G321 Foundation Portfolio in MediaVictoria Pollard

Candidate number: 2149Centre number: 27258

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To view my Prelim task, click here:Prelim task

To view my Main task, click here:Main task

Chosen Set Brief

• Print – preliminary exercise: using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/ college magazine featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid out text and a masthead. Additionally, produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of the contents page.

PRELIM TASK

Research

To find out what people would like to be in my school magazine, I created a survey on a website called ‘SurveyMonkey’.

Link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MY2FCMP

PRELIM TASK

This is what my survey looked like. I used lots of different question types to make sure I could gather as much information as I could, so I could ensure I can create a magazine which has demand. The questions are based around my magazine cover, so I can see what people would want to be featured on it, to ensure I create a product that will attract customers.

PRELIM TASK

Survey resultsPRELIM TASK

Survey resultsFrom my survey, I have found that my customers would prefer a ‘blue, white and yellow’ colour scheme. Therefore I will use this on my school magazine. I also found that they are aged around 16 or 17 years old. Therefore I will create my magazine so it is appropriate for my target audience. I found that my customers preferred the name ‘Educated’ for my magazine, therefore I am going to use this name. Most of the people who responded to my survey said that they would be willing to pay for a school magazine, and that they would pay around £1 for it, therefore this is the price I will charge. Also, most respondents said they would like a new issue to be published weekly, therefore this is how often I will create a new one. I found that my customers would want exam help, revision techniques and competitions, as I got a mix of responses about this, therefore I will feature all of them.

PRELIM TASK

Target audience

Based on the results from my survey, I have come to some conclusions about my target audience. I have presented these as a ‘Prezi’.

Link: http://prezi.com/3rms37vmyqe0/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

PRELIM TASK

Generic conventions of a magazine cover

Many magazines use a slogan – it is used by the header to explain the magazine content or make it stand out from its rivals.

The mast head – usually at the top of the page (this logo/ header also creates the brand image and makes it instantly recognisable for the audience).

The central image: one main model/ star photographed in either close up (head and shoulders) or medium shot.Usually shot in a studio.This will be the content of the feature article of the magazine.The gaze: is it direct address – looking at the reader? This is welcoming and creates a bond between the magazine and audience/ reader.

Date and barcode – provided to entice audiences to the magazine.

Cover lines/ tag lines – the main text on the cover. They advertise the articles within the magazine to entice the reader.

PRELIM TASK

Success criteria for my school magazine

Looking at the generic conventions of existing magazines, I have created a success criteria that will allow me to ensure my magazine is successful.• Colour scheme used throughout • Barcode• Correct spelling – professional• Medium close-up image• Exciting image – captures attention of potential readers• Model should be looking at camera – creates a bond between reader and magazine• Correct punctuation – makes the magazine seem more professional• Use an eye-catching but professional-looking font• Slogan – make my magazine stand out• Masthead should stand out – easily recognisable• No background on photo• Feature article clearly advertised – entice reader• Appropriate for age range – not too childish but easy to read and exciting

PRELIM TASK

Creating my school magazineI used Publisher to create my school magazine. I used this program because it is easy to use, but is also possible to create a relatively professional product using it. I also used Fireworks to edit my photo (remove the background). To further edit my image I used PowerPoint, which allowed me to add an ‘artistic effect’, which I think made my image, and therefore my magazine, stand out a lot more. I also used a website called ‘1001 Fonts’ to get the text for my image – it allows you to type the text you want and insert it into Publisher with no background, which saved me removing the background myself. I think using this website made my magazine look a lot more professional that it would’ve if I had used the text available in Publisher.

PRELIM TASK

Finished magazine coverThis is my finished school magazine. I have followed my success criteria and used my research to create a magazine that my target audience would want to read. I decided not to put a barcode on it as it will be sold in schools and colleges so I thought this would be unnecessary.

PRELIM TASK

Contents pageI have also created a mock-up of the contents page that would be featured in my school magazine. I have included everything that was featured on the cover of the magazine, as well as extra contents that weren't featured on the cover. I have used the same colour scheme and font as the cover of my magazine as I decided that I would use the same font throughout the magazine – this looks more professional and appealing to the reader. It also makes it more recognisable as a brand.

PRELIM TASK

Chosen Set BriefMAIN TASK

Research

To find out how the layout of my magazine should be, I researched existing music magazines and looked at the generic conventions of them.

ContentRecognisable masthead

Barcode

Direct mode of address

Main cover line

Date and issue no.

Central image (usually a medium shot)

Plug

MAIN TASK

Layout

Left-side third: a lot of important information designed to attract potential readers is placed in the left-hand side vertical third of the front cover page. This is in case the magazine is displayed in a horizontal shelving system rather than a vertical.

MAIN TASK

Layout

Masthead top/top left of the magazine

Contents layered over the main image/photograph

Celebrity’s face is never covered by the text

MAIN TASK

Presentational devices

Mise-en-scene represents Beyoncé as being unique, strong and mysterious

Photograph of Beyoncé relates to the main feature

Maintains the house style of Billboard magazine

Range of fonts and font sizes to differentiate content

MAIN TASK

LanguageShort and to the point

Exaggeration

MAIN TASK

Research

I also created another survey on ‘SurveyMonkey’ to find out what my customers would want a music magazine to look like, what genre it should be, who my target audience is, etc.

Link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HJR2S9V

MAIN TASK

This is what my survey looked like. I used lots of different question types to make sure I could gather as much information as I could, so I could ensure I can create a magazine which has demand. The questions are based around my whole magazine, so I can see what people would want to be featured on it, and in it, to ensure I create a product that will attract customers. I also asked what genre people would want the magazine to be, so I knew what to base my magazine on.

MAIN TASK

Survey resultsMAIN TASK

Survey resultsFrom my survey results, I have concluded that people would want an indie magazine to be created. Therefore I am going to create my magazine to fit a target audience who would want this genre of magazine. I could not come to a conclusion for the price of the magazine as people voted equally for the prices, however as it is a new magazine, I will only charge £1 for it to attract lots of customers. Most people said that they would want interviews and reviews to be featured in the magazine, and some also said about competitions, so I will feature these things in my magazine. I got a lot of mixed answers to which artists or bands my customers would like to be featured in the magazine, so I just chose the bands which were most suitable to the genre which was Radiohead, and I may also feature The Pixies. All of my respondents chose the colour scheme grey, white, black and red, therefore I will use this throughout my magazine. When I provided the respondents with some artists to chose from and pick which they would like to be featured in the magazine, the most popular were Vampire Weekend and The Killers, which I will feature because they fit the Indie genre that most people chose.

MAIN TASK

Target audience

Based on the results from my survey, I have come to some conclusions about my target audience. I have presented these as a ‘Prezi’.

Link: http://prezi.com/8ubgn0b-ajhu/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

MAIN TASK

Success criteria• My music magazine should represent the indie genre, and it will fit this• Barcode and price (£1)• Include some of the following: interviews, reviews, competitions• Feature some of the following bands/ artists: Radiohead, The Pixies, Vampire Weekend

or others that come under the indie genre• Grey, white, black and red colour scheme present throughout• Good quality photo• Recognisable masthead• Plug• Direct mode of address – model looking into the camera• Image uses mise-en-scene that promotes the indie genre• Model’s face not covered by text• Photo should relate to main cover line• Main cover line• Professional but exciting font

MAIN TASK

Plan of magazine coverFirst of all I created a basic structure of my music magazine front cover to get an idea of how I am going to position my features and images to build up an image of what my magazine will look like.

MAIN TASK

Creating my magazineTo create the cover of my music magazine I used Publisher again, as this is a simple, easy to use program that can create professional-looking products. I used the ‘insert shape’ function to get the structures for my magazine. Again, I used a website called ‘1001Fonts’ to insert the text for my magazine. This was really helpful because it allowed me to insert professional looking text and not have to remove the background. To get a barcode on my magazine, I sourced one on Google Images, and copied and pasted it into my document. To edit the photo I used Fireworks, and removed the background as well as using the blur tool to make the edges look less harsh and therefore more professional.

MAIN TASK

Finished magazine cover

This is my finished magazine cover.

MAIN TASK

Review

Comparing my magazine cover plan and my finished product, I am happy with the way my magazine looks. I have followed the results I got from my research to construct my magazine to look professional and be appropriate and desirable to my customers.

MAIN TASK

Generic conventions of a contents page

Usually set out in columns

Page numbers relate to the articles in the magazine so the reader can skip to the articles they are most interested in

Name of magazine

Pictures relate to articles in the magazine and give an insight to what is in the magazine. Also, they attract the readers attention because they are tailored to the target audience.

Subheadings to organize contents so readers can see the information more clearly

MAIN TASK

Success criteria

• Branding from cover consistent, and shown on contents page

• Page numbers so readers can skip to the pages they are most interested in

• Easy to read• Advertises all features from cover of

magazine, as well as some that are not

MAIN TASK

Creating my contents page

I also used Publisher to create the contents page for my music magazine because of how easy it is to use. I used Fireworks again to edit my photo, as this is an easier to use version of Photoshop. To get the rectangles on my contents page I used the ‘shapes’ feature on Publisher. I used ‘1001Fonts’ to source all the fonts I used on my contents page, as these look professional and are easy to read. I put the masthead from my cover, so the branding of the magazine is present throughout.

MAIN TASK

Finished contents page

This is my finished contents page.