Proposal for Task 11

TASK 10 - Audience Research/ Music Magazine Evaluation

Front Cover - Strengths

I’ve received many comments/ feedbacks stating that my front cover was a success, as it looked very professional. They’ve specifically mentioned how the use of my colour scheme has really given the sense of it being a pop music magazine. I was also told that the red and the purple went really well together because they contrasted really well, which also proves that I followed the conventions of making a successful magazine cover. Furthermore, my target audience really liked my house style choice because it fit well with the colour scheme. They liked the consistency of the same font being used with just different effects of each cover line because it was an original idea, and not many magazines use only one font throughout the whole magazine, whereas mine did. My masthead was bold, interesting and eye catching for teenagers, which also appealed to them because it was a brand that really related to them (as they enjoy listening to pop music and because they are teenagers). Seeing as though my target audiences were teenagers, I thought why not use ‘Teen’ as part of my brands name. The ‘Beat’ would also remind you of the beat of pop music, which again is a catchy phrase to use. Moreover, my image is very strong and very powerful because my cover stars facial expression clearly illustrates how serious he is about his career, even though he’s just a teenager. My target audience really liked how my main cover line is the largest thing on the page, because they were aware that this is what the newest issue of this magazine will mainly be focused on. My front cover on my first draft/ plans wasn’t going to have a really big cover line, which was something that I had changed. I thought it would look more interesting with the massive cover line on the front page because it would get a lot of attention. I was also going to have more cover lines but then I though it would’ve been too much therefore I didn’t include them. Also, the use of splashes made my front cover look more realistic and looked similar to Teen Vogues front cover, as I was inspired by that magazine. They particularly enjoyed seeing how I used my cover lines to highlight specific things differently, like the ‘NEW’ and the ‘Top 10 tunes’ because it made my cover look more interesting.  Lastly, I thought that making the cover star look straight at the camera would be very useful because it could be seen as if the model is inviting the teenage audience to take a look at the magazine. I don’t think there is anything I would consider as a weakness for my front cover, neither does my target audience.

Contents Page - Strengths

For my contents page, I received comments saying how my colour scheme was consistent, the red and purple contrasted really well. I used a variety of images on the contents page to prove that I can make my page look as professional and real like existing magazine contents pages. For my first draft/ plans, my contents page was going to be a single page because I didn’t have the subscription box, the regulars or the editors letter, but then I thought the more information I put on these pages the better and more professional it would look. Furthermore, my target audience really liked the fact that I included an Editors Letter because it gave them like a little summary of the new things this issue had inside. Also, the subscription box informs them about the sales Teen Beat offers once they have subscribed, which is another element they liked. The fact that my Regulars and Features were laid out separately also illustrates how organized it looked because there wouldn’t be any confusion between the two. Moreover, the reason why I made my masthead big and bold was because it really catches the attention of the audience, as it’s nearly taking up half of the page. I’m also promoting my brands name by doing this. Other comments I received also mentioned that the target audience really liked how my page numbers were really big and attractive because of the style of the font and because of the colours red and purple I used, they also gave the whole pop genre hint on the contents page. As for the captions I used underneath some of the images, they really helped to clear up some of the reasons why I put some of those images on the contents page, which was very useful.

Weaknesses

I believe that there are a lot of weaknesses on my contents page, as I didn’t like the layout of it at all. I thought everything was just placed randomly on the page, which didn’t really look professional. If I was to recreate my contents page, I would defiantly make sure that I include a background colour/ effect because I think that it will make that page look a lot more interesting than what it looks like now. For example, I was thinking that I could make a background effect that fades/ vanishes away because it could signify that the music teenagers listen to could make them feel as if they want to fade away into their own worlds, as if their trying to escape from reality into their own dreams. I could perhaps make the Features and the Regulars fit into a box, which could make it look more organized. I was also thinking that I could make some of the images have a black and white effect, so that it could be a contrast to the other images. In addition, if it was really necessary/ important I could add a cover story, possibly to talk more about the cover star.

DPS – Strengths

My double page spread was another interesting and successful page in my opinion. Teenagers loved the way that my model looked very comfortable but serious at the same time, they mentioned how it was a powerful image that really stood out. They loved the language I used as it portrayed them in a way. The colour scheme again was consistent which looked professional. One comment really stood out for me “All the features you have used show that your genre is Pop, as your use of language and the stars you have used reflects this.” I really liked this feedback as it proved that my double page spread was good and that it clearly stated the genre using the colour scheme. Some also liked the way I used a drop cap in the beginning of the interview, which was another important element for a successful page of journalism I included.  I particularly liked the way I illustrated the title ‘Vicky’s new career’ because it looked very feminine as the star itself was a female and the fact that I used purple for it also adds to this. I also thought the colour scheme went well with what my model was wearing because again, this gives the hint of the pop music genre and that my magazine is aimed at a young teenage audience. Clearly, my double page spread was a success because everyone liked the way I laid out my work and how I presented it to my target audience. If I were to recreate this page I’d just maybe add a little bit more about the idol or add more to the interview because it did seem a little too short for me but other than that, it looked very professional and unique.

TASK 9 - Teen Beat Magazine Finished.

TASK 9 - Teen Beat DPS Work in Progress...

TASK 9 - Teen Beat Contents Work in Progress...

TASK 9 - Teen Beat Front Cover Work in Progress...

TASK 8 - Photography

These are just some of the images I took for my magazine. I will take more photos and blog them soon.

Rough Ideas/ Sketches of my Magazine...

Here is a rough idea of what the 3 pages of my magazine will look like. I tried to improve these pages by using the feedbacks I was given by my classmates, which I have incorporated on these sketches. However, this is not the final idea I will have for each page, so these could be changed for the real magazine.

Learing to use Adobe Illustrator...

Here I learnt how to use Adobe Illustrator and how I could manipulate certain fonts and texts into the way I want them to be. Whilst I was playing around with some of the tools on Adobe Illustrator, I found that this program was specifically made to edit vector graphic images or fonts etc so I thought it was ideal to use this program for my music magazine cover. Like I mentioned in my Prezi, 'Teen Vogue' inspired me for my front cover because I really like the layout of it, as well as the colour schemes that were used on some magazines.

The colour scheme of this magazine really inspired me. I did mention on my Prezi that my colour scheme could be changed so red, white, purple and black is my final chosen colour scheme. The masthead font temporarily could be the one above but that could change too. What I like about my masthead is that the fonts are bold and readable, therefore the reader will be able to recognise the brands name. Also, my masthead is similar to 'Teen Vogue' masthead because I want my magazine to look as professional as 'Teen Vogue'. I do know that 'Teen Vogue' is a fashion magazine and that I'm doing a music magazine but I like the layout and colour scheme of it, therefore I will use some of these ideas for my magazine.

TASK 7 - Audience Research

Here is my presentation of my Prezi and some of the rough ideas I will use for Teen Beat. The feedback I was given from the audience were generally positive and I will put into consideration all the ideas and thoughts I was given into my magazine.

Things to include for my magazine would be to add Twitter and Facebook logos so that my target audience can find more about Teen Beat. Like I mentioned in this video, our generation is always on the internet, therefore it would be really useful to include these logos on Teen Beat. Also, because my target audience is for a very young age group, I will include freebies like posters, concert tickets or maybe CD's which will manipulate the audience to buy my magazine. I will make sure I have both male and female posters because I've got a mixed audience.

I might consider making this magazine for only a female audience as there are many magazines that are for male readers.

TASK 6 - Magazine Proposal: Prezi

I have done some research for a suitable magazine publisher for Teen Beat, and I have found that IPC Media is actually a good publisher because they have published magazines before like NME Magazine. NME is also a very known magazine in the UK, therefore IPC Media is a suitable publisher for my magazine.

TASK 5 - Magazine Newsstand/ Distribution of Magazines

Market Research: Here, I have found many magazines that they have been displayed in WHSmith. By looking at these magazines, I have realised that all magazine have really big and bold mastheads that catch the audiences attention. All of them also have cover lines, skylines and cover stars, which help make them look like professional magazines. On some of the magazines, the price is also visible for the audience which is a good thing, as the audience are aware of the price of the magazine. Many of them also have Twitter and Facebook pages on the internet, as the audience of now tend to spend most of their time on the internet as well. This has make it easier for them to read what's new and what's going to be published as technology improves everyday.

Sale-Or-Return: The distribution methods for most of these magazines are the sale-or-return method, which is the oldest but most popular method for magazines to be distributed. The advantages of using this method are that the shop owners can get a good quantity of the latest issue of the magazine to sell them to the audience, and if some are left until the next issue of the magazine, they can return them back to the distribution centre. However, this method has also got a lot of disadvantages as well. For example, it wastes a lot of paper and energy as not all of the magazines are read, the process of making the magazine is also very expensive, it has a negative environmental impact as the inks used to make the magazine could be harmful to the environment.

Postal Subscription: Another way the audience can get their magazine is through postal subscription. This is were the audience is willing to pay the distribution in order for them to be posted the magazine every week or month etc... This process is more profitable as you pay for the subscription once a year instead of paying every week or month for an issue, therefore I think it's a better process compared to the sale-or-return method because then the distribution centre would know how many are needed to be published for each household.

Electronic Distribution: Other ways in which magazines can be distributed are through the internet or through apps even. For example, the 'NME' magazine has got its own website that allows the audience to catch up with the latest and most important news. Like I've mentioned it before, this makes it easier for the audience and the publishers because the internet is something everyone uses a lot in our everyday lives,  it's also a quicker process/ method, which doesn't waste any materials and neither does it harm the environment. Many other magazines like NME have also got apps which you can get on your phones, so that all the things you're missing out is right in your pocket.

Ezines: Ezines are electronic magazines that can be found on the internet. Even though you can't physically touch the magazine, you can flip the pages on the ezines like you do for real magazines. These types of magazines also include all the pages on a normal magazine would have, for example all the adverts would be on this electronic magazine too. I find this method more suitable because like I've mentioned before, our generation now are always on the internet and on their phones, therefore it will be easier and quicker for the audience. This method also saves more money and energy as it doesn't waste any materials like real magazines do, which is an advantage. However, some people still would prefer to have the actual magazine in their hands rather than reading it through the computer screen.

TASK 4 - Audience Feedback and Evaluation for my finished Front Cover and Contents Page

Audience Feedback and Evaluation

What Went Well:

Front cover: From all of the comments I have received, the image I used for my magazine cover looked very professional and high quality for a front cover of a magazine. Furthermore, the layout was really good because I included nearly everything there needs to be on a front cover. The colour scheme I chose was also appropriate and it matched with everything (the image and the writing). The fact that I used different text sizes and boldness also proves that I have met the criteria’s needed for a front cover of a magazine because it shows that I know what a successful front cover looks like. The masthead was very bold and big, so that the audience is aware of what the magazine is called. I also included other ways in which the audience can get in contact with the school, e.g. both of the twitter and Facebook logo were at the bottom left corner of the magazine cover. Overall, I got a lot of positive feedback and I’m glad with the outcome of the front cover. To improve, I would try to not oversize my logos as they kind of got most of the attention of the viewer’s, rather than the cover lines and the cover star (because they are the most important and key things needed on a front cover) and I would experiment with more fonts to make my front cover look more interesting.

Contents page: The contents page was also really attractive for some of the viewers. They’ve mentioned how well I layout may work as well as it being very clear to the audience. The fact that I used the red lettering for the page numbers also proves this, therefore I agree with the comments I was given. Furthermore, my contents page was simple but it looked aesthetically pleasing for many of the viewers, so I believe that I have met most of the criteria’s needed for a contents page. Also, I was told that the colour scheme was really attractive as well as it being matched to the front covers colour scheme. It is clear that I carried it throughout the pages I was supposed to complete for this task. In one of the comments I received, I was told that my contents page looked professional because of the way I layout my work.  The images were also good in size, therefore, that gave the hint of a professional magazines contents page. Overall, I was really pleased with the comments I received, I got a lot of positive feedback.

What I need to improve on:

Front Cover: From one of the feedbacks, I was given the advice to change the sizes of the QR, the barcode, the twitter and the Facebook logos, as it seemed too big and unnecessary for the front cover of the magazine. I was also advised that I should change the font or the size of the writing underneath the logo, as it seemed boring; to some of the viewers of my front cover. I should add pull quotes and skylines so that it looks more professional.

Contents page: Although I didn’t receive any improvements for my contents page, I think I could improve on the layout of the whole thing so that I could show the audience/ viewers that I have experimented with other layouts for my contents page. Furthermore, I think I could mix the images and the writing together to create a more interesting look for a contents page. I might try different colour schemes, as I think the contents page looks a bit plain.

3 key points for development when producing the main task:

Front Cover:

•  I will make sure that I don’t oversize my logos as it takes up too much space on the front cover.
• I will make sure that I use a variety of fonts and sizes to make the magazine more appealing and eye catching to the audience. 
• Lastly, I will make sure that I add everything that needs to be on a front cover of a magazine e.g. sky lines, pull quotes etc…

Contents page:

• I think I could tryout a totally different layout for my contents page, so that I could see what would be the best look for a successful magazine contents page.
• I will try to experiment more with the writing and images (mix them up a bit) so that it looks more interesting.
• Lastly, I might also try and experiment with the colour scheme, perhaps to make the page look a bit livelier, so that it would quickly catch the audience’s attention.