Thursday, 15 April 2010
Looking back at your preliminary task (the school magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?
There are many skills and methods I have learnt from first creating my school magazine cover to completing my music magazine pages. These all include layout including images and text, use of imagery with the sizing of images and placement, various fonts which differ from small thin text to large bold text and how to address my target audience. This has been achieved by using new and effective technologies to research and annotate successful magazines as well as to complete my final music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Who would be the audience for your media product?
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
In what ways does your Media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real Media products?
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Tune Music Magazine Contents Page
Tune Music Magazine Front Cover
Tune Magazine Front Cover Step-by-step
Tune Magazine Front Cover Possible Images
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Music Magazine Colour Designs
From these colour designs I can see which ones are most effective and relate to the genre of music which I am focusing on; hip hop. I feel the blue/yellow and pink/turquoise works the best as the masthead and text stands out over the background colours. They also relate to the genre hip hop as the bright loud colours reflect the type of music. I will decide which one works the best when I include my own main image onto the design. This image will have to stick to the main colour scheme on the front cover.
Music Magazine Design
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Evaluation of School magazine (front cover and contents page)
My school magazine front and contents pages both capture the conventions of a real ordinary magazine. It contains a large, bold and clear logo which I know is essential for a good quality and selling magazine. This logo in my opinion can relate to school life and many students, as the title ‘SCHOOL’S OUT’ captures pupils attention as it suggests it is time out of education to relax, however they will be reflecting on the school and learning as a whole gathering new useful information when reading. I put the logo on both pages to keep to the same style and design and not loose the effect it gives like many other magazines.
Other essentials that are used on every selling magazine include a barcode, date, price and possibly a slogan which nearly all well know magazines have these days, rather than when they started publishing. All of the text on the page is visible and easy to read even from a distance. The texts on both pages are all the same or similar colours to keep the traditional patterns and looks that various magazines stick to.
The medium close up of a student covering the background reflects many magazines, as they all usually show one main image which stands out (this is normally a person). This image is also mainly placed in the centre or one side of the magazine, with the text on the other. This is the layout I used because my research showed many best selling magazines are similar and I wanted to make mine look and feel real in the same ways.
I think another main part of my front cover which gives the professional look of an actually magazine, is the few small images on both the front and contents pages. This is because the audience is mainly attracted to the photography in the magazines. I placed them at an angle to reflect the modern day designs as they are much more advanced, with images overlapping text etc.
I used a desk top publisher (DTP) to create most of my front cover and contents page. I found it useful to manipulate the imagery and text, especially when re-arranging the layout. I used a design programe to create my logo to give it a good look and to have the similar finish like other magazines.
I believe I reflect the values of the target audience as I show what information that is included in the magazine, using images which are eye catching.
The main aim of my magazine, if it was real and available to students, is to give them what they want and more, and for each pupil to look forward to the next issue.
Creating these two pages will help me design and create my final music magazine pages, with the different uses of imagery and layout.
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
School Magazine Logo design
School Magazine Introduction
Investigating two magazines currently on sale in Britain
http://www.qthemusic.com/
Introduction
Q is a monthly magazine dedicated to music. It has been the best selling music magazine since 1986. With the magazine at its best, it has expanded in different directions, producing Q radio, TV, Qthemusic.com and especially the famous Q awards.
Regular Features and content of Q
Q music contains the latest information regarding new music releases, music compilations live concert reviews and TV and radio reviews. These reviews use a star rating system. Many issues of the magazine are devoted to interviews with popular musical artists.
The most well know content in the magazine is the many lists they contain in each issue. These vary from 100 greatest albums to 100 greatest pop artists.
A usual feature is the Q50, which regularly lists the top 50 essential tracks of the month.
Publishing Institutions of Q
Q is published monthly by a company called Bauer consumer media.
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/About
Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Publishing Group; Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Bauer Publishing Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 230 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations.
Typical Reader Profile
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Q
Open minded experience seekers, the Q audience don’t define themselves by the music they listen to. Music is an important passion, but their love of music will never be to the detriment of their other passions, such as film, sport and comedy.
For the front cover, Q has many conventions and norms.
The logo is always placed in the left hand corner which is a magazine icon and only changes on a few occasions (being special editions). The slogan ‘The UK’s biggest music magazine’ is usually placed at the top of the cover in bold writing.
Another convention is the list of artists on the cover. In every issue you will see highlighted the main artists which will be reviewed, question or advertised. This is similar to other magazines of different genres.
The other main convention of Q is the image on the cover; it usually overlaps text and regularly covers part of the logo.
There is normally an advert showing you what list is in the magazine. It is usually circular and one or two words and bolder and highlighted to stand out.
Does Q reflect the values of its audience?
Q does reflect the values of its audience, it contains all the latest information regarding music including; new songs, albums, reviews, concerts and artists. It exceeds the reader’s expectations regarding the magazine due to all of the content in every single issue. The reader and audience are rarely unsatisfied as the magazine is still growing with the number of reader’s increasing. The magazine itself never looses sight of their task and aims, as many other magazines seem to fade away from the overall title. Each issue is very similar but it is the content which makes it such an impressive magazine.
Investigating two magazines currently on sale in Britain
http://www.empireonline.com/magazine/
Choice one: Empire Film Magazine
Introduction
Empire is the UK’s biggest movie magazine published monthly. Since the first issue debuted in 1989, it has consistently outsold all of its market rivals. As this magazine keeps growing and gaining more readers, it has expanded in many ways, including organizing the famous Empire Awards, which are voted by the readers of this film magazine.
Regular Features and content of Empire
Similarly to many other film magazines, Empire contains latest movie news, images, reviews and previews. What makes Empire more popular than other film magazines is the content, as it goes into huge amounts of detail and depth in its articles. Its reviews and description of mainstream films are very detailed in text and imagery, for those film fanatics.
It also contains a regular top 10 list, which features Empire’s top ten examples of something related to film. For example, 10 best shootout scenes, or 10 best chase scenes. These types of features encourage the readers to write in if they disagree with the outcomes.
Celebrity Mastermind is another regular as it asks celebrities questions about the films they were in or they directed. Most of these are at the top of their career in the film industry. The most know regular feature is the Masterpiece section, which is a double page text on any film. These are selected by Empire and can be from any genre of film.
Editors of Empire
Overall, Empire Magazine has had eight editors in its history. The list includes: Barry Mclheney, Phil Thomas, Andrew Collins, Mark Salisbury, Ian Nathan, Colin Kennedy, Mark Dinning and even Stephen Spielberg (guest edited the 20th anniversary issue, June 2009).
Publishing Institutions of Empire
Empire is published monthly by a company called Bauer consumer media.
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/About
Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Publishing Group; Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Bauer Publishing Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 230 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations.
Typical Reader Profile
The typical Empire reader is male, has a well paid occupation and lifestyle, and is a film fanatical and cinema bound. He is interested in the detail of film and beyond the movies themselves.
Layout and trademarks- including forms and conventions
For the front cover, Empire has many conventions and norms.
The date and price are commonly situated above the ‘M’ of the Masthead. The website is placed underneath; this is a common convention for this particular magazine.
Another convention is the barcode, as it is regularly sideways and not normally at the bottom of the cover like many magazines of all genres.
The other main convention of Empire is the main image, as it usually is coming out over certain text, especially the title. With most Empire magazines you can rarely see the entire title.
‘First look’ shows it is exclusive to this magazine; this is regularly used in each issue. It makes the audience want to read it.
Does Empire reflect the values of its audience?
Empire does reflect the values of its audience, as they (the audience) expect to find latest film reviews, news and images. People who tend to read this particular magazine are real film fans and are very enthusiastic, therefore want everything in detail. They will also discover latest news on the people behind the films, including directors, and even personal information regarding actors and actresses. The reason Empire is one of the biggest magazines in Britain is due to the fact that it gives the reader’s and the audience what they want, and more. With every issue the reader will feel satisfied and will look forward to the next month. Empire magazine goes beyond the film fanatic’s expectations.