AS Media Studies – Foundation Portfolio
Critical Evaluation
For the Media Studies project AS, I have created the front cover, contents page and the double middle page spread of a music magazine aimed at teenagers that contain a range of material used by doing market research. My media product uses and develops forms and conventions of real media products by representing various characteristics of real media products, as I have done a lot of a range of audience research and how current popular music magazines are represented in the media.
I have developed ideas from a choice of music magazines, getting suggestions from features such as the front cover, with ideas like the positioning and the balance to attract the target audience to purchase the magazine, with certain aspects highlighted to create attention. I have challenged many modern and popular music magazines by keeping the same colour scheme throughout the pages, this doesn’t work with most magazines, but personally I think it adds to the effect of the magazine design.
I think I have balanced the magazine front cover well, but I have challenged the Guttenberg diagram, and have placed the main cover line in the bottom left of the page, but I have made it big and bold to stand out, although it does not exceed the size of the masthead, which is positioned at the top centre of the page at the primary position. I have also used primary colours - of reds, yellows and oranges; I have chosen these colours by asking my target audience a range of questions to cancel out what colours are interesting to what colours don’t appeal. I think the range of colours work well and I have included them in all pages of my magazine, as sort of like a theme so the audience is used to them.
I think my media product doesn’t represent particular social groups, but a wide range of social groups, as it is aimed at all teenage audiences in the age range of 16 to 20 year olds. This is portrayed in the design and content I have included within the cover, contents and double page spread of the magazine that I have created. I’ve used eye-catching designs and a teenage model on the front cover as the main cover story included in something music-related. The style of the text is to a certain extent - fairly informal, so would appeal more to the teenage range category than other audiences.
The kind of media institution that might distribute my media product is various newsagents, categorised with a range of other music magazines to compare. I felt I have attracted my target audience by choosing a unique style and colour theme to my magazine front cover with a big bold and clear.
After comparing my media product to my ancillary project, I felt I have focused more on what my target audience want and are interested in and have followed that through. On the ancillary project I felt I just chose a random theme and stuck with it, but with the real magazine I researched hard and designed what was typically asked of my target audience. My targets I set myself when finishing my ancillary project was to spend less time on the small little fancy things and concentrate more on what the target audience wants. I think I have followed upon it and have created an eye catching yet simple front cover, contents page and middle double page spread.
When researching ideas and methods from my target audience, I asked them to fill out a questionnaire; I handed out 20 to various people and asked them to fill it out anonymously so they would be truthful. I collated the results and placed them in a various tables and charts to easily view and put together the findings. Including market research and online research as well I have researched in other magazines and using primary research. Things I would change about my media product magazine is that I would have used less bold colours, I know they are eye catching and draw attention to my magazine, but looking back I feel like the yellows and oranges draw attention for the wrong reasons – but just the colours. I feel I have balanced out the magazine well, I feel I have taken in the principle of thirds and the Guttenberg diagram well and used them throughout the magazine to help attract the audience in, using primary positions to attract certain areas and emphasise certain points in my magazine.
To complete my magazine I have used Photoshop CS2 software on the computer. When I first started this assignment I had a vague idea on how to use Photoshop, but since completing it I feel that I have broadened my knowledge on the software. I used various tools to edit and manipulate images and photographs that I had taken into the magazine itself using layers. I created some designs myself and have edited a few found images.
I found editing the photographs I took of the front cover model was quite difficult because it was such a drastic change, I especially struggled with editing the hair and adding new pieces on to make it seem real and life like instead of just a bit of paint slapped on. Cutting out the images and photographs and placing them on different backgrounds was quite challenging as well, I either cut too much off or not enough so it wasn’t even enough, I found that cutting out the image I wanted, then pasting it onto a new layer and erasing and smoothing out the areas which stuck out.
In conclusion I think I have made a successful magazine which has been lucratively aimed at my target audience, of both male and female teenagers aged 16 – 20 years old and of all social groups. I have created my magazine from using various types of market research, helping me to piece together what features the target audience is interested in. I am especially proud of my contents page, as I have made it simple yet effective. I feel that I have edited it well and manipulated 3 different images and collated them together effectively.
18 November, 2008
8) Proposal
For my proposal I will explain what my personal idea of my own music magazine will be like, including details such as who the target audience will be. The genre of my music magazine will be rock, or alternate rock that includes a wide range of different bands so I can play on the idea for my middle double page spread. The magazine is going to be targeted at a teenage audience and I will collect their preferences by doing some audience research. I have taken photographs that will fit in with the rock theme. The photographs are of similar standard so I can easily incorporate the front cover model with the middle double page spread.
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