Evaluation

The cover of my magazine has been inspired by other music magazines which have similar codes and conventions that I have followed. The photograph has a strong composition and the subject makes eye contact with the camera to connect with the people that view it. The masthead is situated in the top left corner and is big and bold so the name is remembered and is the first bit of text you see. The name ‘metronome’ is also very relevant to the style of music as it is a device used to create a recurring beat which is used in the music industry. The cover lines are situated down the left hand side and fit around the photograph to make it look appealing and as we read from left to right, it makes it look comfortable and easy to read what is inside. The cover lines also have different sections; the bigger text shows a different section and stands out so it grabs the attention of the viewer. There is a drop shadow effect on these bits of text to make it stand out even more. It also has more information underneath which is in a smaller font, as this isn’t as important. Finally, there is a warm colour scheme which, provides a calm, relaxed atmosphere and therefore reflects the genre of music. A price, issue number and the date are situated under the masthead to provide information. This is also in a smaller font as it is considered less important than the contents of the magazine however is a necessity that needs to be shown.

The contents page title is big and bold to grab the attention of the viewer and is situated in the top left hand corner. This provides a link with the front cover, as the mast head was also situated in the top left hand corner. The photographs on the contents page are to provide an example of what is on that page and entice people to want to turn to that page. Bold page numbers are embedded into the photographs which are easy to read and are to simply show what page to turn to. A quote and brief description is added under the photograph to describe what is on that page. The quote is bigger as this is generally the more interesting and enticing element whereas the brief description informs what that page is more about. The photograph in the middle is slightly bigger than the rest, making this the main feature. It also links with the front cover. Finally, there is a block of colour with white text which advertises winning free tickets to a festival. The white text on a block of colour stands out, making it eye-catching. The question is in capital letters and bold to entice people to enter the competition.

The double page spread has a big, bold heading, which would be the first bit of text to be seen. This is to entice the reader and tell them what this page is about and so the heading is remembered. It has a drop shadow to make it stand out even more and these chosen colours to link it with the photograph. There is a quote, which is bigger than the article, as the eye is drawn to bigger text. This quote is short but interesting so the viewer reads the article. A photograph is used for the background with the subject looking at the camera to create a connection. It is an important aspect to the double page spread as it illustrates the article and is to show that the article is about the artist photographed. It is also bright and attractive so viewers like to look at it. The article itself is set out in to two columns so it is easy to view and understand and is in a small size font to make it more realistic. A paragraph is situated under the heading to describe the artist and provide information to the viewer. Finally, an advertisement of the new song by this artist is situated in a bold, red circle to make it stand out so people remember this date and the name of the song.

The majority of my photographs are of men, which are represented as being strong and also quite stylish. The photographs are not stereotypical, however are quite fashionable through the clothing they are wearing and the composition. For my photograph on the front cover, the relaxed body language represents the subject as laid back and quite confident. His clothing is smart but casual and the hair compliments this. There is quite a warm feel to this photograph as it was shot purposely at sunset to create this. I feel the warmth adds a sense of calm and serenity, which reflects the genre well. Although the stance is quite strong and confident, this warmth shows a softer, different side to males as they are stereotyped as tough. The text however, is quite bold and block which represents the tougher side to males. The photographs represent young people, as the model is quite young and the text shows him to be British as it mentions being up for The Brit awards. The genre of music is represented through the colour theme, photograph and text, including the masthead. The colour theme is warm bringing a calm mood to the magazine. The photograph is quite simple, adding to this calm mood and an acoustic guitar is included in the photograph to enhance the genre.      

IPC, International Publishing Corporation, is a publishing company for magazines owned by Time Inc and based in London. It focuses on three core audiences, these being: men, mass market women and upmarket women. The targeted men’s magazines include NME, Nuts and Rugby World compared to the mass market women’s magazines comprising of Look, Now and Woman. Upmarket women’s division includes luxury fashion brands such as Marie Claire and InStyle. These three target audiences have different aspects which set them aside from each other and other target audiences. For example, mass-market women’s magazines such as Now are expected to contain gossip and celebrity news, which is something a vast amount of women are interested in and enjoy reading. Whereas, the majority of men compared to women are more interested in Rugby.  Magazines are sold mainly through advertisements due to the market researchers have started to categorise audiences in terms of needs and motivation rather than simple demographic factors. This has become more effective for advertisers as consumers can be targeted directly through their needs and desires.

The possible demographic that would buy my magazine would be teenagers of age’s 16- 19 of either gender and of working class. This is due to the contents of the magazine, including upcoming festivals and events, the bright, warm colours and the photographs of a young male. This is also because the language of the magazine is very informal and chatty. The possible psychographic that would buy my magazine would be free-spirited, creative young singles. This is due to the acoustic theme of the magazine and the age in which it is targeted at. The acoustic genre is creative and free- spirited as the lyrics are important and an acoustic guitar can be played wherever. The uses and gratifications theory is where the audience selects the media they consume for a reason. They consider and choose what information to take in. The uses and gratifications theory follows a basic model, this having four sections. These are: Information, Personal identity, integration and social interaction and entertainment. By seeking out media a person fulfils a need to be informed. For example, some people buy the Daily Mail to find out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world. Personal identity is a way of using the media to gain insight into one’s self and Integration and social interaction is a way of using the media to gain insight into others and gaining a sense of belonging. Finally, the media is a way of entertaining which relaxes or helps people escape from problems. 

The audience of my magazine is for people of age’s 16-19 of either gender. The audience would be interested in my magazine due to many reasons. The photograph on the front cover is of a young male and immediately people of age’s 16-19 have something in common with the magazine. The image of an event on the contents page and the advertisement of winning tickets to Glastonbury festival is something young adults who like music are interested in and like to keep up to date and full of knowledge on. The name ‘Metronome’ is very relevant to the magazine as it is a device, which creates a beat. This would appeal to this target audience, as ‘Metronome’ is a name, which isn’t too obvious and simple for a music magazine. Therefore it is not too obvious and simple for this age group. The language is quite informal and sociable which is something this age group relate to. The layout, including the colour theme is attractive due to the warm, harmonising colours, yet informative, providing information, which would appeal to this target audience. Finally, the features such as ‘Best Buys’ would appeal to this target audience, as people this age like to try and be the best and therefore purchase the best equipment etc.  A magazine such as ‘Girl Talk’ is clearly aimed at young girls. It differs vastly as it uses bright colours such as pink, which attracts girls to it. It also has a lot going on, on the front cover so the young girls are kept interested and distracted by it. It has photographs of stars they may look up to, which is a way to entice them to the magazine. Finally, the name itself will attract young girls as they think they must have it, due to being a girl.

 When constructing my magazine, there were many aspects to think about. I thought about the photography and learnt that a good photograph for a magazine included one that made eye contact with the camera, to create a connection and one that was clear and interesting to look at. I learnt that the lighting was important as it highlighted different features of the subject and in order to create a photograph, which was attractive and interesting to look at, the lighting had to be correct. I also wanted to create a warm atmosphere and calm mood with my photographs so shot the photos when the sun was going down. However, I found this a challenge as I had little time to complete the photographs. I overcame this by doing the shoot over two days. I used three programmes to construct my magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. These were: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign.  I learnt how to enhance the levels in a photograph on Photoshop, which enhanced the features. I built on my knowledge of Illustrator by learning how to use effects and also how to group things. Grouping some aspects such as text made it easier and quicker to move about. Finally I learnt a lot in InDesign as this I haven’t previously used. I learnt how to create columns with text boxes and link each column, so if I added some more text, it would continue to the next column. I also learnt how to fit photographs proportionately and how to add effects to them to make them stand out. The production process started with the front cover of my magazine. I chose the photograph I liked the most to be on the front cover and then added my masthead to the top left hand corner. I added a white outline so it stood out more and made the text red to fit with my photograph. I added my cover lines down the left hand side making some of the text slightly bigger. I added a drop shadow on these so they stand out. I put a block of colour at the bottom of the page and added some white text for my advertisement. This is to make it prominent. I then made another advertisement at the top right hand corner, this time inside a circle. Finally for my front cover I added the barcode and the information, including the price, issue number and date. After my front cover, I moved on to the contents page. Firstly I added to heading and date to the top left hand corner. I then added my photographs and some lines to break up the contents page. I added a block of colour for my advertisement and added the bold white text. I then wrote some quotes and a brief description under my photographs. Finally, I added page numbers and what else is featured in the magazine. For my double page spread I made a photograph my background. I then added the text and heading, placing it in the top left hand corner. I added my quote and the advertisement, making them stand out and finally added the necessary effects to the heading.

Looking back on my preliminary task, I can see a vast improvement from the work then to my work now. The similarities are that the masthead is in the top left hand corner and the cover lines down the side. They both include photographs and information. There are similar effects on the text in both my preliminary task and final product. However, there is quite a few differences and also improvements. The photograph on my preliminary task has a shadow on the face, making the eyes unable to be seen, whereas my final product has the eyes connecting with the camera. This is an improvement as it creates a connection with the viewer. The Masthead is small on my preliminary task, whereas on my final product it is big, bold and stands out so the name is remembered. The cover lines are small and there is a lot of space on the front cover of my preliminary task whereas on my final product it is full and the cover lines stand out so people are drawn to the magazine. Finally there is not a lot of information on my preliminary task compared to my final. It is very bland whereas my final product is busy and interesting to look at.