My Final Magazine Designs Collectively

This is my final front cover design featuring Electrom as the cover artist of Indiefix.


This is my final content page containing images of various artists in stereotypical indie shapes and colours.


This is my final double page spread with an exclusive with Electrom with a double page image of Electrom as a basis to the article.

Final Product Scehdule

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Evaluation Progress

This Presentation is an evaluation of my progress throughout my media product development:

This powerpoint is a reviewed version of the text version that is explained bellow as i acted upon the advise and feedback i was given back from various peers.


Evaluation Draft

1.In what does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media product?
In my magazine I tried to fit conventions to prevent the risk of my magazine being unexpected due to it being unusual but at the same time challenged these conventions by pushing them to there boundaries.The colours I used in terms of my genre were conventional in there vibrant bright appearance and there clashing yet charming way. However I did not just keep the colours separate to the images I tired to compliment both together but through editing and block colours. The wide use of colours on the spectrum allowed me to cater for all my target audience in term of both sexes and the broad range of Indie fans. This theme of colour I conventionally kept throughout my magazine so in this way I did not challenge this convention however because of the wide colour spectrum I did use it gave me a lot of versatility to use different colours which made each aspects of the project individual yet complimented and maintained the Indie theme throughout. I believe that the colour scheme also is very identifiable to my target audience as well as being attractive as a piece of publication to attract purchase.The main fonts I used through out my magazine is



This font I used for my mastheads the reason I chose this font in the first place to present to my target audience is because it very much fits with the Indie linear and symmetrical use of lines and linear colours and the difference and edge Indie fashion and music has which in this aspect I remained with the conventions as I believe it would be hard to defy these for such as vital part of a magazine and such things as a magazine can make or break a magazine.Courier new This font I used as the main body for writing as again its simplicity and type writing like appearance mirrors the Indie them and allowed me to be more eccentric and versatile in my use of colour and in the photography and imagery I used without the magazine becoming over bearing. Also it prevented the bright colours clashing with a fancy style of writing and remains readable on most colours. So in terms of this I again stuck with the conventions but still made my own stamp on this aspect as the main body of writing determines the success of a magazine because if you can not read a magazine my target audience would not purchases the magazine however good the content was.Images(Not yet analysed will do asap.)Ideas· Block colours through editing· Cartoon effect applied· Conventional indie fashion· Unusual setting but not over bearing Layout out Conventions Title run across the top of the page Colours unconventional as usually block colour for title Banner running across top/bottom of the page with band names and content with a few images of content stories Feature bands name across the main image which dominates page as a whole Unconventional· Lots of space left on double page spread and a few images· 1 side double page spread taken up by an image of subject· information is segregated by colour· Title explains exactly content· Imagery simply presented with border but content subsides this.Conclusion(When project complete)
2. How does your media product represent particular social group?
My media product I decided to represent the social group are culture of Indie the reason I chose to focus on a particular social group is because these magazines from my research of covers and magazines generally are more successful and mixed genre magazines are not as popular because they have small amounts of information for each social group where as a specific genre magazine includes the information that is of interest.I decided to represent Indie music and fashion in some aspects because it is a popular trend of modern times and the music is growing in popularity and success. As well as this I also find the bright colours used attractive and give versatile dress and which is represented through music. Also the look is very individual and the eccentric theme gives versatility in colour, images and layout to challenge conventions. But the most of all the reason I chose to represent this social group is because when I conducted a survey with my target audience young students ranging from 15-18 it was deemed the most popular music genre and as the success of a media product is determined by its target audience and because I had an interest in the social group I was fun and exciting exploring the genre and social group more in depth.

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

I believe the media in terms of magazines such as the clash due to it exploring into the Indie theme and incorporating fashion and originality, so they might distribute my media product because as it caters for the wide Indie target audience of the age 14-20 and both sexes and challenges conventions such as imagery and colours which has not yet been explored. This is very important as this increases the market for success as well as this it enables the media intuition to have a lot of individuality and enables them to explore different images, colours and type faces. Also clash is the only similar magazine on the market so there is a place in the media for a product such as mine and I think my media product unlike Clash and such appeals to a younger wider audience.My product also because it contains no inappropriate language or imagery could be present and sold in any retailers from paper shops to such large transnational corporations as HMV. Also it would be easy and wise to publicises my magazine via a website as it would increase interest and also publicises it on social networking sights as the majority of my target audience use this area so would increase profit and success. This also links to why my product should be realised, large target audience of both sexes from 14-20, it contains no language or imagery which is inappropriate, there is a wide area for publicity from TNC to the Internet which also links together with the creation of merchandise such as posters and alternate media such as a spin off music channel etc.The mise-on-scene or visual style of my media product varies from the front page, content and double page spread. However throughout it conveys the theme of Indie music, fashion and culture. The way I did this was threw my media product I kept the colour scheme vibrant and bright in the clothing in term of the polo shirts which are conventional. I then contrasted this with rough and simple backgrounds such as the outdoors scenes as the on the gate and the grass as Indie is very simplistic, original and utilises origin and the natural rugged environment, which makes this theme very relatable for my target audience. My media products overall mise-on-scene worked well as the vibrant colour mixed with simplicity gave a unique image why at the same time being identifiable and allowing the bright colour to stand out but without being to over bearing.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
The genre of my media product is the key to my target audience, Indie. Due to indie culture, music and fashion being on such a wide spectrum believe I have utilised the differences within Indie to bring it all together to create a product suitable for both sexes due to my wide range of colours, a wide age group as Indie cloths are suitable for many age groups introducing the demand for the music. However I am focused on the group 15-20 because these are the most important audience as they are more accessible for publicity on such things a social network sites, the interest in gigs, as well as their purchasing of music is of the largest percentage and because there is a whole in the industry of a media product such as indiefix focused on this age group and genre was it has a larger success rate expected as there will be no competition.The closed media product which is most similar to my media product is Clash as it incorporates some of the ideas I have used such as colour, however this has a diverse genre of indie/rock and is appealing generally to a older age group such as 20-30 which I believe is a smaller target audience in terms of a magazine. Also publicity is limited as social networking sites are less popular. However it was good to use as an example as it helped me with positioning and layout and understanding what a target audience wants from an Indie genre, so in this respect it was very valuable and has quiet a good success rate.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
As I have said in previous questions my target audience is 15-20 year old and both sexes which give me a large target audience who are easily accessible on the Internet and in terms of publicity. The reason my target audience is so big is due to the large audience of the specific genre. Also due to the wide range of colours which is incorporated in Indie music and fashion enabled me to cater for both sexes again increasing my target audience appeal.I believe, that there is not just one individual aspect of my product which attracts my audience as every part of my product offers something different from the indie theme for example front cover uses simplicity, mixed with the vibrant colours and a image with a simple white background, however with my contents I used a more busy aspect, by having a lot of images even though still unified and then cartoon images fro a background and with my double page spread used one image as the background due to the background being outdoors they could be used as a surface to write on and again used the simple approach of text colour and left a lot of empty space as the background prevented the need to fill the space for it to being attractive. On the other hand throughout my product I did keep some things the same such as the main typeface, colours, borders because there has to be continuity for identity and so that the product is consistent, as if you challenge conventions to far your product can become unsuccessful.In terms of camera shots I kept to the convention of not using shots such as point of view shots as they are not effective as in a magazine the artist in the image can be the deciding point for someone to purchase a magazine. However because of the individuality with the Indie genre promotes, I used a variety of shots from long shots for the front cover image to get in the full body of the group as well as enabling to me to explore different poses making the front cover so to pull the reader’s attention straight to the image as they are my unique selling point. I again used an establishing shot outdoors for the background in my double page spread as it acted as a good base for my text and meant that all the areas did not have to be filled with text so it was simple but effective. However with the contents page I used high angle shots to give the image an edge and interest, i used low angle shots on the tractor to show significance of the band and then three shot for the group which again was used as the positioning acted as the interest in the shot and finally an establishing shot for the band on the gate to incorporate the environment as this links in with the genre and to get a group shot.Due to my variation in shots and the variety of poses used it interrogates the reader to purchase the magazine as it provides something for everyone and difference in every aspect and the text gets stories are straight to the point so isn’t daunting. Also the bright colours are attractive and interesting why at the same time simple to first attract the audience to target audience and the fashion as well as the music are relatable and achievable in today and promotes nothing bad which makes it even more appealing in for the target audience and is affordable.
6. Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
My strengths when using the camera equipment were:-· I was able to use a variety of shots from establishing shots to high angle shots effectively.· I was able to position my models well to create an effective shot.· I was able to utilize the light to create shadows when need and create a warm ambiance or darker image.However there were limitations to my success with the camera:-· The light posed problems or more specifically the sun when the sun was setting when the image on the gate was taken, so I repositioned my models to stop the impact of the sun however it still did have some glare.· The background posed some problems such as the images with the white background as the flooring was floral so posed a lot of problems during editing. So to prevent this I would put down a white sheet or relocate if necessary to making editing such a mammoth taskIn terms of editing software I predominately used fireworks and I used fireworks but I also used adobe photoshop elements 6.0.Before my media product I was a editing novice but I have now developed various skills such as :-·How to use the lasso tool effectively to eliminate aspects of the images I didn’t want in all different ways to feather the edges, soften, and harden edges.·How to use the eraser tool effectively in different sizes and brush types.·How to use the magic wand tool to eliminate blemishes etc.·How to incorporate different layers of an image to create a new one.·How to use various filters such as sketch, motion trail, bevel emboss to alter an image.So overall I improved my skills in the editing process all around, from brightness, image colour to the lasso and filters.However I did face a number of issues in the editing process such as:-·The most poignant problem I faced was the lasso tool not picking up the areas I wished due to the floral carpet in some of my images such as the front cover as it contained a lot of similar colours. This meant I had to also incorporate the use of the eraser which meant the editing process was a lot longer than anticipated. So in the future I would lay white flooring or relocated to save time.·I also faced a problem in editing with the sun as the altering in brightness began to alter the image too drastically but eventually I got the level correct.But overall my editing process was effective and due to the good weather and model, positioning I used it made the editing process quicker but I still faced problems which helped me in future editing.
7.) Looking back to your preliminary product task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the final product?
Looking back on my progress from my preliminary project, I feel I have improved in various ways in the stages of production, such as planning stage (research to organising photo shoot), specific genre (from the school magazine to a music magazine).I believe, in terms of the planning stage I took a more organised approach of organising when to do my photo shoot so that I had time to edit and progress the images to researching poses for my models to recreate so they were effective and kept in with the Indie genre. Even though I think I took too long on the planning stage in terms of creating my mock ups even though I didn’t create a lot of mock ups the ones I did were well planned and thought through to explore every spectrum of the indie culture and music.Part way through, my research I found that the internet was my best source however had limited examples of indie front covers, double page spreads and contents. So I began to look in more depth into specific bands and there photo shoots which helped me in many ways such as the clothing to wear, colours to use, backgrounds to use, the poses they use I then evaluated all these to see how they fitted with the genre such as the ‘Klaxons’. This was most properly the most useful lesson I learnt as before in my preliminary project I relied on stereotypes to create my product. Also due to this it also enabled me to explore more camera angles as I understood their effect on an audience and what angle conveyed the Indie theme.This leads to my specific shot types have varied as in my preliminary project we were restricted to mid-shots. As I explored in more depth the Indie theme I found that varied and spontaneous camera angles worked best and complimented the neon colour scheme, so this enabled me to explore different effective shots which give variation and interest to my project, where as with my preliminary project I was very conventional with the camera angles I used such as mid shots and three people shots as the genre restricted this but the Indie genre enabled me to be more daring and risky.From my preliminary project, I also believe I have become more confident with the camera, which enabled me to take risks in challenging conventions and has in some aspects created some good imagery.Overall I believe my final product complied with the tasks original aims as it I believe complies and utilizes the Indie genre why at the same time remaining unique. Also my photography also complies with the generics of Indie culture and music why again being challenging and the graphic I created also works well with my photography.

Feedback -> Miss Walton / Peers summary

  1. spellcheck is vital for maximum marks and grammer
  2. you get bored after a while reading it but good content it just need images or putting in a powerpoint.
  3. make short and consise points (short and snappy)
  4. Use exemplification and examples of your work eg. photographs.

Other wise very detailed analyse and very descriptive and has a clear balance of postives and negative aspects of your project.



Final Double Page Spread Of Indiefix (own images)

This is my final Double Page Spread for Indiefix as you can see bellow there is 2 stages of progression and creation.As you can see some areas where changed highly such as the labels and some not so radical such as the mast head position.Overall i hope that i have conveyed the Indie theme and symbols and my project aims conveyed in the evaluation above.

As you can see bellow is my final product which i have developed from my research,case studies and a wide variation of sources.As you can see bellow their is two versions of my final product ,however i believe the final version captures my projects aims:-
1.To capture the Indie genre in sight via shapes,fonts,images,symbols etc.
2.To create a magazine which captivates and attracts my target audience in every way.
3.To create a magazine which demonstrates all the necessary information which is necessary and not over facing.
4.To overall be a successful product in all sense's.



1.

2.


Feedback Summary, which aided development from target audience:-

Disadvantages
  1. The text on the main body is two small
  2. The colours used on the text is very hard to read
  3. spellings need to be checked.
  4. The labels used in different colours are two small.
  5. The exclusive interview should just across the top of the magazine not on two levels.

Advantages

  1. The banner across the bottom is a valuable asset but could be made more of a feature.
  2. I like positioning of the additional images and there coloured borders.
  3. I like the use of the band name on the image and as the interview header.
  4. I like the idea of the text on the whole image background the text just needs to be more visible and it would work very well.
  5. I like the idea of a article indicator but a new one needs to be created.

From the constructive critisum i have recieved i used this to create my final product and i think the outcome was very effiecent and capturvates my aims and Indie as a whole.When i created the first draft of my final product i new it was'nt quiet what i had hoped to acheive so by agian surveying my target audeince it has enabled me to create a product whic his of the pincael of Indie culture for my target audeince.

Final Front Cover Of Indiefix (own images)

This is my final Front cover for Indiefix as you can see bellow there is 3 stages of progression and creation.As you can see some areas where changed highly such as the labels and some not so radical such as the mast head position.Overall i hope that i have conveyed the Indie theme and symbols and my project aims conveyed in the evaluation above.

As you can see bellow is my final product which i have developed from my research,case studies and a wide variation of sources.As you can see bellow their is two versions of my final product ,however i believe the final version captures my projects aims:-
1.To capture the Indie genre in sight via shapes,fonts,images,symbols etc.
2.To create a magazine which captivates and attracts my target audience in every way.
3.To create a magazine which demonstrates all the necessary information which is necessary and not over facing.
4.To overall be a successful product in all sense's and capture something for the wide spectrum of indie audiences.


3.

2.


1.





Feedback summary from peers and my target audience most importantly:-

Disadvantages

  1. To much white open space which needs to be filled with articles,quotes etc.
  2. The bar at the bottom of the page needs to be made into more of a feature with more colour to show the indie theme and could attract readers.
  3. Add a bar code and price on for authenticity.
  4. The labels are two big and strong colours.

Advantages

  1. The positioning of the title to the left hand side.
  2. The Quote at the top of the page which spans across the top of the page as it is the message of the magazine.
  3. I like the black canvas of the picture which acts as a good background for the magazines content.
  4. I like the use of the image in the top right hand side as embossed as it stands out but also has a white background so stands out due to the colours in the clothing.
  5. I like the variation of colours used in the title as it captures the wide spectrum of the indie audience.
  6. I like the bar at the bottom of the page as it attracts the audience easier and simpler in a few words.
  7. I like the wide range of colours used in the clothes etc.

As you can see, i did 3 progressions of my final front cover, there is many reasons for this it is because i found it hard to capture and fit everything i wont on a small space simply but effectively.But after my 2 progressions i got feedback from my target audience which helped a lot and as you can see then i was able to put all my idea together and utilise the space i had to create my front cover which i believe is very effective. I think one of the main problems was because a front cover determines the success of a magazine and first attracts your audience so i wont to create the write balance between text , images and free space.



Final Content Of Indiefix (own images)

As you can see bellow is my final product which i have developed from my research,case studies and a wide variation of sources.As you can see bellow their is two versions of my final product ,however i believe the final version captures my projects aims:-
  1. To capture the Indie genre in sight via shapes,fonts,images,symbols etc.
  2. To create a magazine which captivates and attracts my target audience in every way.
  3. To create a magazine which demonstrates all the necessary information which is necessary and not over facing.
  4. To overall be a successful product in all sense's.






Feedback For improvements
  1. To remove text boxes.
  2. Change location of mast head eg. make it a smaller text and as a label at the top right hand side.
  3. Reduce the size of the quote which dominates the top of the page and reduce it so that you can put the mast head.
  4. Reduce the size of the page number labels and increase the size of the body text.

Advantages

  1. We like the colour borders of the images colour coordinated with the page numbers.
  2. We like the labels which the body of the text is stood and it stops the influence of the background.
  3. We like the box effect around text as it acts as a good divide and fixes with the symmetry of the indie theme.
  4. I like the magazines motto at the top of the page (just to big of text font).
  5. I like the variation in images,poses and locations and they are complemented with the colour borders used.