Evaluation Tasks

Evaluation of Final Front Cover• The final front cover was designed to be very Indie. The masthead was finalised with a

font that was intricate and less bold than normal magazine mastheads, this purposely made the magazine look different and literally individual when compared to others. This reiterated the theme and genre. Indie ‘tribes’ or personalities are often associated with the environment and Indie’s will also play an active part in the preserving of the environment, so an obvious location for the photo shoot was in the countryside with trees and greenery. I got my two models to dress in clothes that were of their individual styles and looked slightly different from the norm. The photo came out really effectively as I took it at sunset and then enhanced the colours in Photoshop to make it look brighter and more summery. The bright neon colours helped to create more of an Indie look as they were so dissimilar to the colourings and styles of rock music magazines, it was easy to identify. The font for the other information on the cover was easy to read but also not very serious or formal either, it was well rounded and shaped in a manner that connotes with it being friendly and chatty. The use of the word ‘Exclusive’ helped to capture the audiences attention, and this word was made bold and in capitals so that it showed its importance and that there must be a valid reasons for it to jump out of the page. Also, the readers would be intrigued as to the reasoning for this ‘exclusive’ article. The cover also featured the price, date for the magazine, and the barcode. These features would be essential details for the reader, and are placed strategically together on the bottom right hand corner, so that all this easy to locate and read.

Evaluation of Final Contents page• The final contents page had themes from the front cover running through it, for example the

masthead for it still had the wording ‘individual’ in it and used the same font, so it was identifiable and kept the theme of the magazine obvious. The font for the other text was kept the same but made slightly smaller for the contents page. I still used swatches on the lettering and used a pattern with the colours to make the descriptions of the articles more interesting. For particular words, I coloured them differently from the other text, for example I used the shade of green that identifies the ‘Spotify’ logo on that word to make it noticeable and instantly recognisable. I also used the colour red on the word ‘Hot’ as it has connotations with heat and fire. I used a panoramic image of Venice Beach for my contents page, which took up the entire width of the page and was placed underneath the masthead. This picture is effective as it was taken on a good day in Los Angeles where it was warm and sunny, this is reflected in the picture. The image advertises the first article well, and the image is placed just above the mention of the article about the competition. Having these two elements together draws the reader in and makes sure that they can make the connection easily and they can have a visual image of it and some information given. The second image was of the Ashton Ukulele feature, which is also later mentioned in the article contents. The image again relates to Indie’s as it is again with nature and uses bright white flowers (which have connotations of purity and beauty) The Ukulele then contrasts with the image of the flowers as it is bright red and connotes with heat, passion and anger, all very strong images. Red also connotes with love, which is part of the subject of using this image, as the statement reads ‘we love Ashton ukulele’s.’

Evaluation of Final Double Page Spread

• The double page spread uses the established font that is used to recognize the Venice Beach holiday, which was also featured on the front cover. The design of the font is an American car number plate, suggesting a road trip or a journey. I also used a new font to advertise the Californian vacation. I used a font that represented graffiti to make it look more exciting and rebellious. Graffiti is also a form of art in California sometimes and can be seen to be a form of expressing oneself. I used three images on this page, to try to advertise the holiday and make it look more appealing. Pictures of views of the city are effective as they show just how big Los Angeles is and what you would experience when you’re out there. The text on the pages was made up of a plain and informative font, but with the use of swatches on certain words and information – for example, any mention of the value of the holiday or the money provided was highlighted in green, to represent American dollars. Also the first time ‘Venice Beach’ is mentioned, it is highlighted in orange as that links back to the contents page, where the name of the article was highlighted in orange to differentiate this article from others in the list. All three of the pages for the magazine were created in Indesign.

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

music magazines?• My magazine represents the Indie style very well with the locations, clothing

styles, and design of the magazine. The location for the front page image was taken in the countryside, which takes us back to nature which relates very well to some Indie’s who are very environmentally aware. Each of the outfits on the models showed different sides to the Indie style. Steph (the model on the right) was dressed as the more relaxed Indie style with jeans and plimsolls, and Sophie (the left) was dressed in a more kooky Indie style that was a little more conspicuous with a bright green jumper and navy and pink long socks to make a statement. Again, going back to the relaxed roots with black plimsolls. The hairstyles also portray these different roots of the Indie themes. Sophie’s hair is styled in a messy, tied back way, while Steph’s is more laid back and just left down. The image was edited to make the lighting and the brightness more vivid and a warmer colour to co-inside with these Indie themes. Also the fonts and the way in which the pages were put together were done in a style to suit this. The colouring was bright and vibrant in the fonts and reflected Indie values and almost their outlooks and optimism. I have replicated conventions of the Indie stereotype and taken these and interpreted them but also used them in the form that they usually would be portrayed, so this is recognisable to the audiences.

How does your music magazine represent different social groups?

• My music magazine represents the difference with social groups. The magazine is aimed at the Indie culture and social groups, which are not often catered for in the media and need more media products aimed at them. The magazine represents different social groups as it is completely different from the typical rock music magazine (i.e. NME) and shows a different side to music and speaks out for those from a smaller gathering and social groups with different interests. It looks very dissimilar to music magazines such as the likes of NME and Rolling Stone, there for creating the perfect individuality designed for this particular social group. It also represents different groups within the Indie tribe/genre, so it is diverse in that manner, for example it applies to the environment, travelling, musical education, news and interviews etc. All things that may interest different people within the Indie social groupings.

What kind of media institution might distribute your music magazine and why?• The media institution that I think would distribute my magazine

would be IPC Media. IPC media are one of the largest magazine publishers in the UK, and sell 350 million copies each year. They distribute a wide range of magazines like Look, Marie Claire, Pick Me Up, The Field and Horse and Hound. Notably, IPC media publish NME magazine. The company produces very few music based magazines, so to broaden their genres of magazine, they could introduce The Individual Musicians Weekly; to create some diversity and show that they produce more genres of music magazines rather than just typical rock music magazines. IPC media distribute a wide range of different magazines with different subjects, from golfing to fashion to yachting. I think IPC media would be happy to endorse my magazine as it is yet another different genre to add to their portfolio.

Who would be the audience for your music magazine?

• The audience for my magazine would be both males and females between the ages of 15-30. The magazine Is aimed at younger age groups, with a more forward-thinking style and personality, with concerns and awareness for the environment, and also seeing a different side to music with very modern themes. The audience would enjoy the magazine as it would be tailored to apply to them and relate to them. The Indie style audience would be the prime example of the target audience for the magazine. An example of a song that the magazine would encourage for readers or that the Indie market would be into is ‘Badman’ by Newton Faulkner. The audience would not be specifically males or females as Indie’s are not restricted by such things as gender and are open to the concept of anyone being able to enjoy the music. However age often comes into it as Indies do have to be modern and able to move with the times and be simplistic, yet move into the future of music.

How did you attract/address the audience?

• To address the audience I used colloquial language in all of the text and kept the magazine quite informal. In attracting the audience, I used bright colours and powerful words that would draw an audience in. I also used bigger fonts for more important pieces of text and used a plain yet effective image with its colouring (e.g. the yellow sunlight). I attracted an audience also by making the magazine a little different, and unlike other mainstream magazines, So that its diversity would stand out and make people want to look at it.

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

magazine?• I have found that there are lots of different programmes to use to

create such a thing as a magazine cover, and that Microsoft word and Microsoft publisher are not the only options. For my magazine I used InDesign, which gave me a wider range of tools to use in the construction of my magazine. I also learnt how to use Photoshop and manipulated the image for my front cover, making it look better and more effective. I have learnt that there is a lot of more technology out there than many people know about or take advantage of. Also, technologies can be used to great effect if used properly. For my image on the front cover, the organisation of the models and location was effective so that it didn’t give the impression that the photo was taken on a Panasonic Lumix camera and looked far more professional. – especially with the photoshopping.

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

it to the full production?• In my preliminary tasks, I found that I learnt a lot

about how to comprise my magazine and how magazines are made and should look. I took a lot of my research in the preliminary and the knowledge helped me to work on not only the production but also the surrounding main tasks. I also found that actually creating a draft college magazine helped for me to be able to familiarise myself with how to set out my magazine and make it look effective and give off the right feel for the particular genre or subject that it is focusing on.

Audience Feedback of final music magazine.

• Name: Charlotte Davey• Age: 17• Occupation: Student• I think that the magazine ‘The Individual Musicians Weekly’ is a really interesting magazine, as

the title makes it sound formal and serious, but the magazine is actually really down to earth and a good read. It can apply to so many people, and the individual style is rising in popularity these days, so the magazine is catering for a new and ever increasing market. The front cover is quite calm, but with features that jump out at an audience and make them want to read on. The calmer effects of the front cover to make the magazine differentiate from normal music magazine which are often quote loud and busy with lots of information crammed on the page that can often overwhelm the readers.

The contents page was bright and cheerful with images of sunny beaches, which are naturally a nice image for people, The text carried on with the neon colour scheme which was on the front cover, which kept the magazine recognisable, which was nice, so that it was becoming familiar to the readers. The double page was well set out with interesting images, and the text was set out very professionally. I thought that the running ‘Venice Beach’ font theme was good and effective and again, it made it familiar with the audience.

Audience Feedback of final music magazine.

• Name: Maddie Humfryes• Age: 18• Occupation: Student/Cobbler• ‘The Individual Musicians Weekly’ really interested me and I was particularly sold on

the idea of also focusing on other aspects of life that Indie’s are into like holidays and the environment. I also liked the fact that it wasn’t all about popular music or what’s big for Indie’s, its also about the actual musical element of it and teaching you how to play an instrument. I thought all of the pages were set out well and I liked the bright colours of the headings of the text. I also liked the images, many of them were kept plain and unedited which was really nice and made the magazine feel really genuine and wholesome, so you didn’t feel like the articles were untruthful as the images were very natural. I found the contents page easy to use, and it even had a little feature on it that also kept me interested in the page so that it wasn’t all just details and information and was also a fun page with a little advertisement for the ukuleles. However, I thought the double page spread bored me a bit and we lost the brightly coloured text-headings theme. I also found that the images may have needed a little rounding off, to stop them just looking like randomly placed squares.

Reflection of Audience Feedback for final magazine

• I found the audience feedback for the magazine very helpful and I liked seeing what people thought, and this feedback would help me for the next time I created a magazine and what was good and where I could improve it. I had a few negative comments about the magazine pages, but they were constructive criticisms and I could see where I had gone wrong. The feedback spelt out to me how the magazine worked and did not necessarily work – for example, they could easily identify it as an Indie style magazine which focused on that genre.