Formal Evaluation

Introduction
I decided to choose the print option for my AS Media coursework as I prefer to work on my own and not have to rely on anyone else. Also felt that I would enjoy the opportunity to develop skills on how to use programmes such as InDesign and Photoshop. I began by researching music magazines already available on the market and analysing the typical conventions that they use. I then identified a gap in the market that I wanted to fill, especially as I am interested in this genre of music.
For my print project I created a pop music magazine aimed at teenage girls, aged between 13-18. It consisted of a front cover, a contents page and a double page spread. I chose to create a pop music magazine as I felt that there was a gap in the market that needed filling due to the axe of Smash Hits magazine a few years ago.
I called my magazine 'Glamourous' as I felt that this was a very feminine name that would clearly identify the target audience. I decided to price my magazine at £2.00 and it would be published monthly.

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

I have tried to follow the conventions of real magazines as closely as possible to make my final product seem as genuine as I could make it. As there are no specific magazines directly dedicated to the pop music genre I felt that I was at an advantage as it gave me more freedom about the choices I had to make for my magazine.
One convention that I have noticed that the majority of all magazines use, is a large, clear masthead at the top of the page. I followed this convention by making my masthead stand out by putting it in a very large font, that would appeal specifically to a female audience to make it stand out on the shelf. This is obviously very important as although there are no specific pop music magazines, there are still a large amount of music magazines already available and so it is vital that my magazine catches the readers attention.
Another convention that a lot of magazines use is to follow a colour scheme throughout the magazine. I have followed this by using a very feminine colour scheme throughout the whole of my magazine as this is more likely to appeal to the intended audience. I have used lots of pinks and purples so that girls are likely to be attracted to the magazine. In my article, I made put the questions in a pink font so that they were easily identifiable and I left the answers in a plain black font so that they were easy to read, but I felt that the colours worked well together to make the article appear very professional.
To make my front cover seem more genuine I included a barcode, price and issue number as this is obviously a convention of most magazines. On the contents page I included the website of the magazine, which I felt also added a professional finish to my media product. Finally, at the bottom of my double page spread I included a small paragraph about whrere readers could purchase The Untouchables new album, and I included their website address as I felt that this would make the article seem more realsitic.
One convention that I found is that a lot of magazines tend to overcrowd the front page and make it seem very 'busy'. This is so they can fit as much information as possible onto the front page to try and make it as appealing as possible to the audience. I have challenged this convention and left my front cover quite bare, as I feel that the 'less is more' approach usually works quite well. By not overcrowding my front page it is very easy to identify the main feature article of my magazine , but I have listed other features included in my magazine down the left hand side to give readers a clue as to what my magazine contains.
This is also the case with my contents page. A lot of magazines tend to crowd the page with lots of information which can be quite overwhelming for the reader. I chose to leave my contents page quite bare so that the reader can easily locate the article they are looking for.
I feel that my double page spread follows the typical conventions of a magazine quite well. I have put all of my text into columns which makes it easier for the reader to read. I have also included a large image of the band, with one smaller one which is what I also found a lot of magazines tend to do. Finally, I put a quote from the interview in bold across the picture of the band which is what a lot of magazines do to attract the readers attention and make them want to read the article.

2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I think that my magazine represents a sterotypical teenage girl audience. This is through the use of lots of feminine colours such as pinks and purple, and feminine fonts, such as the one used for the masthead which appeal to a dominantly female audience. The images I have used show a typical girl group, which again are likely to appeal to a young female audience.

My article also represents issues related with young teenage girls. One question asks the group about being role models for young girls, and the response tackles issues such as being a healthy weight and not going out drinking too much. This is something that is mainly associated with young girls and so by including this in the magazine I feel that it represents issues concerning a young female audience.

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

I think that many music institutions would be interested in distributing my music magazine as it is likely to appeal to quite a large audience. Pop music is not a niche genre of music and appeals to a wide variety of people, although one disadvantage is that my magazine is only likely to appeal to a female audience.

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

The main target audience for my magazine would be teenage girls aged between 13 and 18. I feel that my music magazine targets this specific audience very well through the use of colours and fonts used. Although pop music appeals to a large variety of people, I feel that young girls are the main target audience. Before beginning to create my magazine I conducted an interview to find out if girls of this age would be interested in purchasing a music magazine and the results proved that they would be interested in purchasing a music magazine such as this.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

I addressed my audience through the use of feminine fonts and colours which I felt would attract the audiences attention. I chose to use a pink background, and a hot pink title as I felt that this would clearly identify my target audience and attract them to the magazine. The title of my magazine 'Glamourous' also clearly addresses a dominantly female audience, and I used this to attract their attention.

The main image of a girl band on the front cover is also likely to be appealing to a teenage girl audience as it clearly reflects the genre of the magazine. The costumes, locations and poses of all the images were taken into consideration to make them appealing to the intended audience as much as possible.

Down the left hand side there is a list of features included in the magazine. The font used here is another very female font, used to make it more appealing to the intended audience, and the features are also likely to be appealing to the audience.

My article also addresses the audience as altough I chose to leave the background white, I feel that the combination of black and pink font works well and looks very effective. The images used are very girly so that the audience can relate to them and I feel that the finished product works well to clearly address the audience and attract their attention.

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

I have learnt alot about technologies whilst constructing my media product. Before completing this coursework I had never used InDesign, Photoshop or http://www.blogger.com/ and so I have learnt a lot during completing this project.

Blogger has been the main technological programme I have used throughout this project as I have often put down my initial thoughts for my project and recorded the changes as time has gone on. Recording my work in this way was a much easier and more practical way than if I was to hand write all of my work. Also this ment that all of my work could be stored in one place so it is very easy to access my work.

Through the combination of using both InDesign and Photoshop I have learnt a wide range of new skills, as I had never used either of the programmes before this project. Although at first I did not like using this software, I grew happier using it once I learnt how to use it a bit more. Without using these programmes it is unlikely that I could have finished my music magazine to the standard that I achieved and so were very beneficial throughout the project.

7) Looking back on your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I have progressed an awful lot throughout this project as when I was making my preliminary task this was the first time I had ever used InDesign and Photoshop. Completing the preliminary task was beneficial as it helped me to learn the basics of both programmes, which helped me to finish my final product to a higher standard.

Looking back at my preliminary task I realised how much I had actually learnt from the beginning of my coursework. The standard of my preliminary task is very poor and it does not look very genuine at all. The fonts and colours are very dull and the front page is extremely bare so therefore it doesn't identify any specific genre. Although it follows some basic magazine conventions such as a large, clear masthead, the overall finish of the magazine is very poor.

Conclusion

Overall I am extremely happy with the way my final product has tunrned out. I feel that it clearly identifies the intended target audience and follows many typical magazine conventions which makes it appear more professional. I feel that the choice of colours and fonts I have used work well together to make it seem very genuine.

I feel that the front cover looks very professional and I feel that it would attract the intended audience. Also I am happy with the way my double page spread has turned out as I feel that it looks very professional and the colours break up the text to make it more appealing for the reader to read.

However, one aspect which I feel I could have improved on is my contents page. I think that I could have included another image or a bit more text as the page seems a little bare. Also it appears to look quite 'boxy' and sturctured which I think stops it from looking as genuine as what it could do.

If I were to do this project again I would manage my time more carefully to make sure that I didn't miss out any of the most important factors of the magazine. Also I would spend less time on the less important factors of the magazine and concentrate more on the more important areas.

Evaluation - Questionnaire Results

I sent out a questionnaire to 10 people within the target audience for my magazine. Here are the results:

1) What does the title suggest to you?

• The title 'Glamourous' suggests that the magazine is intended for a female audience, though it doesn't suggest that it is a music magazine.
• The title suggests that it is intended for girls/women.
• The title suggests that it is a female magazine.
• The title suggests that it is intended for females but it doesn't suggest what kind of magazine it is.
• The title suggests that it is a female magazine, but it sounds more like a fashion magazine, rather than a pop music magazine.
• The title suggests that it is a high profile magazine, perhaps quite expensive and glossy.
• The title suggests that it is for a female audience.
• The title suggests that it is a female magazine, but there is no clue as to what the magazine is about.
• The title of the magazine suggests that it is a girly magazine, intended for a girl audience.
• The title of the magazine suggests that it is a mainly female magazine.

2) What genre/type of music does the magazine focus on and how do you know this?

• The magazine focuses on pop music and this is clear because of the information provided down the side of the magazine such as 'Top 40 Chart' indicates that it is a pop music magazine.
• The image of the band suggests to me that this is a pop music magazine because of the way in which they are dressed and the pose that they taking.
• The colours and fonts tell me that this is a magazine as it is all very girly and pink which stereotypically suggests that this is a pop magazine.
• The information on what is provided on the inside of the magazine shows that this is a pop music magazine.
• The layout of the magazine clearly shows that this is a pop music magazine because of the choice of language and colours and fonts used.
• It is obvious that pop music is what the magazine focuses on as the band look like a very stereotypical pop girl band.
• The pink background makes it obvious that it is intended for girls, and this combined with the dominant image of the band on the page and the choice of fonts suggests that it is pop as it follows the typical magazine conventions.
• The name of the band 'The Untouchables' and their album 'Through With Love' are typical names of pop music bands and songs.
• Most young girls tend to be the target audience for poop music magazine and as this magazine is clearly intended for this audience it suggests to me that it is a pop music magazine.
• It is clear that it is a music magazine as the sub-title suggests this, and the very girly look of the magazine makes it very clear that this is most likely to be a music magazine.

3) What makes the pages look professional and what stops them from looking professional?

• The front page and double page spread look very professional, but the contents page is a little too bare which stops it from looking professional.
• The images make the magazine look very professional as the band looks like a typical pop music girl group.
• The picture of the CD with the band on the front makes the front page look very professional as magazines usually have a competition included on the front page.
• The article looks very professional as the text is all arranged into columns with a large image of the band at the top which makes it look very believeable.
• All the different fonts and colours used in the magazine make it seem professional as this is what real magazines tend to do.
• The contents page could include a bit more text on the magazine which would make it seem a bit more professional.
• The glossy pages gives the magazine a professional finish.
• The two different font colours used to distinguish the questions and answers on the article makes it seem more realistic.
• The star adevertising the competition on the contents page makes it seem slightly less professional.
• The questions asked to the band make it seem very believable and professionally presented.

4) How genuine does the front cover seem?

• The front cover does look very professionally finished.
• The front cover does seem very genuine, although front covers sometimes have a bit more information on them.
• It seems very genuine and it clearly identifies it's target audience.
• If the front cover was a little more 'busy' it would probably seem more genuine.
• The way in which the feature article clearly stands out on the front page makes it seem very genuine to me.
• The different fonts and colours all clearly address the target market and make it appealing to them which makes the magazine seem genuine.
• The list of features included in the magazine makes it seem genuine as this is likely to encourage the reader to want to buy the magazine.
• The front cover follows the typical conventions of a magazine and includes little things such as a barcode and price which add to the finish of the magazine.
• The competition at the bottom of the page makes it seem very genuine, especially as a picture of the bands album has been used.
• The way in which the text down the left hand side of the magazine makes the front cover seem more genuine as it stops it from looking 'boxy'.

5) Does the contents page simply inform or does it also manage to interest you in reading the rest of the magazine?

• The large picture of the band in the bottom corner of the magazine makes the contents -page seem more interesting but there is not much more to capture the readers attention.
• The contents page mainly just informs the reader, apart from the two pictures of the band.
• The advertisement of the competition is likely to interest the reader and make them want to read on.
• The contents page seems a little bit bare, I think more could be included to make it seem more interesting.
• The large picture of the band is likely to make the reader want to read the rest of the magazine.
• The contents looks a little bit 'boxy', but the pictures manage to interest the reader.
• The images will make the reader want to read the main feature article but is not likely to make them want to read the rest of the magazine.
• The pictures of the band and the advertisement for the competition is likely to make the reader want to continue reading the rest of the magazine.
• The bright pink background is likely to attract the readers attention and combined with the images this is likely to interest the reader.
• The large image of the girl group with the title down the side of the picture and the page number included is likely to make the reader want to go on and read the article.

6) Does the article sound like a piece of journalism? If not what bits don't sound right?

• The article does seem very genuine as the questions and responses were very much like what you would read in a real magazine.
• The introduction to the interview makes the article sound like a piece of journalism.
• The little advertisement at the bottom of the page makes it sound like a piece of journalism as this is usually included in interviews in magazines.
• The quote enlarged across the picture of the band makes the article seem very genuine as this is usually included in magazine interviews.
• The question about being a role model for young girls makes the article sound like a piece of journalism as this is a big issue in the media at the moment.
• The way in which the question and answers are in different colours makes the article look very professional and it makes it easier for the reader to read.
• The language choice used in the article makes it seem very realistic.
• The questions asked to the band were questions which are normally asked in this type of magazine interview, so this makes it seem like a genuine piece of journalism.
• Both the questions asked, and the bands responses make the article seem very genuine.

Final Completed Product

Mock-Up of Double Page Spread

Mock-Up of Contents Page

This is how I plan the contents page of my magazine to look. The contents will be clearly listed down the right hand side of the magazine so readers can easily identify any articles that they particularly want to read. In the top left corner of the contents page, there will be another advertisement highlighting where readers can find the competition which was advertised on the front page. In the bottom left hand corner of my contents page, there will be another image of my band which tells readers where they can find the main article of the magazine.

Mock-Up of Front Cover

This is how I plan the front cover of my magazine to look. I will not make it look too busy, and only use one large image of my band so that the readers attention is directly drawn to the main article. I plan on calling my magazine 'Glamourous' as I feel that this will directly appeal to a female audience. This will be positioned at the top of the front page in a large feminine font so that it clearly stands out on the page. Down the left hand side of the front page there will be a list of features that are included in the magazine, in order to try and interest the reader to buy the magazine. At the bottom of the page I plan to advertise a competition that gives readers the chance to win a free copy of my bands new album as I feel that this is a typical convention of a magazine, as magazines often contain competitions such as these.

Analysis of Double Page Spread