Evaluation

The main aim of my project was to create a front cover, contents page and double page spread of a new magazine. My project has been completed with the end products looking very realistic in my view. I feel the end media product produced suits its target audience extremely well, as it meets all their demands.

The target audience of my magazine includes young people above the age of 18 who like dance music and clubbing. The magazine covers the latest dance events, music reviews, fashion, competitions and night clubs. The origin of the title “Replay” comes from replaying your favourite music tune over and over again therefore sticking in your mind. I feel the magazine represents a particular social group through the language used and the topics discussed, from this we can see that my magazine is aimed at an older audience of people aged 18 and onwards as many of these people will be able to attend clubs where the music is played. Also the information discussed in the article is of an explicit nature therefore youngsters would not be a part of the social age in which the magazine attracts. For example the strapline “204 nights out,” here the topic discussed is parties, clubs and drinks so a child reading this would not be seen as appropriate as these scenes can be of a open nature through the clothing people wear, the drinks people have and the places they go. Many parents as a result would disapprove of their child reading the magazine as it would not be suitable for their young age group.

My media project in many ways follows the typical convections of a niche market of dance music lovers, through many features such as the layout, typography, colour and images used. Because of this the target audience are intrigued to read the magazine as they are attracted to these features.

The layout of all three pages was fairly similar to that of a similar genre magazine, Mixmag which has the same house style. This includes various elements being placed in particular areas, for example the cover image of my model was placed purposely in front of the masthead “Replay”. This shows how recognisable and well known a magazine is, as it can be noticed without its title being on display. The cover image was also positioned in the upper third of the magazine cover as this is the main point of interest for the consumers to look at and interact with most naturally. The straplines on the cover are another element that attracts the target audience as they are topics which the audience are interested in; also the size of them immediately stands out. An example of this is “Animalistic dancing and much more!” this connotes an over exaggerated, large, outrageous dance move which reflects what a good time the target audience are having. It also links to animals and how they moves, which could slow like a panther getting ready to pounce or fast and big when it is trying to catch its prey. These straplines subvert conventions as they push the boundaries of what is expected as a result they catch the eyes of the reader enticing them to read on as they feel like they are rebels as they are going against what is the norm of society. This also creates exclusivity as the reader feels that they are the first to get an insight to a story therefore they feel special. The straplines on the front page also help to anchor the image as they all relate to one another this is shown through the strapline “party hard, die young” here the image show a young female dressed up like she is going to a party this therefore links to the strapline about having a good time. Also on the contents page most of the text is packed and positioned on the right hand side of the page as this technique covers most of the page leaving no blanks spaces for the target audience to lose interest. This is shown through the copy “7. tunes, The worlds NO 1 guide to the latest music, 24. house party, The latest hot spots all over the UK, 29. fashions fines, The latest new look brought straight to you…” here all the copy is pact together. This method also allows certain subjects to be located fairly easily as they are split into categories which are easier to understand. The contents page also consists of a large image on the left hand side of the page to draw in more visual consumers who may not be very literate. Finally my double page spread also has a large image covering one A4 side of the page and on the other there is text this consisted of question and answers as well as a mini competition in the corner which gives a very relaxed feeling to it.

The image used on the front cover plays a vital role in drawing in the potential consumers; as a result it also follows the generic convention of this type of magazine as it uses props such as the lollipop which creates a very seductive look. This along with the eccentric futuristic sunglass emphasises how familiar it is to other magazines with similar house styles yet it has developed on them as it pushes the boundaries therefore challenging its forms as some people may see the image as too “sexy” for the public. This is one of the many micro-elements that is apart of the mise en scene of the page, the props. The clothing which she is wearing is another element of the mise en scene which is used to attract its target audience as many people may aspire to look like her. The colours in the dress also follow the colours used throughout and the dress which she is modelling is edgy, funky and very retro; this emulates the type of music in which the audience listen to. It also illustrates what the target audience would wear to clubs which is of clothing which pushes the boundaries of what is expected as they are more adventuress .The accessories also used include a red head band, necklace and hoop earrings which contribute this type of look. The image on the contents page also develops upon what type of image would usually be used for real media products through the effects and editing being placed on both images on the right and left hand side of the page. Another micro element is lighting, most of which was naturally however, the double page spread has artificial as it has been poisoned from a specific angle in order to highlight certain areas of the model’s facial structure. The denotations of the image is of a girl with a lollipop in her mouth but, her pose is more suggestive as she has her hand on her hip which shows attitude and edginess. Finally her make up is fairly naturally except her lipstick which is of a bright red colour which connotes love and sexiness therefore standing out and striking the readers eyes instantly.

Many of the real media products which I have carried out research on did not use many programmes to edit their images as they were kept more natural which some of my images have also, such as my cover image however others have been altered which include my double page spread image. From this I learnt technology used in the process of constructing my products can be at times fairly difficult to use as there are many ways of was of creating an effect on an image however, creating the right effect for that particular image may take time. This therefore has taught me to be patient and to do some background research on certain types of programmes as some are fairly hard to use. Also it has also has showed me how technological advances are always occurring and there are a wide variety of ways of constructing an image till it creates the image you may have in your head. However, once I had selected the best effect for my image using Photoshop, for example on my contents page the main image has a stamp affect which helps my magazine to stand out and be recognised as unique and special. text anchor image how it relates

The typography used on all three pages is all fairly similar with only two types of text being used which creates a consistency throughout as well as following the typical convention of any magazine following the same house style. The size of the front also is fairly similar as they do not become too large or small. They are also in a san serif style which makes The informal language used on the front cover also creates a special relationship with the target audience as it is direct and uses many techniques such as alliteration “live, laugh, love” which act as a catchy strapline. Hyperbole is another technique used on the front cover with the strapline “animalistic dancing and much more” here the target audience get the feeling of a very hyper environment where many people are having fun and going crazy which over exaggerates the situation the people may be in. Also on the double page spread the use of an interview creates a colloquial article for the reader to engage in through the descriptive and playful language used. The tone in general is also very relaxed and laid back this is shown through the informal copy as this registers as very relatable to the target audience.

The colours used throughout the three pages also conforms to a real music magazine as I have used bright vibrant colours which stand out and catch the readers eye enticing them to read onwards. I used a variety of colours which include white, black, yellow and red these are bold complimentary colours which are instantly recognisable and used through out making them consistent through out. These same colours are used on both on the texts and the images to show continuity.

Overall, I feel I have learnt a lot looking back at my preliminary (college prospectus) and I feel I have progressed, towards the full product. I have grasped the concept of how magazines are constructed and that more time is taken and needed to be put in to construction of a magazine. They need to be carefully deconstructed and placed on grids before it is actually made. Then time is needed to be taken to discover a concept and then demonstrate it through the image text and language used. My preliminary task has also opened my eyes to show me that research is needed before any real work can be started. Also now that my magazine is complete I feel that many media institutes might distribute my media product because I feel it is unique and appeals to a specific target audience whose needs have not been meet yet. After much research I have found EMAP which stands for East Midland Allied Press.
EMAP is a British media company, specialised in the production of business to business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences. This distribution company would be perfect for distributing my magazine to my specific target audience as it is well-established and already distributes magazine’s to unrecognised audiences with quite high circulations.

I then presented my final products to a potential consumer who loved the magazine and was interested in purchasing it. They felt the stories were very relatable and easy to locate, they also loved the images used and how they were enhanced through the use of various technologies. The also felt the magazine would appeal to a mass market as its unique selling point of club music meant that most people no matter who they are and there interest are will at one point in their lives go clubbing and enjoy this type of music.