AS Media Evaluation, Question 4

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

Link to annotated Flickr image 1
Link to annotated Flickr image 2

AS Media Evaluation, Question 3

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

AS Media Evaluation, Question 2

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

AS Media Evaluation, Question 1

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

Part 1 - Conventions Followed

Part 2 - Conventions Challenged

Blog Contents

Brief

Key Features of a Magazine Cover

Deconstructions of 3 Music Magazine Covers (1) (2) (3)

Deconstruction of 3 contents pages

Preliminary Task Flat Plans

Preliminary Task

Deconstructions of Double Page Spreads

Main Task Proposal Table

Inspirational Texts – Music Videos

Previous Students Work Table / Evaluation

Photoshop Skills Development 1

Photoshop Skills Development 2

Stage 2 Magazine Proposal

Institutional Research

Proposal Table with Potential Problems

Audience Research and Analysis of Data

Front cover, contents and DPS flat plans with written rationale

Photoshoot Potential Problems

Photoshoot Planning

The Conventions, The Producer and The Target Audience of My Text

Fonts with commentary

Colour pallette

Photographs

Masthead Design

Article Design

Main Cover Construction (Prototype)
Main Cover Construction (Final Version)

Contents Page Construction

Double Page Spread Construction

Final Version of Magazine

Soundcheck Magazine: Final Version

This is the final version of my Soundcheck magazine, including the final versions of my Main Cover, Contents Page and Double Page Spread.

Double-Page Spread Design

This is the design process for the double-page spread of my magazine.

Firstly, I decided to use the 'Line Tool' to clearly divide the double-page spread in half. This way, I can easily work on each page individually without worrying about accidentally crossing over into the other. I decided to use 'drop caps' to start the article, with the large letter 'I' being used to indicate the beginning of the article. As for the 'pull quotes', I have so far followed my plan, and placed the pull quote at the very bottom of the left-hand side page. This way, I can place one of the pictures from my photoshoot behind it, giving an entire page for the image, much like many traditional music magazines include. I have also added the 'warped text' effect in the form of the design 'flag' to give the quote some interesting, stand-out look. I have also included another 'pull quote' which divides the two columns of the right-hand side page. In my opinion, this looks different and unique, but I don't think this looks particularly effective. In my future design, I should perhaps either change or modify the way the right-hand side pull quote looks, or move it's position entirely. Due to wrong measurements, an equal-sized third column could not be added as I would have liked it to have been. Because of this, in my next version, I will try and re-measure the width of the columns to allow a third column to be added just like in traditional music magazines.

I also designed an album cover to feature within this double-page spread. I created an orange background using the fill tool, before creating yellow radial gradients in the center and top-left hand side of the background. I merged all of these layers together before adding an artistic filter to it, creating a 'mosaic' tiled effect. I then inserted justified text on top of the background to give the artist name and album title.

In this version, I added another column to my article (my second draft) and moved the pull quote from the center column so, instead, it splits the page, and the article, into two separate pieces. I also implemented a small preview onto the page, giving the review of the album (in stars) and also guides the reader as to where they can find the full review. In my opinion, this is reminiscent of what you may find in a traditional magazine, with small sections of an article entirely dedicated to pointing the reader in the direction of more information about the article they are reading.

In this version, I added the image which I discussed here to my double-page spread. This looks very effective; however, I decided to change the location of the pull quote accordingly as the Times New Roman, italic, warped text did not fit very well with the image. I have also added a slight drop shadow to the white pull quote underneath the image, which is at the same angle as the shadow of the subject in the image.

In this final version, I added a small piece of text to the lower right hand corner of the image, indicating the page number and the topic featured on the page. I also fixed a few errors within my article after a close proof-read of it, as well as moved the position of the stars in my review preview so they were closer to the center of the black box background. These are all very minor changes, yet all were done to create a polished and overall professional looking double-page spread. In my opinion, I have stuck towards many of the key conventions found in traditional magazines, and still managed to incorporate some semi-original ideas to make this a unique and independent looking publication.

Contents Page Design

This is the design process for the contents page of my magazine.

This is the first basic template of my contents page. I stuck to basic key conventions that I have seen in past contents pages in my research. I followed a red/white/black colour scheme on the contents page, however I believe that the red is far too overpowering. The only black which features on the page at all is in the contents titles. This means that the contents would appear too bright and may even end up be off-putting to the reader. I have implemented the horizontal version of my masthead. I have also inserted a piece of text which says 'contents'. This has been manipulated to appear slanted slightly, coloured red and been given a white 'stroke' effect to stand out against the black background. The essential information has also been added, and placed in a different location than what was previously stated on my final flat plans. I still think it is just as effective here, and makes the top section look nice and compact, and free from any white space. In the flat plans, I also stated that the list/table of contents would be placed on the left hand side. This, however, has been changed and the list of contents has now been placed on the right. This fits in with the key conventions which I have previously listed. I stated within that post that I may differ the position of the table of contents so that it is placed on the left-hand side of the page; however, decided there was no need for this as (by sticking to the traditional convention) it is proven to work and guaranteed to remind the reader of a typical music magazine. The only thing which I think needs to dramatically be changed is the colour of the contents page as a whole. The bright red colour is very overpowering, especially compared to the comparatively minuscule amount of dark, black colour on the page.

This is the second version of my magazine contents page. In this design, I have acted on my own personal feedback, and changed the majority of the red areas on the contents page to black. In doing so, I have ensured that there are still areas that stand out as red against the dark layout. These are mainly titles or sub-headings, with the page numbers also remaining red. This lets the reader focus their attention towards the highlighted areas which stand out on the page (which is, in this case, the red areas). That is why, I believe, the page was nowhere near as effective when all of it was red due to the fact that there was nowhere specifically for the reader to focus their attention, and the entire page was demanding the reader's attention.

In this version, I have added a 'subscribe' advertisement at the bottom of the page. I decided that the colour yellow went well here, as many websites (e.g. YouTube) used this colour to represent subscriptions, and since the colour is featured nowhere else on the page, this specific area will attract the reader's attention. I also added a small 'Note from the editor' in the lower-left hand corner of the page, still keeping with the red, white and black colour scheme as discussed in past plans. I also added a blank area where my image will go, as well as a small summary of the article which the image will correspond to.

In this version, I added the image. I decided to make it correspond with a different article, and so changed the description underneath accordingly. As well as this, I added another image to the right hand side of this, and below the contents, which is a smaller summary of a less important article. Both of these images were chosen as I previously stated that I thought they fit the overall mood of 'previews' and were both optimum choices for the contents page. I also added a second column of contents to my contents list, however I believe that the text is now too small for the viewers to easily read.

In this final version, all I have done is wrote less in the summary boxes underneath each list item on the right hand side and, also, made the text size slightly bigger, to combat the small text issue on the previous cover. In my opinion, this contents page now looks as if it is a professional-quality contents page, containing many of the key conventions that you would expect to see in a magazine content page.

Final Cover Design

In this cover, I decided to take the initial modified version of my main image and see how it would look. In my opinion, this does not look very good, as predicted. The effect I tried to achieve by changing the brightness does not look very realistic or professional at all. I have also changed the main sell line and small description to coincide with this change, with the extra description also looking particularly poor.

I removed the initial changed cover and replaced it with the other modified copy. This, in my opinion, works much better than the previous image. I have also added a long list of bands which feature within the magazine on the left side of the page, following the conventions of typical magazine covers. In addition, I have also added a yellow sell line to the left side of the page, which interlinks one of the subject's arms to give the cover a sense of depth. I finally added a drop shadow to the main sell line to emphasise this sense of depth, as well as adding an outer glow to the small description underneath, drawing the potential reader's attention towards that particular part of the image.

In this version, I added a dark effect to the lower half of the image to make the upper half of the image clearly the focus point of the cover, and make the descriptions and text on the lower half of the page stand out even further. I also added a black/transparent radial gradient effect behind the two sell lines on the top-right hand side of the page to make those stand out, as well as making the background of empty space on the image less noticeable.

The final change to my magazine was removing the yellow sell line from behind the subject's arm, as I felt that it did not particularly look effective, and made the text, overall, harder to read. I think this final version looks very professional, and fits with all of the major key conventions of a traditional magazine cover.

Prototype Cover Design

This is the design process for the main cover of my magazine.

This the first draft of my music magazine's main cover. I have implemented the 'Soundcheck' masthead into the design, placing it on the upper-left hand side of the image, much like a majority of the magazines which I have researched previously. I stuck to the layout of my final flat plans, and placed all of the key items in their planned locations, with only a few slight variations. I have not included an image yet, and just wanted to get the basics onto my magazine first before I introduce the image. I added a stroke effect to the white text at this stage so that it stands out against the currently white background. I hope to either remove this or reduce this in future versions of the magazine cover. I added the necessary information to the left of the barcode, all of which is located in the lower-right hand side of the image. I set the price as £2.99, as this was the price that was voted as the most reasonable by the participants of the Audience Research survey.

For now, I inserted a placeholder image which will serve as the image I finalise my main cover with until I have my own final images to use. I decided to use this image as it is not dissimilar to the one which I wish to use myself. It features a dark setting where the subjects are lit so they appear to stand out against the comparatively dark surroundings. I also added a white-transparent radial gradient effect to the upper-right hand corner of the image. This gives the image some light where there otherwise would have simply been darkness. This 'false light' gives the impression that all of the frame is illuminated, giving the cover's subjects as much focus as possible.

In the previous version, I felt that the main sell line and regular sell line did not stand out on the page, so I decided to add a black stroke effect to both of them to ensure that the text stood out against the dark background. 

In this final version of my prototype version of my cover design, I have moved the 'Unlikely Contender' text so that part of it appears behind one of the subjects of the article, and one part appears in front.

Article Design

This is the design process for the article of my magazine.

Here is the first draft of my article:

               It takes some special kind of skill to write, record and    produce an album, then go ahead to be nominated for 2 BRIT awards, winning one, all in the same year. Luckily for him (and us), Richard Shard has that skill. “Haha, yeah it has been a crazy year... and a busy one too!” When asked about writing his music, he explains: “Most people can think of lyrics almost instantly, they write music to express emotions or feelings they have been experiencing within their life. With me, it was the opposite. I sat down and thought: ‘What am I going to write about? I literally have no emotions.’ It was then when I became aware of just how much I wanted to express in the form of song, a realisation I had never encountered before. It’s a powerful thing, music.”

His crticially acclaimed debut album ‘Humble Beginnings’ has reached number #1 in both the UK and the US simultaneously. An impressive feat definitely, but what does Richard blame for his success? “I guess I’m just a genuine guy, I don’t know. I don’t claim to be big or clever or the ‘next Michael Jackson or anything, I tell it like I want to in my music and I think people appreciate that. I wouldn’t consider myself a musician. I mean... I like music - maybe just a bit more than it likes me. It brings out the worst in me sometimes.” Apparently, Shard was planning to name his album ‘Shed’ as that’s where the majority of it was written. “The shed in my garden was my home for about 2 months where I just sat, cramped, writing music with nothing more than a guitar. It felt real - I can’t imagine how few still write songs in that sort of homely, ‘real’ setting. I decided against that name. No-one wants an album called ‘Shed’ in their collection do they? Haha.”

                Richard Shard is also a great believer that anyone can pick up a guitar and become a musician. “I’m not saying you can write a smash hit in one go, but I’m saying that emotion and meaning are the only two ingredients you need to perform. That will get you noticed by a few people at least - people who appreciate good music. From this, it’s likely you will be able to expand your career further. Many artists slip under the radar of the ‘UK Top 40’ for their entire lives, and they’re fine with that. I guess I’m just one of the lucky ones who managed to appear on the radar.”

‘What advice would you give to new artists who want to make it big?’ Soundcheck asked. “Don’t aspire to be big. Aspire to write good music and work hard - the rest will follow for sure. I was lucky enough to get inspiration when writing my album. Others may not be so lucky. If so, don’t say: ‘Meh, it will do’ and whack it on your album. Just wait for the right time and the creative spark will come to you.”

Referring to the state of the charts at the present moment, Richard responded: “I’m not angry or upset about the state of the charts and mainstream music in general, it’s just a sign of the times, right? Personally, I hate The Beatles, but if they were played virtually 24/7 on the radio, I’d be likely to take an interest in it and grow to like it. That’s why I try and stay away from radio as much as possible. I don’t like many of the artists around at the moment - and I’m sure many don’t like me. That’s fine by me. Everyone has opinions.”

In my opinion, this first draft follows the conventions of a typical magazine article. It is quite short however, which is not typically seen within magazine articles. Because of this, this article would not be seen as a professionally quality article, and I should focus on padding out the contents of the article to fit within the three-columned layout like I plan to.

This is the second draft of my article:

It takes some special kind of skill to write, record and    produce an album, then go ahead to be nominated for 2 BRIT awards, winning one, all in the same year. Luckily for him (and us), Richard Shard has that skill. “Haha, yeah it has been a crazy year... and a busy one too!” When asked about writing his music, he explains: “Most people can think of lyrics almost instantly, they write music to express emotions or feelings they have been experiencing within their life. With me, it was the opposite. I sat down and thought: ‘What am I going to write about? I literally have no emotions.’ It was then when I became aware of just how much I wanted to express in the form of song, a realisation I had never encountered before. It’s a powerful thing, music.”

His crticially acclaimed debut album ‘Humble Beginnings’ has reached number #1 in both the UK and the US simultaneously. An impressive feat definitely, but what does Richard attribute for his success? “I guess I’m just a genuine guy, I don’t know. I don’t claim to be big or clever or the ‘next Michael Jackson or anything, I tell it like I want to in my music and I think people appreciate that. I wouldn’t consider myself a musician. I mean... I like music - maybe just a bit more than it likes me. It brings out the worst in me sometimes.” Apparently, Shard was planning to name his album ‘Shed’ as that’s where the majority of it was written. “The shed in my garden was my home for about 2 months where I just sat, cramped, writing music with nothing more than a guitar. It felt  real - I can’t imagine how few still write songs in that sort of homely, ‘real’ setting. I decided against that name. No-one wants an album called ‘Shed’ in their collection do they? Haha.” 

Richard Shard is also a great believer that anyone can pick up a guitar and become a musician. “I’m not saying you can write a smash hit in one go, but I’m saying that emotion and meaning are the only two ingredients you need to perform. That will get you noticed by a few people at least - people who appreciate good music. From this, it’s likely you will be able to expand your career further. Many artists slip under the radar of the ‘UK Top 40’ for their entire lives, and they’re fine with that. I guess I’m just one of the lucky ones who managed to appear on the radar”. ‘What advice would you give to new artists who want to make it big?’ Soundcheck asked. “Don’t aspire to be big. Aspire to write good music and work hard - the rest will follow for sure. I was lucky enough to get inspiration when writing my album. Others may not be so lucky. If so, don’t say: ‘Meh, it will do’ and whack it on your album. Just wait for the right time and the creative spark will come to you.” 

Referring to the state of the charts at the present moment, Richard responded: “I’m not angry or upset about the state of the charts and mainstream music in general, it’s just a sign of the times, right? Personally, I hate The Beatles, but if they were played virtually 24/7 on the radio, I’d be likely to take an interest in it and grow to like it. That’s why I try and stay away from radio as much as possible. I don’t like many of the artists around at the moment - and I’m sure many don’t like me. That’s fine by me. Everyone has opinions.” He was rather surprised at some of his album reviews. “Never before have I seen so many stars, haha. It’s really quite humbling to see so many positive reactions to something that I’ve worked so hard on. I tend to find reviewers are a bit harsh towards albums nowadays. People are afraid to post a full, 5 star review. This shouldn’t be the case. If they love an album, they should put that. They shouldn’t knock it’s score down simply to show that they aren’t too generous. 

So, is Richard planning to tour anytime soon? “Touring is definitely something I want to go ahead and do. Travelling to loads of different locations in a short space of time may seem like hell to some, but to me, it just seems like more chances to get my music out there and heard by as many people as possible. Plus it’ll be nice to see other places of the UK other than the North East. America? Definitely! Touring the States after such a warm welcome sounds great. There’s nothing worse than playing to a crowd who don’t know any of your songs." I don’t think we should be seeing much of that!

This is the second draft of my article. I believe that this version of the article is much better than the previous. It is much longer than the first version, which instantly improves its appearance within the magazine. This way, it bears a closer resemblance to that of a traditional magazine in the sense that it is of a significantly large length. The article also goes into great detail regarding the singer and information about him. The article uses informal lexis to put forward an idea about the personality of the singer, portraying him as casual and relaxed, fitting in with the interview style which is present in most music magazines.

I think the second article improves on the first, therefore this will be the version which I use for my double-page spread article.