Feature Article

Original College Mag Picture

The original image I used on my college magazine cover.

Electronic Drafts

Cover page Draft

Content page Draft

Feature Article Draft

Original Images

Audience Moodboard

Advertiser Moodboard

Evaluation: H: Skills Development

Looking back at your preliminary task (the college magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

New Magazine Cover

         Old Magazine Cover

           

 Here you can see how I progressed when using Photoshop from September 2014 to February 2015. My old magazine lacked substance and was left with a lot of ineffective white space. When I first used Photoshop I was unable to edit images properly hence why I left a white border around my first magazine to hide any discrepancies of poor editing. However on my new magazine cover I have successfully learnt to edit my image using the Photoshop tools available (Magic wand etc.) The colour scheme used on my initial magazine lacks creativity and is very boring to look at however on my newest magazine my colour scheme has been utilised effectively and creates a sense of what the magazine is all about.                                                 

 

My new Masthead is a lot more effective and unique than my old one. The new one looks a lot more professional and has it's own unique features (crown on the 'i', and red cross line). This makes the masthead a lot more memorable and instantly recognisible by the reader.

This masthead only uses 2 colours and lacks creativity. Only a basic font is used and there is no stand out features to the masthead that make it really recognisible or unique.

Here is my contents page from the preliminary task. This contents page is very basic and lacks any image at all. This conveys a sense of unproffesionalism and wouldn't stand out in any way at all. There are still only 2 colours used which makes the magazine repetitive and boring to look at. The information looks extremely basic and lacks any interesting or unique feature.

Here is my contents page from my media product. Instantly it looks completely improved and has a strong sense of uniqueness and individuality. The 'Contents' title is placed at the bottom of the page in which challenges the codes of conventions of most magazine and I think it looks original and stands out. There is also an image on the contents page in which creates more of a sense of professionalism and adds to the unity of the front cover. Not only does it have a few insights to what is in the magazine it has more information and a 'features' and 'regulars' section aswell. This follows the code of conventions of contents pages as most will have this feature. Another thing that has carried over from the front cover is the use of small crowns as dividers. This is a unique idea and ties in with the crown from my 'CLiQUE' masthead and creates an image for my brand.

I have developed many skills during the time of creating these two media products. I have learnt to use imaging editing tools correctly and learnt more of the codes of conventions of magazines. My new magazine has a strong uniqueness to it and my improved skills with Photoshop have helped create this. I have learnt to use tools such as blending options effectively to create a professional looking media product in which conveys a strong brand image and is instantly recognisible for its uniqueness and bold statements in font choice, images, colours and conventions.

Evaluation: G: Technologies

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

During my time doing AS Media I have learnt a lot about the technologies used in media product production. I learnt that there are lots of techniques used to create aesthetically pleasing products and that there are many different ways to edit both photo and text content. I also found that there were many different media based sites in which allow you to publish content such as Prezi and Flipsnack and all of these sites are useful when creating a media product.

Here is a screenshot of my cover page in Photoshop. I have used this to showcase the tool bars and features Photoshop has to offer. The most used tools are featured down the left hand side and image editing etc. is located along the top of the Photoshop window. Prior to AS Media I had never used Photoshop before so had no experience in using the software however in the last 6 months I believe I have covered a lot of the aspects it has to offer and can now use the software to a good level.

The use of technology when constructing my media product has become very handy for me as I can edit and change my media products as I please. You can use the Photoshop application on any PC and some tablets and mobile devices. This makes it very easy to construct and add to your media work when you please too. Tools such as copy and paste and the 'magic wand' on Photoshop make image editing extremely easy as you can move images around your media product and erase certain parts of them e.g. the background to create a great effect with the images you are using. It is also possible to use effects such as grey-scale on your images in which could help you convey messages to your target audience. Photoshop also allows you to use a ruler tool in which makes it very easy to add things such as cover lines to your media product as you can level things up and ensure they are in the correct position. Without this technology you may find it hard to achieve full aesthetics with your media product.

Another thing Photoshop has to offer is the blending effects feature. This enables you to add shadows, colour overlays or even strokes to both images and text. This is extremely useful when you want to achieve a certain effect with your media product and especially useful when editing pictures and other elements. 

Adobe Photoshop CS6:

I used this software to create and edit my media product. I found this extremely useful and easy to use when I got the hang of it. The software helped me create a professional looking media product with ease.

Dafont.com

I used Dafont.com in order to find suitable fonts 

for my media product. This is a very useful 

website as it allows you to find special custom

fonts you will not be able to find in something

like Microsoft Word. It also allows you to use

many of their fonts free of charge.

Blogger.com
This is the blog website I used to post my media
work and media product on. Blogger makes it easy
to showcase my work in a professional way and
make it easy to navigate through my work. It also
allows you to change the layout and background of
your blog in order to create a aesthetically pleasing
blog.

Information on Magazine Publishers

Information on Magazine Publishers.

TimeInc UK:

TimeInc UK is a subsidiary of Time Inc. (formally IPC Media) one of the world’s leading media companies with a reach of more than 130 million consumers each month across many different platforms. TimeInc UK publish over 60 brands of magazine including NME magazine; one of the most popular music magazines in the UK; and also publish many of the most successful magazines across many sectors in the UK e.g. What’s on TV, Now, TV times, Country Life and Rugby World. TimeInc have content available on many different platforms (Print, Online, Mobile, Tablets and Experiences).

IPC Magazines was formed in 1968 and was renamed IPC Media in 2000 when the company decided to venture in new directions other than just basic magazines. In June 2014 the IPC Media Company was bought by Marcus Rich and then renamed TimeInc UK in September 2014.

Bauer:

Bauer media reaches over 22 million people in the UK a week and is one of the leading media companies in the UK. With brands such as Kerrang, Q, Empire and FHM to their name they are one of the most popular publishers in the UK hosting a wide range of genres for every persons wants. Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations.

Bauer Media first produced magazines back in 1953 with the launch of Angling Times and has grown in both popularity and interest ever since.

Location, Props and Costume Report

Location, Props and Costume Report

  All of my photos were taken in the photography room at my college. I used this room to take advantage of the props and greenscreen in there in which made it easier to edit my images on my magazine. Also the room has studio lights in which helped me achieve the correct lighting effect for all of my images. My model (Dan) was photographed in a serious way to convey my message of seriousness for the genre of music. I decided to use the hat he is seen wearing in the pictures to create a unique sense to my artist and convey the message of individualism and confidence. Dan is seen wearing black clothes as this colour is widely used across the Hip-Hop genre and many artists choose to wear this colour thus making it relatable to my target audience. Dan is wearing a 'North Face' jacket in which many of my audience would wear/aspire to wear as this brand is seen as resepctable in the rap scene. This ties together the aspects of fashion and music that my magazine intwines.

Construction Schedule

Construction Schedule

Week 1-2: Front cover making

Week 3-4: Contents page making

Week 5-6: Feature article making

Week 7: Final changes

Evaluation C: Representations

Evaluation: D Institutions

Magazine Questionnaire

College Magazine analysis

Real Media Analysis

Colour Moodboard

Fonts moodboard

Contents Page

Original Idea's Statement

Original ideas statement.

I have decided to make a Hip-Hop and Rap based magazine incorporating in fashion trends and styles associated with this genre of music. My age range I will target with my magazine will be aged around 17-26 and will predominately be aimed at a male audience as this is who is typically listens to this genre and partakes in this lifestyle. I have chosen this type of magazine as this is the genre of music I enjoy and I believe there is a gap in the market for a regular rap/hip-hop based magazine as this genre of music is growing and expanding to new audiences it has never appealed to before until recently.

My magazine will combine aspects of fashion and music in to one not only focusing on artist’s music but their style as well. I will use a suitable colour scheme and ensure my magazine appeals to the correct target audience (suitable fonts, features etc.)