Looking back at the Preliminary task, designing the front page of a school magazine. What do you feel you have learnt in progression to the full produ

The final product:

I would say the key word is 'professional'. The leap I have made has been to make my publication appear more professional.

Preliminary:

Since the first preliminary task I have learnt a great deal in progression to this full product. I have learnt about continuity which is needed between the front cover and the contents page. It appears much more professional when the same colour design, fonts and when the same features appear on the front cover and on the contents. A wide variety of fonts can come across as confusing and messy to the reader so limiting this to two fonts is enough. I discovered that the way images appear on the screen can sometimes be different to the way they look when printed. A very good laser printer is essential if you want your designs to come out clear and sharp on paper. Also, when printing my double page spread I needed a printer which deals with A3 sheets otherwise i would not achieve the magazine effect. I feel I have progressed in terms of appearance in my design since the first preliminary task. I have used more advanced techniques and played around with different layouts and mastheads.

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

I have discovered a lot of things about the use of technology during this project. I have used software which I would not use regularly such as Photoshop, Pages, Dafont and Slideshare and quite simply the use of the MACcomputer in general was an eye opener for me.

This has been used by 'Screen grabbing' from La Bomba website. A skill I have learned which has become very useful throughout this process and in my blog.

Photoshop has allowed me to edit, create layersedit the contrast of colors, add text and interesting fonts to my production all at once. Pages, a new programme to me has allowed me to create a very effective double page spread. Ihave been able to add images and larger text boxes within my article where it does not affect my text but simple just moves around it. You are able to create columns up to 7 or 8 which would be helpful in a newspaper article. I used 4 which gave me enough space to add my images and create a question and answerinterview.

Opening my own account with Slideshare has allowed me to upload powerpoint presentations which would normally take up a lot of space and allow me to compress this onto one simple slideshow. I can share any of my productions with people on this website.

http://www.slideshare.net/

Also creating my effective font i have used Dafont.com. which gives you a range of interesting designs to choose from.

This allowed me to create my masthead effectively which has palm trees in the middle signifying the exotic cuture of Reggaeton music.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience mostly by the images and headlines used.The instant Rhetorical question on the front cover.

Where have you been?

In bold red across the Artists face would make you stop and think about what this magazine could inform you on. What is so essential that you NEED to read this magazine? This question is referring to the new artist, 'Loca' which means 'crazy' in Spanish who is new on the scene, so if you havent heard of her then the question would apply to you.

I believe the title of my magazine will also attract my audience well as 'Low down' is a slang term for getting the gossip on something, indicating this magazine will fill you in on anything you need to know. 'Low down' also suggest the way my audience dances to Reggaeton, the genre of music. I used lures, the sweet spot and puffs to entice my reader. Also a typical free CD from Daddy Yankee shown on the contents page. The mode of address I used would also be appealing to my market as it is in a conversational tone and friendly and so will make the reader relaxed. Popular celebrities will always attract readers to this magazine with exclusive interviews and reviews especially when it is written in a more fabolous way.


The Front Cover colours are especially enticing as there are sweets in the background making the magazing look tasty and fun. What do you think about when you see this ??

Mmmmmm.....

Looks Tempting.

This Strategy would especially work with young people who are sweet addicts. It brings out the electric make-up used on the girl and would stand out compared to any other dull looking magazine. Like:

White background? Violin? Black, simple font?

NO WAY!!

I am pretty sure I did attract my audience where questions where asked through feedback in this video.

http://jcrossanmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/feedback-on-cover-and-contents.html

Who would be the audience for your music magazine?

I researched the readers profile for Mixmag and decided to base my target audience on roughly the same group. A readers profile gives a specific outline for who would read my production.

http://jcrossanmedia.blogspot.com/2010/11/target-audience.html

This mood board is full of specific objects, artists that my audience is into. My magazine front cover, contents and double page spread features mainly women although they are not the majority audience. I was aiming to reach roughly 60% male and 40% female. A male is featured on my contents page in the freebie CD, Daddy Yankee, a popular reggaeton artist. Although I have used a woman, this still would attract the male gaze due to the type of music genre being mainly dominated by male artists and the seductive pose of the model on the front will also bring in male audiences. The fact dark colours have been used such as purples and reds are unisex and not mainly related to a specific sex. The image has a black background for effect and the image has connotations of mysteriousness as the girl is not looking at the camera, fun and flirtaciousness. Reggaeton type music such as Shakira can also be seen to have this kind of pose which connotes independance and her fiery attitude.

http://www.inrumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Shakira-had-a-brief-meeting-with-President-Obama-1.jpg

A typical feature within my magazine will be reveiws of gigs and concerts, reveiws of upcoming artists and celebrity gossip. These sections would satisfy the people who are very into the technical side of music, discussing how good a concert was and finding out an A-Z list of where to go next. There will be DJ interveiws to keep the audience up to date will the most recent performances and raves. Applying the uses and gratification theory here thinking about 'what people do with media' rather than 'what media does with people' I suggest that my readers will apply this knowledge of such a wide range of artists out there to help them make up their mind on what parties to go to and what music to listen to. Realising what suits them the most.

The age group here would be of people from 16-25, students who are full of vitality and on the move 24/7 up for anything. Majority will be studying, aspiring people who are either at university or working in the city having a strong knowledge of what is on in the raving scene.

The audience for my Media product would be young adults from 16 to mid 20’s and of working or middle social class. The ethnicity is not completely specific but mostly my magazine will be aimed at Black, Latin and Asian groups. Not all will be London based, as I said before some will be international as I feel the magazine will sell more copies this way and reach more of the targeted audience.

What kind of institution might distribute your magazine and why?

What kind of Institution might distribute your music magazine and why?

My magazine will be distributed in typical locations such as supermarkets, Borders, Zavvi, HMV, supermarkets and newsagents. This is a traditional method of distribution and research has shown the greatest sellers of magazines are Tesco and Sainsbury's as families shop here. Typical places as HMV and Zavvi specialise in such music publications so fans will flock to these places specifically for these music magazines.

My target audience, equally male and female, aged from 16-25 and of a middle/working social class would mainly visit these locations so is perfect for such a distribution. My magazine will be placed in a section with other music magazines such as Mixmag as they are of a similar genre. More publications will be distributed within central London as there is a larger audience demographic and the genre is more widely recognized. My magazine could also be distributed in such popular venues like Ministry Of Sound and club Seone in London Bridge where many events such as 'La Bomba',http://www.la-bomba.co.uk/a typical Reggaeton parties takes place. This could gather a dedicated audience and regular purchase due to reinforcement every time an event happens here.

However, in todays society online distribution is becoming more and more popular. As everything is available on the internet, magazines are becoming less attractive and websites are easier to access and more efficient. Also such popular ways to information is though podcasts which are used on Kerrangs websites. These give live interveiws from concerts and gigs. The adverts on these websites generate the income for the magazine. Also online subscription is quicker and easier as people can pay with card instantly and can subscribe to yearly/monthly copies. It is all about targeting your audience in the most appropriate way possible especially dealing with a young audience, the internet is the most effective option. Cross media platforms are crucial as Kerrang also send text updates, E-mails, listen to the radio online and have chat forums.

http://www.kerrang.com/blog/features/

Podcats:

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How does your music magazine represent particular social groups?

Earlier in this blog, this question arose and through an analytical process of each image I had taken and used I realised how my magazine represented particular social groups. Through this process you notice the subconscious connotations that can come through your images accidentally.
My media product represents a social group which is not very well recognised in society at the moment. There is not an actual magazine out there which caters for this type of music as most people are oblivious to it. This is the Latin American/ Black group, of who are roughly from 16-26 years old. I represent this social group by the music featured inside, the colloquial language used, the ethnicity of the artists and the events that are promoted.


http://jcrossanmedia.blogspot.com/2010/11/representation-of-social-groups.html

In What ways does your music magazine use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of existing music magazines?

In what ways does your music magazine use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of existing music magazines?

My media product was to design a front cover, contents page and a double page spread for a magazine of my choice. It challenges the conventions of real media products by its layout. It contains a vibrant central image. The genre of my magazine is Reggaeton, which instantly challenges the conventions of typical music magazines, as this is not a well-recognised music genre. I decided it would be crucial to target this niche audience as I thought it was essential to bring it to the public attention and essentially increase awareness and diversity of music as a whole. I have represented this music in the title of my magazine being ‘Low Down’ which is a play on word for a type of dance and also the slang term ‘Low down’ meaning the ‘dirt’ or ‘gossip’. Having researched Mixmag for my magazine, (one that is similar as it is dance and DJ related), I understood typical forms and conventions for the front cover, contents and double page spread. This Cover archive gave me a lot of inspiration and the confidence to be bold with my designs, http://www.mixmag.net/category/cover-archive/. Noticing these conventions allowed me to challenge them through the use of font on my front cover, my masthead has a specific font, which has palm trees within each letter to convey the exotic nature of the music and reflecting the ethnic girl on the front as well. This is a non-conventional masthead due to the vibrant colour red connoting passion and also femininity. My main image could be seen as slightly controversial due to the sexuality exposed through this, the fact the models mouth is open with a playful sweet in her mouth however lightens the severity of this and makes it appear flirty and fun. This image is specifically targeted at the male gaze. This image is very contrasting to such plain and straightforward covers but also similar The mode of address is very informal and used colloquial language which breaks certain magazine conventions. I have used some slang vocabulary in certain aspects of my magazine because this suits my target audience and will make them feel as if they are speaking to a friend.

However on my front cover I thought it was crucial to follow a vast amount of typical conventions such as one main image on the front, which is eye catching and vibrant, the image reflects the youthful age of my audience which is typical due to the sweets being used ad the primary colours. I use a rhetorical question as the cover line, which is unconventional, ‘Where have you been?’ which indicates to the audience have missed out on something, making them want to read more and get the ‘low down’ inside.

My contents page was based on other inspiring contents pages I saw in Mixmag. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/3018173771_eef74e0a09.jpg . I followed conventions such as a further image of my featured ‘celebrity’ inside with a larger font beside it revealing the page number to break up the amount of writing. This makes it easier and more efficient for the audience to find what they want. Each category has its own heading with the featured content below, helping the audience to familiarise themselves with the magazine and content that is regularly used. I have used a freebie at the bottom, a CD giveaway used as a lure for my audience, used to reinforce my genre of music and promote specific artists.

My double page spread holds a very typical layout; I decided to keep it simple in the beginning and then observing other double page spreads I noticed mine was too plain where I have shown my step by step process in my previous post. I decided continuity was a crucial factor and altering the colour code from green to a more attractive pink and red scheme would link in more to my female audience, although stereotypical it will also reflect the artist used, an attractive female. The colours connote her fiery attitude and sexiness.