Media Evaluation

I produced my magazine front cover, contents page, and double page spread using Photoshop, and shot my pictures using a mini Olympus digital camera. The main difficulties I had producing my magazine was using Photoshop even though I’ve used it for producing my preliminary tasks, I found that trying to produce a formal music magazine was more challenging as I tried to make it look more professional than I did with the college magazine. I still found it difficult to get used to using different layers, and sorting out different fonts. I found that the main cover was the most challenging out of the three. Other than using Photoshop, I found no real issues with my magazine cover. Even though I struggled with my front cover, the knowledge I discovered from using Photoshop, I found helped me with my contents page and double page spread. Looking back at my preliminary task I found that I have found a better understanding in how the usual conventions for a magazine works, as they are all pretty similar as they mostly always include a title, a strap line, a house style, continuity, head lines, features, puffs and a barcode. I have used a large bold mass head to capture the audiences attention and make them remember the name, a main background image of the main girl who is featured in the main double page spread interview in the magazine I have also used continuity with the images used for example; same setting, costumes, hair and makeup and also same props, I have used competitions included in the magazine to make the audiences want to purchase the magazine more, a barcode as every magazine uses one in help to sell the magazine, a price of £2.99, and features included within the magazine. I have also included the website address on the front of the magazine, for reasons that my magazine will be more well known. I have used a lot of typical music magazine conventions as my product is a music magazine and therefore some conventions need to be followed therefore the audience will recognise it instantly as a music magazine and not a fashion magazine or a sports magazine. On the double page spread I have used page numbers, two quotations a large title of the artists name and also I have used synergy to advertise the artists single and album to buy on Itunes.

I have designed my magazine so that it targets the demo-graphical group of unisex. The readers of my music magazine, I have aimed it at are from the ages of 14 to late 20's. As Pop and R&B music is so heavily advertised a lot of young adolescents and adults are aware of pop music, as it is played a lot in TV drama's, on the radio, over adverts on the TV, and TV music shows. Everywhere, pop music is advertised, therefore attracting a wider audience. The social groups I decided to aim my magazine at are groups E - Casual labourers, unemployed, state pensioners (13% of the population) and D - Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers (18% of the population). Overall that's 31% of the population on average so even if I have been able to target even a small percentage of that my magazine will be recognised. Therefore if not many people can afford an expensive magazine, my feature on winning free tickets to concerts will be more enticing to an audience.

The reason I have targeted these specific social groups are mainly to do with their age, for example anyone at college/school/university or even part time working students, would be classed under group E, then young people coming out of education would start of semi-skilled or un-skilled leaving them in group D.

I have based my magazine on majorly pop and R&B. I really like this particular genre of music, because it never gets old, and it also targets a wider market. It may not be very adventurous, and targeting a specific niche market, but I think that it contains a lot of sub-genres, which can also target a wider audience.

I have tried to relate my product to young people, by using similar fashions on the models and also I have used quite dark colours which also reflects winter which is when the magazine was published. The props I have used are very basic, cigarettes and empty alcohol bottle and as the setting is in a wood, this also represents young people and what the environment is like at a festival.