Friday, 16 July 2010
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Q7. Looking Back At Your Preliminary Task, What Do You Feel You Have Learnt In The Progression From It To The Full Product?
Looking back at my preliminary task to make a front cover and contents page i feel that i have learnt a lot in the ways of producing a magazine to make it look more professional.
I feel that i know now how to use the programs Photoshop and QaurkXpress to my full potential. Whereas before i could not use the programs very well and i struggled in creating effects on the programs.
The research that i did for my preliminary task was near to nothing. I basically just went in and created my magazine straight waway without doing any research into things such as my target audience and looking at other magazines in my specific genre.
I used the genre indie and i believe that my final magazine that i created was a lot better. This is because it had a much more professional look to it and i velieve this is because i did further research into my target audience and what real, professional magazines should contain.
I feel that i know now how to use the programs Photoshop and QaurkXpress to my full potential. Whereas before i could not use the programs very well and i struggled in creating effects on the programs.
The research that i did for my preliminary task was near to nothing. I basically just went in and created my magazine straight waway without doing any research into things such as my target audience and looking at other magazines in my specific genre.
I used the genre indie and i believe that my final magazine that i created was a lot better. This is because it had a much more professional look to it and i velieve this is because i did further research into my target audience and what real, professional magazines should contain.
Friday, 23 April 2010
Q6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Technology is very important when creating a media product such as a magazine because without it then the whole concept of making a magazine would be useless.
Photoshop- This was the main piece of technology that i used throughout the whole process of making my magazine. I was able to manipulate photos as i wished and with ease. Without the use of Photoshop it would have been a lot harder to construct my magazine.
Quarkxpress- Overall this program was a lot harder to do than using photoshop. This is because the tools were more complicated to use. Though saying this, i do believe that using this program gives a better, more professional finish, especially on the double page spread. On the double page spread, i found it was easier to do this than on anything else. This is because it was easy to lay it out so that it looks like a professional magazine. It was also easy to put the pictures in the boxes.
Digital SLR- Again i would not have been able to complete my media product without the use of this piece of technology. Without the camera, then i would not have been able to take my pictures and therefore i would bot have been able to produce my media product.
DaFont.com- This helped me create the correct font that i needed to capture my target audience. This was a very important program in the making of my magazine. This is because this website helped me with the font on both my front page and on my contents page.
Blogger.com- this was the basis of my magazine. Without this i would not have been able to blog my magazine. So his was very useful in the process of making my magazine.


Photoshop is very easy to use and the icons were very easy to understand. i have learnt how to use the program more effectively, to make it look more professional, using the icons on the program more usefully and cropping layers and images and also to make the magazine look to a very high standard. Without the use of Photoshop when making this media product, The magazine would not have looked anywhere near as professional as it does when using the program.

The only problem that i had when using quark was when it came to uploading it to my blog. But apart from this it was an essential process in making my media product.

It has many different functions to a normal digital camera, for example, you can brighten colours or even make it focus in on a portrait style.
By using a digital SLR camera i was able to get a much more professional look than what i would have using a normal camera.

So it has obviously came in very useful because without this i would not have gad a professional look to my magazine and also i would not have attracted my target audience in the same way.

Question 4&5
Powerpoint media q4
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Question 5-How did you attract/address your audience?
The sort of people that i was trying to attract whilst making my magazine were young people aged between 16-25. The way that i attracted them was by using bold and colourful text. I also used simple language so that younger people will prefer to read it than to read any other magazine.
I also used a simple layout when doing my double page spread. This, again was to make it easier for my audience to read and understand my magazine. so in this respect this type of language that i used was their preferred reading.
The preferred reading in my magazine is based upon the music genre of indie.
Beacuse of doing this magazine, i asked people, who were in my specific taget audience range to give me feedback on what they thought my magazine was like, whether they like it or not.
The feedback i got was all positive and here is the feedback that i got from asking people face to face what they thought of my magazine.
zak- I think the magazine is good because it looks like it was done professionally. I also like the colour scheme you have used because it is simple but effective.
Simon- I like the way you have kept the layout simple because it makes it easier to read. I would definitely pick this up if I saw it in a shop. I also like the colour scheme you have used.
Tom- I believe that this magazine is very good because i like the way you haven't gone over the top. You have kept it simple but overall it has a very professional style to it. I like the fact that it is easy to read because i will be able to relate to it more this way. Though i have to say that i would have chosen to use a different colour scheme.
It was significant for me to get feedback on my magazine because this way i know what i have done right and what i can improve on in the future.
Question 3.What kind of media institute might distribute you media product and why?
Because the whole indie genre goes against the mainstream idea, the media institution that would distribute my magazine would be an independent publisher. This is because the people who would buy my magazine would be because they care about the music and would go out of their way to by a magazine that they care about. I would also distribute my magazine over the internet. This way my target audience can easily buy the magazine and wont worry about going to certain stores to buy it.

My magazine will not be sold in major stores such as WHSmiths, Tescos and other supermarkets etc.


I am not selling it in such places as these because the whole indie genre goes against the mainstream and by selling my magazine in places such as these will contradict this whole idea. My target audience are supposed to have a passion for music so will not mind going on the internet and ordering the magazine.
My magazine is not expecting a high profit turnover from selling the magazine. It is being produced to supply information about music and new bands etc. My magazine will sponsor new and upcoming bands going on tour, and this way they can make a profit from this.
I belive that by not using a mainstream store to sell my magazine in, i will be able to attract the right target audience that i want to suit the genre of music i have chosen. Also by selling on the internet i will be able to pull in the younger generation with more ease. This is because younger people are more likely to search for things like this on the internet than go out and buy a magazine in the shop. This way it is easier and time effective.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Question 2.How does your product represent particular social groups?
I believe that my magazine is mainly aimed at working-middle class males aged between 16-25. I belive, having done my magazine that it does suit this audience type.

The whole 'Indie' genre is seen as 'cool' and 'trendy'. It also has a 'Break the rules' type vibe to it. That is why most indie magazines have a basic (usually dark) colour scheme and bold, rough text/font. I have done the same in my magazine to relate better with my audience.
The representation of males in my magazine is shows as cool and a bit of fun. I believe that this will also relate to my audience. I hope them to find my audience can see a little bit of themselves in the males that are portraid in my magazine.

This magazine is not ethnically or maorally wrong. It does not express any comments to undermine other ethnic or social classes. So this makes my magazine have a wider target audience as it does not express dislike to other races ot classes.
I believe that i have stuck to the stereotype of an indie male in my magazine. I also believe that teenagers can relate very well to my magazine because the language in the typing is not that of hard understanding. That is why the younger generation of my target audience will want to buy my magazine.
The dominant ideology of my magazine would be the youth and trend. This is because my magazine is targeted at such a young market. So my magazine includes things that young people would like and language they can understand better.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Evaluation Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge form and conventions of real media products?
I based my whole magazine around the 'Indie' genre. This is because i can relate to this easily and i could make my magazine appeal to the audience i wanted better.
The conventions with my chosen genre is a sort of a 'Break the rules' type of atmosphere. Most indie magazines use bold and rough sort of fonts to use in their Mastheads. I have also used this sort of a font because i feel that this was the best way to capture my audiences' favour. Also i used a very basic colour scheme. I did this because it fits the usual conventions of a typical indie magazine and again i believe that this will relate to my audience. Another way that i used similar conventions to other magazines in my genre is that i had pictures on the front cover. This is because I feel this is essential, not only to the indie genre but to all types of magazines.
The way that i challenged the conventions of a typical indie magazine was that for my main sell i did not use any people on it. Instead i used an image of a landscape because i feel that it suited what my magazine was about. Though it did relate to a story inside my magazine which does suit a normal convention of any magazine.


In my double page spread i have used the traditional layout of columns. This is because i did not want my magazine to be seen as aimed at children. It also makes the magazine look professional and makes it not seen as an immature, children's magazine. The same goes for my contents page. I have used a layout that is similar to a normal magazine to give it a professional style to it.
Friday, 19 March 2010
Friday, 12 March 2010
Friday, 29 January 2010
Brief introduction
For my media cousework i have been asked to create features of a magazine that i have to do completely on my own without any help from anybody else or from uploading any images from the internet. All of the images that i use in my final magazine have to be taken and uploaded by me.
We have been asked to create a front cover of a magazine, a contents page and a double page spread, all in the chosen genre of your magazine.
We have been asked to create a front cover of a magazine, a contents page and a double page spread, all in the chosen genre of your magazine.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Mood Board
Audience Feedback
I can tell from my audience feed back that they feel that my mood board is suggesting that my magazine will be in the 'indie' genre. I have said initially that i wanted to make an indie magazine and because my audience realize this, i will definitely be using this genre for my magazine.

From the feedback, my audience have suggested that the mood board needs more colour so i will take this into consideration when I am making my final magazine.
I am not yet decided upon if the front cover of my magazine will be black and white or whether it will be in full colour. i believe that if it were in black and white, it will add the effect that i am trying to capture in the whole stlye of my magazine.
Monday, 18 January 2010
Overall Analysis
To conclude my magazine research I have decided that I will use an image that will stand out from the rest of the magazines on the market in my specific genre. I may use the image of a band of of one specific aspect that will link to the genre of my music. The name of my magazine i have not yet decided upon but again it will be short and bold and will have a catchy ring to it. The font style of the masthead will be bold and maybe a different colour to the background. I would do this so my magazine will be eye catching to mu audience and will stand out from the rest.
The colour that i will use on my Background image (main sell) will most probably be black and white. I will do this because i believe that black and white adds an effect that will suit my genre of music. The sort of thing that i am looking to do is to make it have a 'don't care' attitude to make my audience relate to the magazine.
From the feedback i am getting from my mood board, it is clear that people will want to see more colour in my magazine than i was showing on my mood board. I will obviously take this into consideration when i am producing my final magazine. I may choose to do the front cover in black and white and do the rest of the contents page and double page spread in full colour.
The font i am going to use on my final magazine cover i have not yet decided upon but again i want it to match the indie genre i am going for.
So i am trying to keep the magazine as a whole to a minimalistic ideal as i believe this will relate the best to my target audience. i will do this but still maintain a high standard of work with a professional style to It.
The colour that i will use on my Background image (main sell) will most probably be black and white. I will do this because i believe that black and white adds an effect that will suit my genre of music. The sort of thing that i am looking to do is to make it have a 'don't care' attitude to make my audience relate to the magazine.
From the feedback i am getting from my mood board, it is clear that people will want to see more colour in my magazine than i was showing on my mood board. I will obviously take this into consideration when i am producing my final magazine. I may choose to do the front cover in black and white and do the rest of the contents page and double page spread in full colour.
The font i am going to use on my final magazine cover i have not yet decided upon but again i want it to match the indie genre i am going for.
So i am trying to keep the magazine as a whole to a minimalistic ideal as i believe this will relate the best to my target audience. i will do this but still maintain a high standard of work with a professional style to It.