Drafts and Photo Information

The images above represent the layouts that I will be using to create the front cover, contents page and double page spread of my magazine. To create these three pages I will be using a combination of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, these programs are part of the Adobe Creative Suite 4. These pieces of software will allow me to complete the task to a very high standard as they are programs that are used within the print and design industry to create professional media products.

The photos I will be using within the media product have all been taken by myself at two different locations. The indoor location is at Pure Nightclub and these photos were taken of DJs playing at an Under 18s event. This is a perfect opportunity to take photos that relate directly to both the audience and the genre of the magazine.

The second venue is a derelict hotel, this venue allows me to take photos that suit the general urban mood of the double page spread. The photoshoot at the hotel will feature a famous DJ and the combination of his pose and his surroundings will provide a unique photographic style that will compliment the design of the double page spread as a whole. Editing of the photo will get rid of any imperfections and will add a professional feel to the photographs. A fisheye lens will be used in some photos to add a further unique effect that will attract the audience as it is very different and impressive.

All photos to be taken will feature local DJs at various venues. The photoshoot at Pure Nightclub will feature two DJs playing live so there is no reason for the them to pose as they will be taken as live shots. The DJs will be wearing their normal clothing as this reflects the fashion that is often associated with the DJ scene. The photoshoot of DJ Raspberry will feature the DJ wearing a lot more urban clothing, this is because it relates directly to the genre and style of the music that he produces and how he represents himself.

EVALUATION

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

The media product I have created uses the forms and conventions of magazines as it includes all the features commonly associated with magazine front covers, double page spreads and content pages. The front cover I have created conforms to the codes and conventions of magazine front covers as it contains a main image, a title, coverlines, release date, price and a barcode. The front cover challenges the forms and conventions of a front cover as it features a main image that has been taken at an angle. The main coverlines of the page have been formatted so that they are at the same angle as the photo. This challenges the codes and conventions of a magazine front cover as the main coverlines have been put at an angle but the other sets of coverlines have not.
The contents page I have created uses forms and conventions of magazine contents pages as it features many different images and has information on key features of the magazine. Each photo on the page has been labelled so that the audience can easily identify what the photo represents and what page it is on. The contents page I have created challenges forms and conventions of a magazine contents page as it does not contain information on every page of the magazine and not all features have been covered. This has been done mainly due to the design that I wanted to achieve and there was not enough space to add information on all features in the magazine.
The double page spread I have created uses forms and conventions of real double spreads as it features a large main image, highlighted quotes, columnated text and well placed photos. The use of white text against the blue background makes the writing stand out and adds contrast to the page. The spread challenges forms and conventions of real media products as it uses a photo that has been taking using a fish eye lens, this can often distort the perspective in which the audience view the photo. The spread also challenges the form and conventions as opposed to a title for the spread I have used a short description of the interviewee. The name of the interviewee has been made bold to make the name stand out. This allows the audience to easily identify what is contained within this double page spread.

• How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The media product I have created represents particular social groups as it relates directly to teenagers and young adults by containing info on new music and nightclubs across the UK. This is particular popular with the aforementioned age groups and the way in which the media product has been designed and written to relate directly to the particular social group. The mise-en-scene of photos taken for the magazine also shows a direct relationship between the photo and the aforementioned social groups.

• What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

An independent media institution might distribute the media I product I have created due to many reasons. The main reason is that the magazine targets a niche audience and bigger media institutions may not be willing to distribute the media product due to the small target audience. A media institution that deals solely with music magazines or even DJ magazines may be willing to distribute the product as it relates to the media institution and their other products. The target audience of the media product may not be appealing the larger media institutions as they may not want teenagers and young adults to be representing their key audience.

• Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my media product would be anyone that is interested in dance music, new DJs, the nightclub scene in the UK or breakbeat and electro music. Ideally this audience would be constructed of people who are interested in more than of these factors and who are either teenagers aged 16 and above or young adults. This is because the way that I have designed and written my media product is aimed primarily at people from this age range and who are interested in the particular topics within the media product. The magazine would be distributed primarily through newsagents but could also be distributed at club events at nightclubs throughout the UK as this is where people who would be interested in the magazine would be. Adverts on music blogs and other music websites would attract further audiences as the advertisements would relate to the content that they are viewing on the particular music websites.


• How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract my audience I used a combination of design and writing techniques. On the front cover the use of white to contrast against the background, the use of bright yellow for the main font and the use of magenta lines to highlight the text has been used to attract the audience. The bright colours and contrasting colours are effective as they attract the audiences attention automatically. The main image attracts the audience further more as the levels have been edited to highlight the featured DJ and also the fame of the DJ is a further attraction for the audience. On the contents page a combination of the bright background colour, colourful text boxes and contrasting text colours all make the page as a whole stand out and make it attractive for the audience. The photos of famous DJs also add further attraction as their fame is another attraction for the audience. On the double page spread the contrasting text and good main photo are they key features that attract the audience. The way in which the article has been written also relates to the audience as it has been written informally and features a famous DJ being interviewed. The placement of the smaller photo has been formatted to have a drop shadow and a thick white border, this adds the effect of the photo being from a polaroid instant camera.

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

In the process of constructing my product I have learnt how to create a streamlined workflow using the latest in professional software from Adobe. Throughout the construction of the product I used a combination of Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop from the Adobe Creative Suite 4. At the beginning of the construction of the product I was not completely literate in the use of all 3 pieces of software, upon completing the product my knowledge on the usage of the software is still not 100% but it is a lot greater than it was prior to the task. The software has allowed me to successfully manipulate and edit photos to a professional standard and has allowed me to lay up professional magazine pages with ease. For all of the photos taken for the product I used a Canon 400D SLR. This professional camera allowed me to take professional looking photos in all situations, an external strobe flash provided great lighting in darkened nightclubs as well us outdoors on well lit days, the ability to change exposures and ISO speed as well as manual focus all contributed to successfully taking professional looking photos. The use of such settings required research into how they can be changed to aid in taking good photos.

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

The most noticeable progression from the preliminary task is the way in which I know format and lay up magazine pages. This has improved noticeably from the preliminary task as the quality of photos in the full product is much higher and the use of colour, text styles and other effects is too a much higher standard. The photos used for the full product have had a lot more thought put into them whilst taking them to ensure that when put on a magazine page they will match the style that I want to achieve. The use of colours and edited photos has increased in order to create a much more attractive product that stands out within the magazine and attracts the audience. I have also learnt how to go about create a good workflow in order to complete the task efficiently and to a high standard.

Target Audience

Gender-
The magazine project that I will be constructing will be aimed at both males and females. This is because as it is a music magazine it will not be biased towards any gender.

Age-
For my magazine I will be targeting teenagers aged 16+ this is because it will be easy for me to relate directly to the audience and will enable me to construct a project that will compliment the needs of my target age group.

The magazine I am going to construct will feature music from the dance music genre. However to cater for a niche audience I have asked 100 teenagers aged 16 and above what particular sub-genre of dance music they are interested in at the present time. The graph below represent the data collected.
The bar chart clearly shows that the sub-genres Breakbeat and Electro are largely favoured by the sample of 100 teenagers that I questioned. After completing further market research it is evident that there are no magazines currently aimed at teenagers or young adults that focus only on the sub-genres breakbeat and electro.

After completing this research I have decided to create a magazine that will feature content on the dance music genres of breakbeat and electro and will be aimed solely at teenagers and young adults aged 16 and above. The magazine will have features on the local club scene and will contain interviews with new and upcoming DJs from within each genre.

PLANNING

For my magazine project I will be creating a music magazine. I have decided to base my magazine around the electro and breakbeat genres as they are two dance music genres that are currently very popular and are not solely represented by any magazine.

To produce my front cover, contents page and double page spread I will be using Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. These are part of the Creative Suite 4 and provide a professional and efficient way to complete the task. InDesign will be used to create the main magazine layout, Photoshop will be used to edit photos that will be used on the layout and Illustrator will be used to create extra vector graphics to enhance the design of the project.

All photos will be taken by myself using a Canon 400D SLR using a variety of different lenses. Photos will be taken at a variety of different locations including a nightclub, on a roadside and a beach.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

CONTENTS PAGE

FRONT COVER

Similar Media Text 4

Similar Media Text 3

Similar Media Text 2

Similar Media Text 1

Preliminary Task - Evaluation

The magazine front cover i have produced conforms to the codes and conventions that are generally associated with magazine covers. The cover has a masthead that boldly presents the name of the magazine. The main image of the cover is the edited image of the school building. The photo was edited using Adobe Illustrator by creating a live trace and editing the threshold so that photo of the building was traced accurately. Another image of a student is used on the left hand side, this is associated with one of the coverlines on the cover. The name of the magazine is effective because it has come from the name of the school and can easily be associated with the school itself.

The magazine I have made represents the students, parents and other interested adults well because it has a sophisticated look that will be appreciated by the target audience. The front cover is not cluttered so it is not hard to understand or displeasing to read, this particularly appealing to the younger generation as it does not require them to read large quantities of writing. The font i have used is very original and adds an aged look to the magazine cover that can be associated with the age of the school itself.

The magazine would be distributed by a local media institution or by the school itself. This is due to the specifics of the target audience, the magazine would be distributed to the school itself, other schools and others who have placed specific orders. The magazine would be distributed to other schools so that students at primary school can look at the opportunities at the school and influence their choice of secondary school.

The target audience for my project are students, parents and past students from the school. The magazine will have content on recent and upcoming events within the school thus appealing to the students currently at the school, and those who have left and are still intent on the successes of the school. The front cover of the magazine will have a sophisticated look, with the main image being an edited photo of the schools main building. This will appeal to older generations as it exploits the attractiveness of the architecture but it will still maintain a youthful aspect as the background for the image will be a bright colour.The combination of the bright colours and main image of the school building will attract the students as well as the older generation, the content will also do this as it will contain information on events and successes for the students and information on school life and other general information for older generations. The front cover will also feature a photo of a student from the school and will furthermore attract students and parents as they may know the student and this will make them want to find out more about what is in the magazine.

I attracted the audience by using specific fonts and colours that would relate to the audience. The main background of the image is a bright blue that fades to white in the top half of the magazine cover, this adds definition to the main image of the school building. The use of yellow and black in the masthead is relevant as they are the colours of the school uniform thus adding more links between the magazine cover and the school itself. The image of the student on the left hand side has been emphasised using a gradient feather so that it almost "fades into" the cover. The boldness of the main image attracts the older generation whereas the coverlines would attract the students due to the relevance they have in their school life.

From this project i have learnt the many codes and conventions of magazine covers and how they relate to the target audiences of magazines. Previous knowledge of Adobe Photoshop helped to produce a more effective magazine, a combination of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign CS3 were used to reach the final product. During the project I also learnt how to layout pages more effectively and create a better workflow when using the software stated.

Preliminary Task - Contents

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Preliminary Task - Final Front Cover

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Preliminary - Target Audience

The target audience for my project are students, parents and past students from the school. The magazine will have content on recent and upcoming events within the school thus appealing to the students currently at the school, and those who have left and are still intent on the successes of the school. The front cover of the magazine will have a sophisticated look, with the main image being an edited photo of the schools main building. This will appeal to older generations as it exploits the attractiveness of the architecture but it will still maintain a youthful aspect as the background for the image will be a bright colour.The combination of the bright colours and main image of the school building will attract the students as well as the older generation, the content will also do this as it will contain information on events and successes for the students and information on school life and other general information for older generations. The front cover will also feature a photo of a student from the school and will furthermore attract students and parents as they may know the student and this will make them want to find out more about what is in the magazine.

Preliminary Task - Draft layout

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The codes and conventions of magazines for the Preliminary Task

Magazine covers have general codes and conventions in the way that they are designed.

• Most magazines have a masthead that includes the name of the magazine in the particular typeface associated with it


• A dateline in which the date of publish and the price are shown


• A main image, usually a model or a picture of the subject of the magazine


• A tagline for the main image, regarding that particular story or what the picture is


• Coverlines that are spread around the page, giving the title of particular features in the magazine and a brief summary of it


• A main cover line that highlights the main story or stories in the magazine


• A barcode used by retailers


• A selling line that is a short, sharp description of the marketing point of the magazine

Sidewalk Magazine

Clearly shows the subject of the magazine in the main image. Coverlines are out of the way of the main image to prioritise the main image. The cover is simple and purveys the subject of skateboarding well.

Rhythm Magazine

The main image shows the subject of the magazine is drums. The main image has been overlayed on the masthead of the magazine to highlight the image furthermore. On either side of the image there are coverlines featuring other articles in the magazine

Custom Car Magazine

The main image of this magazine cover is also the background for the cover. Other images are used to highlight the subject of stories in the coverlines. The titles for both the magazine and coverlines are very bold.