Print EvaluationPrint Evaluation

Sophie Barber

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

products?

My product uses the conventions of a magazine in a number of ways. For example on the front cover the title or the

magazine is at the top with a large image covering it. It also has the barcode, price and issue number on the front which

is also normally seen on a magazine. Although the front image is in black and white and normally on a magazine

cover they tend to be bright and attractive whereas I think that my cover is attractive to the audience still by using this

colour. The contents challenges what you would normally see on a contents page as it is more randomly layout rather

then layout in a straight way as you normally see on a contents page of a magazine. It also only has one image and this is the same character that was on the front whereas it

would probably tend to be a different one in order to so there will be a lot in the magazine. Although I have only used the one character I believe it has been efficient as

theoretically this character could be well known and popular to an audience.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product doesn’t really represent any particular social group just general people who are interested in music. My magazine cover represents many different types of music

which are all, theoretically, based on new releases therefore it appeals to most of the general public who are interested in music. However, the type of music which my main article may be about can be whatever the audience want to class it

as, as it does not specify therefore involving everyone.

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

Many media institutes may distribute my media product as it is a magazine and can be stored anywhere. Simple places such

as a newsagent, a music store and local shops may be an obvious option but it could also be displayed and advertised online on social networks such as Bebo, Facebook and more obviously MySpace. This way it would be seen nationally and globally as well as locally and could become more popular.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My magazine product would be mainly targeted at 16-24 year olds, teenagers and young adults and people who are

generally interested in new music releases. At this present time they mainly include ‘indie’ bands which attract a more younger audience but could, at a later time, be targeted at the older audience if music was released targeting at them.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I tried many ways and styles to attract my audience, mainly using the conventions of a magazine. The type of music that I used could be the main thing that attracts my audience as there is a wide range of styles. Also the fact that the artists

used, apart from my own, are well known and therefore would attract the audience more. The font style could also

attract my audience because it is not plain and it is colourful. There are two font styles used and both are not plain and aesthetically pleasing to a younger audience. The

colours used are different throughout. The front cover consists of a grey scale which was probably not the best

colour used to attract an audience but the font of the front of it are different colours such as purple, blue and red.

These colours work well together and are attractive but I think that I should have used a different background colour.

The contents and spread’s background are white which makes the rest of the contents stand out. These work well

with the font and imagery and I believe they are quite attractive.

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

Before my product I had used technology such as a camera or a computer before but whilst constructing it I learnt a lot

about certain software and the different ways a camera can be used.

The software I used was called Fireworks. I had never used this programme before and did not have a clue to use it. Whilst

constructing my product I learnt a lot about how to use Fireworks and became quite aware of all the things it can

do. Considering I had never used it before I think I did quite well constructing my magazine.

In constructing my product I used my camera to take the pictures that are used. Whilst using this I had to consider the surrounding light and whether or not flash was needed, the background it should be used against and the angle and type

of shot used. It took me several attempts to get the right shot and picture and I learnt a lot about how to use the

camera.

Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to

the full product?

Throughout my project I have learnt a lot from constructing my own product. The use of conventions and the layout was the main thing I learnt best about as it was hard to decide what to do and what not to do and how to lay out the imagery and

font. I also learnt a bit about what people want in a magazine and this helped me to create my own to my best

potential. However, I do think there are many things I could have done

better such as the background colour on the front cover. This could have been a brighter more attractive colour but I

do believe that it works well with the other content on there. Also I could have used better content in my magazine

to attract a better audience.