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.

TASK 3 - Contents Page of LSC Magazine

This is my finished contents page for my magazine.

TASK 3 - Front Cover of LSC Magazine

This is my finished front cover for my Magazine.

Work In Progress on Adobe Photoshop...

Here are the first steps of my making of the LSC Magazine front cover on Adobe Photoshop. As you can see, I  have started to put on the LSC Magazine logo on the top left corner of the cover.