and enhance the photos I had taken with my camera to make them look like they should belong in a magazine. Using photoshop meant that the production process wasn’t as long as most people would have anticipated.

The use of YouTube came in very handy, when I was in the middle of my production phase and didn’t know how to alter an image on photoshop I would use YouTube to watch a tutorial on how to do the desired action. Without YouTube I would have had to ask either my peers and/or teachers for help when trying to make a change to an image and they may not have known the answer; this would have made the production period longer and created problems for myself.