‘Download’, music magazine Evaluation

1. ‘Download’, music magazine Evaluation By Emily Griffin

2. Introduction I have produced a music magazine called Download. I have aimed my magazine at lovers of indie pop music. I have tried to portray this through the tones within the photograph and the colours of the text that is featured throughout my music magazine. I have decided to keep the themes that are used on the cover of my magazine, throughout the contents page and the double page spread. Therefore, all the images that feature in the magazine have been edited and filtered into black and white. Important text has been written in a bold shade of orange and has been given a dark shadow that sits behind the text so it stands out on the page when layered onto the top of contrasting colours. Other texts have either been written in black or white depending on the background that the text has been set behind. I chose to keep the same model (artist) throughout my magazine as they are the main story that is featured within my double page spread. I had experimented with various different font styles and sizes for the header of my magazine cover before coming to a final decision of simple over bold and loud which made the magazine cover look cluttered and busy on the eye. My music magazine represents various social groups. The main representation is older teenagers who sing/ perform this sort of music. My magazine represents young white women at an age of 19, the image of a young adult has been used throughout the photographs within my music magazine. It is a clear representation of the music culture and represents the people who are part of the music Industry. The images that are used are very light hearted images and are a more edgy representation of the music culture and industry. The orange and black create a more modern look suitable for the younger generation and also links in with the style of music the genre of my music magazine. The clothing featured in the magazine is more of a fashion symbol but the clothing is also quite simplistic so it doesn’t detract any attention away from the rest of the magazine. The magazine is set at a price of £3.00 which is slightly more cheaper than the higher end magazines such as vogue or Vibe magazine. However, my magazine may be suitable on a regular bases for anyone with a regular and average income.

3. Header- ‘Download: I have decided to call my music magazine Download. It was between Attuned or Download but my preferred choice was Download. I had various font styles for the header. However, I decided to choose this simple text as it looks easy on the eye and fits in with the theme of the magazine which is set throughout every page produced. The text was found off the internet and the style of the text is square. I have cut the letters out and enlarged them to the size that was most preferred. I have kept the text in front of the image as I feel this works best for the front cover of my music magazine. In what ways does your media product use develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? Front cover of my music magazine Banner-I have set a black banner over the top of an orange banner leaving the edge of the orange on show, bordering the banner. I have put a slogan in the banner along with relevant information that links In with the rest of the magazine. For the text in the banner I have used scarif sdt. Layering text- I have layered the names of famous pop/indie pop musicians behind the image of the artist, in a low opacity as it feels a gap in the top part of the music magazine. I decided to write the text in a bold orange as it links in with the themes throughout my music magazine. The names also link in with the themes. I have kept the same style of text that has been used for the article headlines that are featured on the front of the magazine cover. I have varied the opacity so some of the text is lighter than other text. Photograph- The photograph was chosen through process of elimination. I wanted to take a photograph that was relevant for the genre of my magazine and the audience I was aiming my magazine at. I have edited this image on photoshop as I wanted to use a black and white filter. I chose a plain background so text could be layered on to the top of the photograph. The artist is wearing dark red lipstick which matches with the clothing creating a contrast when set in black and white. I have taken the photograph from the waist onwards as I wanted to balance out the magazine with text and the header which is possible when the photograph is taken central. ‘D’- I have decided to place a D over the top of the photograph on the music magazine cover as it makes it look more appealing on the eye and fits in with the text and images featured on the cover. I have set it in a light opacity as it doesn’t attract any attention off the rest of the cover and the image can still be seen. The D stands for the name of the music magazine, Download. Text- I have decided to use the font stencil for the text on my magazine front cover as it was the text that linked best with the genre of my magazine cover (indie pop). I have written the text in various sizes creating the effect of some text beginning more important to read than other text. I have written the text in either orange and black on the photograph of the magazine and then the rest is written in orange or white depending on the background the text is set in front of. Banner/posters- I have also placed a border at the bottom of the cover as well as the top as I feel the banners border the image and make the magazine. I have added the posters and extra text In the banner that also links with the content of the magazine.

4. In what ways does your media product use develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? Banner and border- I have placed a banner at the top of the contents page as well as the bottom of the page as I feel it creates a frame for the page. I have used all three colours that are featured in my magazine within the banner. I have created an orange border for the banner so it can stand out from the rest of the content that is laid out on the page. Contents page Title-I have chosen the same text and style that was used on the front cover, also in the contents page as I have wanted to keep the same theme throughout. However, this time I have placed the image in front of the text as the text looked to busy when placed in front of the photograph. I have also made the t’s in contents longer as it creates more of an effect on the title. Layering-I have decided to pace the image over the top of the text as I felt the text made the contents page looked to messy. I cut out the top half of the figure and copied and pasted it creating another layer which then could be placed on top of the text. I have layered the line behind the figure. Content of magazine- I have written the all the contents information along the left hand side of the page as it looks less messy and is simpler to read as the image of the artist is set on the right hand side of the page. Most of the text has been written in black as this colour is the most noticeable when placed against a lighter background. However, small sections of text or words have been written in orange such as the tour dates. I have also written the page numbers in font size 24 which creates a contrast when put next to the small font. The numbers are also all written in black making them stand out along the left hand side of the page. Black line- I have decided to add a faded black line along the right hand side of the image, along the right side of the artist. I placed the black line along side the figure as I felt it created more shape to the contents page and balanced out the text from the image. I have faded it slowly as the line meet the picture of the artist. Photograph- This photograph was chosen from a selection of images that were taken during a photo shoot that I carried out. I decided to use this image for my contents page as the artist is set to the right hand side of the page which meant I could place the text on the left hand side of the page. The artist is smiling in this image and I have used a plain back drop for the setting of the image so it is easier to place text over the top of the image without it looking to busy. I like the image because it is light hearted and simple yet effective. Banner- I have placed a banner at the bottom of the page which is also similar to the front cover as I like the way the banner at the top and the bottom border the contents page. The text written in the banner are either written in white or orange as the text needs to stand out from the background that is set behind the text but in this case it is a black background.

5. In what ways does your media product use develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? Title of double page spread- For the title of my double page spread I have used the words ‘Right place at the right time’ which is a commonly used quote and is also featured in one of Olly Murs’ albums called ‘Right place at the right time’. It is also I quote that I have taken out of the text that is written within the article. I have written it in the style that has been used throughout the three pages of my music magazine. I wrote it in size 74 font so it stands out from the rest of the content featured on the page Double page spread Caption- For the caption I have used a quick summary as to what will be found in the article if it is read by the audience. I written this caption in orange as it stands out when its set behind the black title on the page. All the captions featured within the article are written in black. Text set behind text- I have placed a ‘J’ behind the text in the article. I have used a J as it links in with the name of the artist ( Jess Griffin). I have set it in a light opacity as I wanted it to create a subtle effect and I didn’t want to detract all of the attention off the actual article itself. I was inspired to place a J behind the text after doing some research on magazine double page spreads that are found in the Q magazine. Many of there articles feature a letter behind the text. I like it as it feels up the page yet doesn’t clutter up the page creating a busy look. Layering image and text- I felt the image on its own looked to and boring so I decided to layer text behind the figure in the photograph in order to make it look more interesting. I copied and pasted the text from text that was written in the article so it isn’t just any random text that the image has been set in front of. I had to cut out the figure within the image and copy and paste it into a new layer in order for me then move the text behind the image. It almost looks like the text is written on the wall behind her. Article and text- I have written an article on the artist that is featured throughout the music magazine and is in all the photographs. I have kept the text on the right hand side of the double page spread as I felt it looked to busy and messy with the article on both pages. I wanted to keep the whole image on the left hand side of the page. I have started the article text with capital letters as this makes it look more similar to a article that you would find in a news paper or magazine. I have kept the text in black so it is easy to read. I have also used a different font called scariff as it is more simpler to read when comparing it to the other font that I have used on the front cover and contents page (stencil). Photograph- I have decided to place the image of the artist on the left hand side of the page. This image is notably different when comparing it to the other photographs that I have taken. The artist is staring right at the camera whilst holding a microphone. I really liked this image as I thought it was well composed and is different to the other images at there is a prop featured within the photograph. I have also set this image in black and white as it is the theme of my magazine throughout all three pages.

6. Audience Who would be the audience for your media product? My music magazine has been aimed at the older generation of teenagers who are mainly interested in the pop culture but also the indie pop music. The age of my magazine would be aimed at young women aged between 16 to 19 year olds as the artist featured on the front cover and throughout is aged 18. My magazine is aimed at people with a musical interest especially in the genre of my magazine (pop/ indie pop) as they would fined the music magazine more interesting as it would suit their own personal interests more than someone who is interested in classical music. The language I have used is very current and relates to the genre and theme of my music magazine. The language used in the double page spread is an informal take of the star as it represents a conversation that would have happened in a interview. The article is linked with my audience as it would be what my age group would also be experiencing. The double page spread talks about school and how she became a success within the music industry. I have decided to keep the same theme of my music magazine all the way throughout. Therefore I have chosen to use three colours instead of a variety of different colours. I chose to use black, white and orange as these colours together create more of a pop and modern look. The orange also contrasts really well with the black and white. I have put a black and white filter on all of my images as I feel they create more atmosphere within the images and they also link in with colours of my music magazine genre. I used the orange to make the magazine more bold and vibrant when it is sitting on the shelf within a shop or supermarket. Not many magazines on the market use black and white on their front cover of there music magazine.

7. What have you learnt about technologies from the of constructing this product? I have used various technologies during the process of my music magazine. The main four that I have used are Photoshop (editing of cover and contents page), InDesign (creation of double page spread), WordPress (blogging process of music magazine) and a digital SLR to take the photographs. I have learnt various different processes with the use of the software's and equipment in order to create my music magazine. The main software that have I used for my music magazine is Photoshop. I have used this software for all of the pages of my music magazine, the front cover, contents page and the double page spread. There are various different types of tools that can be used in order to edit and create such a detailed magazine. I used the lasso tool to cut out the any small images that are featured in the magazine. I used this tool to cut out the header of my music magazine ‘download’. I also use crop tool to crop down any images, especially the photographs used for the background of the front cover and the contents page as well as the double page spread. I have learnt how to layer images on top of one another and how to create new layers. I have changed the opacity of images on most text and photographs throughout my magazine as it makes it easier to read and clearer to look at. I used the blur tool to blur sharp edges on text boxes and photographs. I have used the fill tool to fill in any text boxes in order to cerate the banners that are placed on the top and bottom of the magazine cover and contents page. I have used WordPress to document my progress during the process of my music magazine. As you can see I have uploaded images that have taken for my magazine and the process of my music magazine to my school magazine http://sheldonegriffinas.wordpress.com/ . With the use of WordPress I have learnt to upload images and posts on to my blog and to also comment my own thoughts and opinions on my, own work as well as looking at others peoples work to gain knowledge and ideas. InDesign was used during the process of my school magazine. I used it to create the contents page. I found InDesign relatively harder then Photoshop as the tools were harder to find in order to carry out cropping and even adding text onto the page. I did attempt to start using InDesign for my double page spread but I found it tricky adding photographs where you could edit them and change the opacity to my own personal taste. I used an SLR digital camera to take the (professional looking) photographs. I also used a tripod in order to prevent and blurriness to camera shake. I set the camera against a white screen and had the artist in front of the screen which I then took the photograph of her posing for the camera.

8. Progression from school magazine to music magazine. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? Looking back from where I first started the course, I feel I have progressed in more ways than one. One skill that has certainly improved over time is the use of software to create magazine covers and posters. The software that I have used the most would have to be photoshop. However, I have also used indesign for the contents page of my school magazine. My most preferred software is photoshop. My school magazine cover looks very busy and cluttered with the use of coloured text that I have used. I feel this could be improved by limiting the colour to one particular such as white as this colour would be noticed when set on any coloured background. The image isn’t the best image I have ever taken however I feel it does give a clear representation of school. When I compare this to my music magazine cover I can safely say I am more happy with the image and colours that I have used. The header of my school magazine was just a text that I had used off of photoshop. Whereas with my school magazine I had taken the header off the interenet as I felt the fonts on photoshop were to simple and made the magazine cover look boring and dull. I have also learnt to cut and copy images into a new layer so images could then be layered over text or other images. The finish on my school magazine could also have been less cluttered like my music magazine cover. If I were to do my school magazine cover I think I would also add borders in order to frame the magazine cover.

9. Contents Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? The quality of my contents page has also improved. I did my school contents page on idesign whereas I created my music magazine on photoshop as there were something's I wanted to create on photoshop that indesign would not allow me to do. For example cutting out images and layering images on top of other texts. I also need to blur the edges of the banners that are at the top and bottom of the page. I prefer my music magazine contents when I compare it to my school contents page as I feel my music contents page in with the rest of the themes in my music magazine. My school magazine on the other hand is my tidy and has been set into different coloured boxes. However I feel the colours used within the boxes are to bright and colourful and if I were to redo y school magazine would take out the purple coloured box as it contrasts with the rest of the contents page even though blue, yellow and purple are the colours of Sheldon school. The text in the school contents page is also the same all the way throughout and looks boring and there is to much text to read through. It would be more effective if it was broken up like my music contents page. In conclusion to my progression, I feel I have improved a lot when you compare the two together. I have learnt to layer images and text on top of each other. I have also learnt that less is more and the less colour you have on your magazine the better and more appealing on the eye it looks. I have moved on from just using the text that can be found in photoshop and I have researched other texts that would looked most appealing for the genre of my music magazine.

10. Institutions What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? Q and Billboard also produce music magazines that are similar to mine. Both magazines are published monthly. Q’s publisher is Bauer Media group where they create and publish there magazines. Nearly all of there magazine covers, contents pages and double page spreads, along with any posters and images are all edited on photoshop or indesign. However, there are also many other methods of publication that they also use. Q also had a radio station that lasted for many years before creating a spin off radio station called kiss instead of having the Q radio station. Q now have there own website where there are articles that can also be read online along with other links to the company. Billboard is also another example of a music magazine that is similar to mine. They also use photoshop and indesign to produce their magazine covers and the content that goes in them. Like Q, they also have their own website where they advertise the latest articles and the most loved music of the week. Much of the magazine is available at Billboard's B2B site, Billboard.biz. Billboard.com is the consumer-centered site, and includes artist interviews, daily news and charts. The group behind the billboard has imprint of the Crown publishing group (itself a part of random house) known as Billboard Reads, which bought the imprint from Nielsen in 2008. The advantages of having free distribution means the company isn’t have to pay other compaines to sell their product therefore they are making a large profit along with the sales of the magazine itslef.