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

My magazine is based on modern day magazines with the construction and design. I have a big masthead at the top with a strap line beneath it. I have a big picture of the artist in the magazine on the front along with his name and a title underneath it.

Along the left I have some of the stories and articles involved in the magazine so people can see that before they read it.

I also went for a blue, white and black colour scheme which I tried to employ throughout my magazine.

Front Cover

Contents Page

With the contents page I used idea’s from other magazines I have seen. The format of the magazine is the same as a normal magazine with the lay out.

I kept the masthead and the strapline at the top of the magazine and the main article as the main image.

I spent a lot of time perfecting individual features in the magazine to make sure it was consistent e.g the black lines beneath each page and contents list.

Stayed with the colour scheme.

The colours and feel to my magazine are not linked with the genre usually but I feel I have used them in such a way that it goes together well.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine is mainly aimed towards the type of people who like and listen to rap and grime music although it also features pop. It doesn’t give off a negative or positive look at the group my magazine is aimed at but more of a neutral look at it.

There is nothing in my magazine that would suggest anything was bad/wrong or good.

The genre of my magazine (rap/ grime) is usually depicted as negative in general. This is because the artists backgrounds are usually of a similar nature. Often the artists of this genre are raised in rough areas of the country on council estates and generally poor areas. Their lyrics are generally negative which suits them and their upbringing.

In my magazine I tried to leave out this impression and focous on better things. The colour scheme I used is not conventionally linked with my genre but it looks more welcoming than the traditional.

I also tried to keep the stories within the magazine generally postive.

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

My product in unlike other magazines of the same genre. XXL magazine is most like mine in terms of genre of the magazine. The colour scheme that most magazine and other forms of media take on for rap are usually darker colours e.g red, black. I tried to challenge that stereotype and choose different colours that give off a better feel and impression.

XXL magazineDarker colours,Not a lot happening on page but it looks full,Traditionally looks like a Rap magazine

My magazineBright + dark colours,A lot going on to fill up the page- a lot to see,Does not look like it would be a rap magazine

It would be difficult to say where my magazine could be distributed. On the basis of genre I would say XXL.

Harris Publications produce XXL magazine. I think Harris Publications would be a perfect institution to distribute my music magazine because it publishes a music magazine with the same genre. Also, with their links to XXL, they would be able to help with marketing and general sale of my magazine.

XXL has already built up a market for themselves and built up relationships with their readers. This could be incorporated into my magazine and use XXL to help start my magazine.

Their company is located in America in New York.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience I chose to make my music magazine for was 13 – 26 years old. I chose this age because I fall in the middle of this age section so I already know what that age section are interested. Also, it is generally this age gap that is interested in rap and grime. The magazine itself is presented in way that is accessible by both ends of the age range. It does this by using big writing and that is easily readable and also using a variety of colours. I also tried to make my magazine available and open to both genders and all sexualities.

I also tried to combine some other genres into the main one. Artists such as Swedish house mafia which produces dance music. By doing this I am widening the audience to which my magazine is appealing to.

My original Magazine did not appeal to my audience so I had to make major modifications. This included changing everything from the colours to the fonts.

How did you attract/address your audience? To attract my audience I used several different methods. For a start I made my masthead big and bold. This could help to catch their eye. I used different colours for the vowels to give it a bit of difference. The colour scheme I used was blue, black and white. I used this because it is simple but effects. It applies to the age group of my target audience. I also used various other colours to make it more eye catching. I used a big picture on the front like a normal magazine. The picture is in full colour. It is above some of the layers but it also sits behind some giving it a feel of being more like a magazine. I did the same for my masthead.When adding the information to my magazine I tried to use artist that were well heard of as well as new artists. Using well known artists would attract my audience because they want to know about the stars of the day where-as using unknown/ made up artists is good because you can make them how you like. I also advertised prizes.

In the double page spread, I usedMore colours and things thatWould apply to the artist e.g bright Colours for the artist ‘Abstract’.

Audience ReviewsI showed my magazine to 16 people (8 male 8 female) and asked them to answer a few questions as honestly as possible.

15 said it looks like a magazine they would buy in the shop

10 said the front cover appeals to them find it eye catching

12 said the pictures were relevant to the magazine

8 said the pictures were of a very good quality

9 said the colours all worked well within the magazine

13 said the font choices worked well within the magazine

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

Before starting the magazine project, I already had average knowledge on computing. I knew nothing about picture editing before I started but I soon got used to using Macromedia Fireworks. Fireworks is a picture editing software than can be used to remove back grounds, add fonts and change colours on pictures. I mainly used it for removing background on some of my photos. It took a while to figure out how to use it to the best of my ability.

I had already used things like PowerPoint and Publisher so I did not learn to use any of these things.

I was already fairly used to using the internet to find things and help complete my magazine. I got some of my fonts from Microsoft Publisher and some online.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from

it to the full product?

During my preliminary task I found it very difficult to relate my magazine to a real one. I could not replicate the effects that a professional magazine shows. My preliminary lacked things going on in the page. It looked very empty and open which is very poor. This was a clear indication that my music magazine had to be different and so I spent time making sure the page was full and looked more entertaining than my preliminary. My first attempt at making a music magazine was very poor and did not represent what I thought I could achieve.

The cover on the far left was my preliminary magazine. The centre magazine was my first music magazine which I decided to re-do very late on. The far right magazine is my final music magazine and the one I am most happy with.

When it came to getting pictures I went wrong. The pictures I got were not relevant to my genre or general magazine. They were of a very bad quality and often not suited to a music magazine. I went on to use these pictures until very late on and I finally decided to change them. I learned this from my preliminary in which my pictures were bad.

The colours and fonts I used in my preliminary were not planned and were irrelevant to my magazine. By using the same method I did for my preliminary on my main magazine, I would have lost marks. By planning out the fonts and colours, I secured better results.