AS Media Evaluation, Question 7

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from that to your full product?

AS Media Evaluation, Question 6

6.     What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Link to Prezi Presentation

AS Media Evaluation, Question 5

5.     How did you attract/address your audience? 

For this question, I created a feedback response form on Google Drive, which I could then use to gather information/feedback and explain how I was able to attract my audience.
Here is a screenshot showing the responses:This feedback shows that the use of bold, bright colours in my main cover design was effective enough to grab the reader's attention, as well as the large, stand-out text ('Telling it like it is'). As well as this, one person noted that the picture being used as the main background of the cover was also an element which appealed to them. The 'subtle colour combination' on the main cover may refer to the red blended with the bright image and darkly-outlined sell lines, reminiscent of my overall colour scheme of red/white/black. Finally, the 'list of features' on the left-hand side was also noted for being attracting the reader, due to the fact I used a '•' symbol to divide each artist, creating a simplistic yet compact look to the features list.

Sell lines attracted the reader, and the small sell lines that ran across the very top of the page attracted them as well, with 'How to Write a Hit Song' being a specific example. According to one of the pieces of feedback, the smaller sell lines attracted the reader more than the larger ones. This shows a difference of opinion, and demonstrates that I was able to make both the main sell lines and the normal sell lines appear interesting and appealing to the reader.

In regards to the contents page, I used a compact layout to make everything appear condensed and fit together well, aiming to minimising white space. In one of the responses, the combination of pictures and text attracted them, and the pictures was mentioned again in another response. It is clear the use of pictures/article previews helped to attract the audience on the contents page, making one person 'want to read more'. Finally, another thing which attracted my audience was the fact that there was 'lots of information'.

As for the colour scheme on the contents page, the use of bright colours attracted the reader, with the strong, bold red colour blending with the dark black colour probably being the cause of this. The colours weren't used too much so that it appeared overpowering, but were used enough to give a subtle, yet effective vibe towards the contents page. It was noted by the same person that these colours combined well together, showing that these three colours can all work well together, given the right amount of each is used in the correct places.

As for the double-page spread, it was noticed that the simplicity of the image on the left-hand page attracted the reader due to the fact it took up an entire half of the double-page spread. It hit the reader with a bright colour and the subject in a serious stance on the image. The strap-line 'Getting noticed can happen to anyone' was also noted as being effective, with one person stating how that would want them to continue reading the full article. The article title (which changes colour when it spreads across both pages) was also something which someone picked out as being an attractive feature.

As for the text layout on the double-page spread, the drop cap letter 'I' at the beginning of the article attracted the reader's attention. This convention is found in many other magazines, and having used it within mine, I can see how it would attract the reader's attention - signifying the start of the article for the reader via a large, standout letter. Finally, the small 'review box', placed within the middle of the article, breaking up the text between sections, also attracted one of the readers. It is simplistic and subtle in it's location to give the article a sense of quantity and variety by not simply having three columns of text, breaking up the text in an appealing manner.