AS Foundation Portfolio: 2011

Magazine evaluation

1. During the earlier stages of my coursework, I had to analyse two separate magazine front covers (Q magazine and Vibe magazine). Through these magazines I discovered the typical conventions that are used for a music magazine and decided to create my magazine in a similar way. One way in which I achieved this was by having one main central image. This was done so the reader had a larger focus on the featured artist and insinuated that the main article in the magazine was going to be about this artist. Also accompanied with the central image was anchorage text which creates a main article for the reader to focus their interest. The anchorage text on my front cover is larger than the other puffs on the page, bringing greater emphasis and importance to this specific article. The central image on my front cover was taken as a mid shot. This was done to make the artist on the front cover seem more accessible and comfortable to the reader as the shot has been taken at an angle that is generally seen by people when they are involved in a conversation. This creates a feeling of comfort towards the reader and also is at an angle so the reader can see the surroundings of the artist. The reason that having the surroundings of this artist in view is important is because the use of the brick wall is used to comment on the artist’s genre of music and also to symbolise the environment that the artist has grown up in. For my title block I decided to go for a large, bold design which would make it distinct from over magazines. I have done this by using a red background with black text it makes the name of the magazine stand out to the reader. For the puffs on my front cover I have chosen a colour scheme of yellow and white. I decided to use these colours because the colours on the background of my front cover are quiet dark and by using bright colours for the puffs it brings extra emphasis towards them. I also decided to keep the font and size of the puffs the same to keep them neat and clear. I have used the yellow in the puffs to highlight the main point of it as it is the more vibrant and eye catching colour and the white has been used to take the original point in further detail.

2. For my magazine the target audience is for young adults from the ages of 16-24. The target audience will also have a mutual interest in rap/hip hop. Understanding that this specific social group is my target audience I have constructed my magazine to make it more accessible from the reader’s point of view. This will increase their interest and encourage them to buy the magazine. I have done this by using a large centralised image on the front page. The central image features a young rapper and is accompanied with a headline that reads “prison was hell Killasquad saved my life”. By using such a large image of a young rap artist it immediately compels the target audience as they are going to be interested by it as they are interested in this particular genre of music. Also by using a mid shot u can still see the artists emotion from his facial expression and this accompanied with the anchorage text helps the reader sympathise with him and understand the troubles he has faced in his life. Also the target audience I am aiming this magazine at, stereotypically come from this type of background of poverty and crime. This may further encourage the reader to read the magazine as they may be able to relate to it.

3. The media institution I would choice to distribute my magazine would be IPC media. The reason I would choice this media company would be because it is such a large company and would properly be able to distribute the magazine on a larger basis. Also one of the magazine that IPC media distributes is NME this is important as in some aspects it is similar to my magazine. One way in which it is similar to my magazine is because it has the same target audience. This would suggest that if IPC media can successfully distribute one of the UK’s largest magazine that have the same target audience as my magazine does than it would be the best company to distribute my magazine.

4. My magazine will have a target audience of 16-24 year olds who have an interest in rap/hip hop music. The target audience is not gender specific however due to this genre of music being generally dominated by a male’s the target audience is more male than female friendly. The reason I have chosen this specific age group for my magazine is because the people who are interested in this genre of music are generally teenagers and young adults. From the research I have found from my questionnaire I understood that this age group was the one who had the most positive feedback to a rap magazine. This is why I did not make my magazine specific to any other age group. Also the reason I have chosen people of this age group with an interest in rap/hip hop is because they can relate more to the magazine. The way that I have assured this is by having young artists in the magazine which the reader can relate to as they may have a similar upbringing, way of life or similar views. This magazine is open to people of any ethnicity however due to its origin and the way the genre is generally portrayed it may be aimed more at a young black male.

5. The central image that I used on the front cover of my magazine is one way in which I attracted my target audience the artist on the front cover is a young male rap artist who is getting over a difficult part of his life as he is trying to get his life back on track now he has been released from prison. This may attract the reader for many reasons. One reason for why it may attract the reader is because the fact that he is a young frustrated artist who has been in prison. This may attract readers because they may have been in similar situations as the artist and may relate to what he is going through. Another reason for the reader may be interested and drawn to the magazine because of this story is due to the fact that the artist which the article is about could be seen as an inspiration to the younger generation as he is getting his life back on track. This is why the anchorage text reads “prison was hell Killasquad saved my life” and the title to the double page spread read “MC Cobra ... getting back on track”. This lexical choice helps the reader empathise with the artist and by doing this the artist could be seen as an inspiration to other teenagers who have gone down the same road.

6. In this course I was able to use a wide variety of technologies to make my magazine as professional as possible. One technology that I used in this process was a digital camera. This was helpful in getting the correct shots I needed (e.g. mid-shot) to use on my magazine. This helped give my magazine a more professional look. Once I put the pictures on the computer I could use the Photoshop program to change the image and make it more suitable for the background. For example I changed the background of my centralised image to make it better fit in the genre of the magazine. A tool that helped me do this was the magnetic lasso tool which was a lot more efficient in helping me select the part of the picture I wanted. This was also helpful in my contents page and double page spread as I could make the images better fit on the page and make it neater which further makes it look better and more professional. I then put it on illustrator where my full magazine was made. The variety of tools on this program such as the eraser tool made it easier to improve my image from the bits I had missed on Photoshop. The feather tool was also useful in this course as it defined the edges. This was useful as it was difficult to do it with just the eraser of magic wand tool and made sure it did not look sloppy.

7. Before I started my music magazine in this course I was told to do a preliminary task this task was to create a magazine for my college. During this course I have learnt a lot of new techniques which would help to create a magazine, from the layout of the magazine to the tools I can use on Photoshop. For example, one technique I picked up on and changed for my music magazine was to use a direct mode of address on my centralised image on my front cover. Another technique I picked up on during this course was to use a 3 colour, colour scheme. This makes it look more professional as does not make the magazine seem to busy but still keeps it eye catching. I also learnt how to use different tools on Photoshop and illustrator such as the magic wand tool. This helps get rid of certain things in the picture you do not need. For example the background in my preliminary task was very busy but using the magic wand, feathering and eraser tool on my music magazine I could erase the needless things I did not need in the background I simple erased. I also tried a variety of different fonts to try and get a font that fit the genre of my magazine the best. This is helpful in complementing the images on the cover and therefore improves the look of the magazine.