Slide 14 - Conclusion

In conclusion I am happy with my media portfolio overall, I feel I have developed greatly with technology and am happy with the level of effort I put into my Blog, I feel that my main task loks professional and that there is not a lot I would change.
If i did do the project again I would spend more time on my middle page spread, as it does look acceptable but I believe i could of done it a lot better, and maybe I spent to much time and energy on the front page, meaning the double page spread was neglected somewhat

Slide 13 - What have i learnt between the completion of preliminary task to the full product?

1. 2. - Banner - On my main task my heading and my tag line for the contents page are under one banner, this is to save space and make the whole contents page look more professional and more organized
3. Note - The contents page for my main task features a small note, it holds no great importance, it merely advertises the editors note, however this small piece of writing changes the whole contents page, it makes it less formal and changes it from just being a list of information
4. Background - As i stated before when I completed my preliminary task I had no idea how to change the background, so when i completed my main task I applied a background, meaning it doesn't look dull and plain white
5. Style of writing - As you can see the difference between the way the page numbers are listed differs greatly, in my main task, it looks cleaner, crisper, and more organized, my preliminary task is rushed and looks dull and boring
6. Headings - Like many professional magazines I chose to have headings, so the articles can be organized under different headings, this makes the magazine look more professional and gives a chance to use puns and other such literary devices in the headings
7. Pictures - As you can see, in my preliminary task I used as many photos as possible, this resulted in the contents page looking unprofessional, so when it came to my main task I decided to leave the contents page free from photos.
House Style - The main lesson I learnt from my preliminary task is the necessity of a consistent house style, my preliminary task had nothing consistent, even the logos I used changed from the front page to the contents page, along with the font and colour of the writing, this has been changed in my main task and I am proud of the fact I was able to have a consistent house style for my main task

Check out my preliminary task here

Slide 12 - What have i learnt between the completion of preliminary task to the full product?

I have used the same technique for comparing my main task and preliminary task as I did when i compared my magazine to the professional magazine.
1. Headings - The heading in my preliminary task is unclear and does not stand out, the fact it goes down the page could confuse readers and they could mix up the main headline with the tag line, which is 'The low down on your sixth form,' this ambiguity has disappeared in my main task, and it is clear Riddim is my main heading and it is clear underneath that is a tag line.
2. Main picture - In my main task there is one clear photo, which takes up the most room and dominates the page, in my preliminary task I filled space with photos and it looks unorganized and messy, I learnt my lesson from this and decided that one photo will be enough, as it will link to the main story
3. Attracting an audience - In my main task there are clear headings, with explanation and a clear point, all my headings would attract an audience, my headings differ from subject also, so different types of story will be broadcasted to my target audience, in my preliminary task all the sub headings are the same, all to do with tests and formal news, I should have included a sub heading that detailed the games and things that will help the students relax, as it would have broken the routine of formal news.
4. Background - When I completed my preliminary task I had no clue how to add a background, and resulted in using the 'gradient' tool, as this was the only thing I clicked and changed my background, this resulted in a two tone background, I think it does suit my preliminary task well, but would make my magazine look unprofessional and am glad I found the 'fill' tool that changes the whole background
5. Main headline - The main difference between my main task and my preliminary task is the organization, the lack of organization in my preliminary task stems from the fact i don't have a main headline to draw the whole piece together, this issue has been addressed in my main task, as the main headline is prominant and does it's job by pulling everything together
6. Lack of organization - I've mentioned it a few times before but the main issue i have with my preliminary task is the lack of organization and the fact the photos being as spread out all over the page make it look messy.

Check out the post about my preliminary task here

Slide 11 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

In this slide I have shown my development with photoshop.
Here I have compared my main task contents page with the contents page from my preliminary task, this is to show the development of document construction, you can see the difference between the first contents page and the second, since the preliminary task i learnt how to add a background effectively, I also learnt how to edit photos and how to move on thing in front of another (in the case of my contents page the picture of my editor is slightly overlapping the banner, before this project I had no idea that the layers bar on the right controlled what order things came up in.
On the right of the slide are some of the photos I have edited, the headphones were edited early on, and I didn't really know how to change colour, so i slightly changed brightness and contrast, whereas the photo at the bottom is near the end and in it I have changed the colour of the subjects whole hoody.
Before I started this project I had some knowledge of photoshop, as i have it installed on my computer, but i never really used it, occassionaly i played around with it, but i never done anything fully serious on it, so this project really helped develop my skill with photoshop.

Check out my posts progressing my photo editing here, here and here

Slide 10 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

In this slide I will talk of how my technological skill has developed in the area of blogging and on the site blogspot.com.
The two images on the left have been taken from early posts on my blog, on the right are two posts from a later date. When I first created my account i had no idea what a blog was, the only clue as to what it was came from the 'vlogs' i am subscribed to on youtube, so when my teacher told us we will 'blog our progress' a feeling of confusion came over me, you can witness that for yourself from the early posts, with minimal effort and very little description I started my blog, as time progressed I started to get to grips with blogspot, soon i learnt how to add hyperlinks and add photos, both shown in this evaluation, as the slides are uploaded as photos and at the bottom of each evaluation post I'm posting links to older entries in my blog that link to that slide or evaluation question.
So in conclusion, I believe I have learnt a lot about blogging and how to add features to your blogs, such as photos, videos and hyperlinks.

I have no research posts about the technology involved with this portfolio, however here is a link to a post which features the most photos, and this is the post I first learnt how i can upload photos, so the linked post is the turning point in my understanding of blogspot.com

Slide 09 - How does your magazine attract your audience?

This slide details how the other pages in my magazine aid the front page in reaching the target audience.
The main and most frequent device I use to reach my target audience is slang and informal styles of writing, the reason I believe this is the most important way of reaching target audiences as it is simple to add in and readers appreciate the style of writing and get used to it, when I am an audience of music magazines and slang is used it makes me smile or laugh and increases the chance that I buy the magazine again next week.
Another hugely important technique to reach my audience is giving the audience a chance to interact with the magazine, I have done this by featuring a link to a website, where the readers can watch a video about the main article i have featured, I have also asked for the readers comments on the artist featured, the fact the magazine is asking for their opinion will please the target audience, as it makes them feel that they have an influence in the magazine they read.
A third way the target audience is attracted is by featuring events that are sponsored by the magazine, in my magazine's case, an award ceremony and a live festival, many other magazines do this (ranging from NME to Kerrang) the reason this is important to the readers is that they know when they buy my magazine they will find out about these events, they wouldn't find information about these events in other magazine, as it would be like the other magazines advertising my magazine.
A technique that was shown on the front page has found it's way to the other pages also, this technique is having special features and articles that will appeal to them, the example I have shown here in the slide is music from older era's, this will appeal to the older members of my target audience and surprisngly to the younger members too, as the majority of teenagers now can access older music, thanks to the likes of youtube the younger generation can have every hit from the 70's at their finger tips, so a feature that goes back to the 'oldskool' will appeal to the teenagers of the audience, as they do listen to and appreciate the earlier music that helped form the bands they know and love today.

Check out my research post on my target audience here

Slide 08 - How does your magazine attract your audience?

The first way that I have attempted to catch the audiences eye and make my magazine stand out on the shelf is pretty basic, I have clear bold headings, at the top and bottom of my front page, this will draw a readers eye if it's their first purchase, and if they buy weekly it makes the magazine easily recognizable to them.
The second way I attempt to reach out to my target audience is by giving them chances to 'win big' in our competitions, this is one of the most basic ways to attract an audience, at it makes them feel like they can receive something from the magazine, which differs from them just putting in for the magazine, so their loyalty being rewarded will also make them happy.
A third way that my target audience could be drawn to my magazine is the idea that they are receiving 'exclusivity' when they buy the magazine, the fact that my front page features an 'exclusive interview' will appeal to the reader, as they know if they do buy this magazine then they will be getting stories they can't find anywhere else and they know they may be the only ones out of their friends to read it.
Another way I have attempted to reach out to my target audience is by having a low price, at £1.00 it will probably be the cheapest music magazine they can get their hands on, this will result in some disadvantages for my target audience though, as it means I would have to sell them as products to advertisers, the cheaper the magazine price the more adverts that will feature. The fact also I have a website related to my magazine unlocks a whole new platform for advertisers to broadcast their products
Finally I have features that will please the target audience, the main one of these is a 'gig guide.' I have already covered the advantages of including a gig guide, the fact it could create revenue for the magazine, as the bands playing will want to get featured in a magazine that features the same genre of music that they play, it's also useful for the audience, as they want to know the locations and dates of the big gigs around the UK.

Check out my research post about my target audience here

Slide 07 - What is your magazines target audience?

In this slide I have outlined my target audience, here I will explain why I have chosen who i have chosen, and the reasons behind having such a niche market to aim for.
The reason I decided to construct my magazine in such a way to attract mainly males is because I believe they are the majority of the people that listen to the genre of music featured in my magazine, so there isn't much sense in trying to attract females if they simply aren't interested in the music genre, also if i was to aim for females then i would have to add so many features to attract them, as they already have allegiance to 'female lifestyle' magazines, and to try to rival them with a music magazine would be a huge task.
The factors affecting my decision to aim for 15 - 30 year olds are also very clear, as this are the age groups that fully endorse dance and trance music, it is very rare to find those who are older than 30 going to clubs and raves and enjoying the music that is featured in my magazine.
The reason I would aim for those who are working or middle class is because if I'm aiming for those social groups they will understand slang better than the higher classes, and slang is featured throughout my magazine.

Check out my research post on my target audience here

Slide 06 - What Kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

In this slide I have pointed out the two main publishing companies in the UK, Bauer and IPC, underneath their headings are the music magazines they already publish. From this one can easily gather the advantages and disadvantages each company hold, if my magazine was published by IPC it would be in direct conflict with NME for a target audience, as I have stated throughout this portfolio that my target audience is very similar to NME's, this could mean IPC would turn my music magazine away, as they would not two magazines rivaling each other, from my perspective there would be advantages from being published by IPC, such as the fact mine would be their second music magazine, meaning they would be able to focus on it and put in more money promoting it, as they don't hace other music magazines to promote (excluding NME of course)
Bauer also holds advantages and disadvantages, the fact they already publish three magazines could be useful but could hinder my magazine, as if they were to publish my magazine they wouldn't be able to spend much time on it, as they have dedications to the other magazines they publish, however the fact they publish three magazines already shows they would be experienced and would understand what I am trying to achieve with my magazine. The fact also that none of the magazines they publish feature the same genre of music as mine, and do not really aim for the same audience strengthens they're appeal, it is for these reasons i believe Bauer would be the media institution that would publish my magazine

For more information on Bauer or IPC:
check out my research post on them here
or look at their websites
http://www.ipcmedia.com/
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/

Slide 05 - In what ways does my media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

This slide is my middle page spread being compared to NME's middle page spread
1. Main Subject - My magazines layout is very similar to NME's and this fact is outlined by the main picture, in both magazines one side is dominated by a picture while the other side devotes itself to text. The main picture is crucial to any double page spread, it should draw attention when someone is flicking through the pages and it should make the reader smile, laugh or make them feel like they can relate to the subject, all of these factors are the reasons i used the convention of having a main photo taking up the majority of space on my double page spread
2. Heading - As with all the headings i have used the differ from the typical headings used in magazines, i have used a banner style, this is to ensure of a consistent house style, which was missing in my preliminary task, also i believe the banner style looks more appealing.
3. Smaller picture - Both double page spreads have a smaller subject, again the nature of this differs but the principle stays the same, as with the contents page i have included a small picture of a head shot of the person who wrote the article and the picture in NME is a smaller action shot of the band featured, what the photo is of is not relevant however, as all that matters is that i have used another convention, the reason i featured this photo is because it will make the reader feel connected to the staff of the magazine, and in turn they will feel connected to the magazine
4. Main text - Not a lot to compare here, except for the fonts, both mine and NME's fonts are very informal and look almost kid like, the reason behind this is that my target audience is very similar to NME's, meaning things like font and writing style is bound to be similar
5. Info box - This is a convention that would have been benefitical to use, and reflecting on the point i regret leaving it out, this little box (circled in the slide) is useful as it takes up small amounts of space and yet fills in the reader on the band, this is important for the reader and would aid there understanding of the article
6. Link to website - Both of the magazines feature a link to a website, mine offers readers a video of the interview and gives them the chance them to discuss the article, this interactivity will attract an audience and it will enhance the reading experience for the reader.
7. Quotes - These are used in every magazine article that features an interview, this is because it will often be a fiery or funny quote that will make the whole interview appealing, this is the exact reason i have featured one.

Check out my research post on the professionals here

Slide 04 - In what ways does my media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In this slide I have compared my contents page to the contents page featured in NME.
1. Short introduction - Both my contents page and NME's content page feature a short introduction, this is to connect with the reader somewhat, as if there was just information on this page then it would seem very rigid and formal. The nature of the introduction does differ, as NME's features the start of an article whereas mine showcases the editors note, in this sense my contents page is both using and developing the conventions of the real media product
2. Headings - Both contents pages have headings under which the articles, a long with page numbers are listed, the reason i decided to use this very widely used convention was because it brings the contents page together and gives it organization.
3. Gig Guides - Gig guides are used in any good music magazine, it's a simple way to attract your audience and it gets you revenue as those performing at the gigs give you money to feature their gigs, these are the reasons i conformed to this handy convention
4. Heading - Again another convention that i have used and yet changed is the heading at the contents page, my heading features a short message underneath it, this is again a way for me to attract my target audience, as it is another place i can put slang and language that will relate to my target audience
5. Picture - Both my contents page and NME's feature a picture, but the nature of the photos differ, mine is used as a headshot to show the audience who the editor is, this is a convention for many music magazines, the one featured in NME here however is linked to an article and shows a band playing, the appeal of this is great as it again attracts the reader to a main story that the magazine wants to get viewed the most.

Check out my research post on the professionals here

Slide 03 - In what ways does my media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

There are some differences between my magazine and the professional, heres how my media product challenges and occassionally develops the form and conventions of a real media product:
1. Logo - My media product features a consistent logo, this is not matched by NME, the advantages of having a logo is that when people see it or anything that looks like my logo they will instantly think of my magazine, also it helps them recognise the magazine if a style change came along, i believe my media product is developing the forms and conventions of a real media product here
2. Additional pictures - NME features more than one main picture, the reason i decided not to do this is because i believe it would waste space and if one is not careful too many pictures can look messy and soon they will look out of place, my magazine is challenging conventions here.
3. Tagline - My media product features a tagline, that talks directly to the reader, this will make my magazine more appealing to them
4. Competition featured on front page - admittingly having a competition in the magazine isn't exactly new and one would argue my magazine is conforming to conventions here, however i decided to feature the competition on the front page, this is challenging and developing conventions, as the competition is a main seeling point of any magazine and should be advertised accordingly
5. Sub headings - along with all my main headings are sub headings briefly describing the article, this is not a feature or NME, some may argue against sub headings, as too many words on the front page may provoke readers and send them to another magazine, however i believe it will only attract readers, as more information into what you're buying is always an advantage.
6. Background - I decided to cut my picture out and to feature my own background on the front page, this is to keep a consistent style throughout and in future issues, if i have the same background for every issue then that is another thing readers will notice when the magazine is on the shelf, NME shows the whole picture, this also has it's advantages, however i believe having a consistent style is very important
7. Title Bar - My magazine and NME both have a main article and promote it evenly, however, the way it's promoted differs, as mine is in a bar, while NME's is just across the page, I believe having it in a bar looks more professional and tidies up the front page somewhat, it also draws attention to the main article.

Check out my research post on the professionals here

Slide 02 - In what ways does my media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Here is how my media product uses forms and conventions of real media products:
1. Heading - Both my media product and the professional media product have a clear title, both are easy to remember. I believe mine also has a font that would jump out at a potential buyer when browsing the shelves, as it is a bit informal and kids would prefer that over the block, formal looking heading featured on other magazines
2. Headlines - My media product and the professional product feature headlines for articles that the reader can find within the magazine, the reason this is important is so readers will find an article that will interest them. I believe that my headlines will attract readers well, as a bright colour is featured, this will make the readers notice the magazine in shops, as with the heading the font with my headlines are formal again, this will also attract my target audience well
3. Main subject - Both magazine covers feature one main photograph, this looks more professional i believe as a lot of pictures on the front page can look messy and unorganized, one main photo looks professional and sells the main story of that week
4. Main story heading - This is a feature of any decent music magazine, the amount of money they spend out on getting big interviews they have to get a return, and the main way of advertising the big interviews? Slapping them all over your front page, both my front cover and NME dedicate the majority of the front page to this main article, the heading takes up a lot of this space

Check out my research post on the professionals here

Slide 01 - Introduction

Here is my media product. It was created using adobe photoshop and every photo was taken by me. It took around three months to complete the whole product, from the initial preliminary task (which we completed to improve our skills both on blogger and with photoshop,) to the research and finally this evaluation.

Evaluation, initial set up

Following this post will be the slides from my presentation, i have only included pictures, shapes and small amounts of text, this is due to the fact the explanation of the slide will be presented in my blog, under the slide.
When comparing things, for example my own media product to the professionals and my main task to my preliminary task i have used a numbered system, this will work by me listing the numbers in my blog and explain what i'm trying to outline by putting the number there.

Research into Bauer and IPC

This research post is a bit overdue, but i thought i should upload it before my evaluation presentation, so i know i can refer to it in my presentation.

About Bauer

Bauer is the largest privately owned publisher in Europe, publishing in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and the UK. They also publish in the US and Mexico

The Bauer Publishing Group was founded in Hamburg 1875 by Johann Bauer. Under the management of four generations of the Bauer family, The Bauer Publishing Group has grown from its beginnings as a printing house into a worldwide publishing empire comprising 282 magazines in 15 countries with 6,600 employees worldwide and annual turnover of £1.79 billion

Bauer entered the U.K. scene with Bella magazine in 1987. Introducing a new format that mixes previously unseen real life editorial and exciting service features, Bella made a significant impact on the women's market. The company gained attention again in 1990 with the launch of Take a Break magazine. Touching the lives of millions of women with its unique blend of upfront real life and competitions, the title quickly became market leader. Despite strong competition, Take a Break has maintained its no.1 status, currently selling over 1 million copies a week.

At the beginning of 2008, Bauer expanded its portfolio further by acquiring Emap’s Radio and Consumer Magazine divisions and changed the name of these new UK businesses to Bauer Media. With this recent addition of the former Emap Consumer Media titles, Bauer is now the largest consumer magazine publishing company in the UK, playing a primary role in the Women’s Weeklies, Women’s Interest, Women’s Lifestyle, TV Listings, Puzzles, Men’s Lifestyle, Music & Film and Specialist magazine markets.

What magazines they publish

They publish hundreds of mags, covering all categories, from boating to lifestyle, the only magazines that are relevant to me are Kerrang, Mojo and Q as they are the only music magazine, with Bauer already publishing three music magazines one may think that this is a bad sign, as they may believe three music mags are enough, however, my magazine differs from all three of these mags and target a different audience from each of these, this plays to my advantage.

About IPC

IPC Media is a leading UK consumer magazine publisher. Almost two in every three UK women and over 44% of UK men read an IPC magazine. That's over 26 million UK adults.

IPC's diverse print and digital portfolio offers something for everyone. Their 80 magazines include What's on TV, Pick Me Up, Woman, Now, Marie Claire, In Style, Woman & Home, Ideal Home, Nuts, Wallpaper*, Country Life, The Field, Rugby World, Practical Boat Owner and Look, our latest high street fashion and celebrity weekly. Their digital properties include NME.com, the third largest commercial music website in the UK and housetohome.co.uk, the UK's first homes portal. IPC's brands are very simply at the heart of the UK's cultural life

IPC is owned by Time Inc., the publishing division of Time Warner Inc. the magazine is split into five different publishing gruops, these are: IPC Connect, IPC Inspire, IPC Ignite, IPC Southbank and IPC TX. Alongside these is Marketforce, the UK's leading magazine distribution business.
IPC employs over 2,200 people

Magazines published

IPC offer similar products to Bauer, ranging from women's mags to specialists mags that would draw a niche market, such as 'SuperYacht world' they do publish some music magazines, most notably 'NME' which is a huge seller and would draw the same target audience as my music magazine, this would mean IPC probably wouldn't look to publish my mag, as they wouldn't want two magazines opposing each other under the same company.

Article construction

Finallt got around to the huge task of wrtiting an article for my double page spread, this was made easier by the extensive amount of planning i put in, I knew i needed an interview for my double page spread, which cut the process of thought which went along the lines of whether it should be a news page, a review, a special feature, such as looking at the development of the dance genre. The fact I already knew I needed an interview shorten the process of constructing my article.



I know within the interview i need to use slang and improper use of grammar, or at least not full grammar, as if i try to perfect it too much it will have a rigid feel to the interview, this will make readers cautious about buying future copies, as they will think my magazine is a serious one, aimed at an older audience

Below is a print screen of my article, it will enlarge to a readable size if you click it.

Main Task finished

More editing

Here i have cut out the photo of my headphones and lightened them, the reason behind this is that these will be my logo, so i cannot have a background for them, the reason i have lightened them slightly is the have to go on a black background, with it being the original colour it was difficult to see on my banner, slightly adjusting the brightness fixed this issue

Front cover photos edited

Here is the main photo that will feature on my front cover, i have decided to cut my subject for the front cover so headlines can fit well around him, if the whole image is used the headlines will overlap the background of the image, this would not look very professional. I have again changed the colour of the top because the darker just looks better and more stylish.