Later on

And that's me done for the media magazine!

Back soon with the music magazine........

Evaluation

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My magazine cover has the main and usual ingredients of a typical magazine. These include prominent masthead showing the title, a strapline, price and issue. The contents page of my magazine has the basic information that a contents page has, the article/content with page number and some images to highlight magazine features. The photos give a little away to what the article will be about and indicate that these are particular features of the magazine.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine represents a social group of a young age. The main image on the cover is of a student so this instantly reflects the target market/audience for the magazine. The title of the magazine is 'Banter', an informal and light-hearted term. The language of the contents, particularly the editors letter is quite chatty.

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

There seems to be a gap in the market for student-orientated magazines. There are magazines for almost any interest or subject and most people of student age would usually pick one of these up but currently don't have the option of buying a magazine aimed at students that covers more than one of their common interests.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

A male and female audience aged between 16 and 18 years.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I aimed to attract my target audience with the cover design of an enigmatic student, and I created a questionnaire for market research and feedback whilst also picking up feedback from people via the blog comments during the magazines' development.

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

I now have knowledge of using various image manipulation software and publishing software.

Terminé!

I've finished both my cover and contents page, and here they are. Evaluation coming right up, so let me know what you think of them both!

Almost-complete contents page!

Let me know what you think please!

Cover- Second Draft

Second draft with some small changes

Cover- First Draft

No updates recently because I've been slaving away with my first cover candidate. And here it is.

Let me know what you think!

Title Typeface

Since my last blog post, I've decided on a title for my magazine. It will be called ' Banter '. I have been using the website DaFont to find new, interesting and quirkily-designed fonts that I could use on my magazine cover.

Here are some that I've tried out with the title of the magazine shown as a sample. Please let me know which one you think suits best (comment with a number(s) 1-7 top-bottom), I'm quite happy with font 1. It fills the masthead nicely.

Contents Page Layout Ideas

 Design 1

Design 2





















Please leave a comment to say which design you prefer, thank you :)

Cover Layout Designs

Cover Page

Design 1

Design 2

Please leave a comment to say which design you prefer, thanks

Textual Analysis

etc Magazine

The masthead of 'etc' magazine uses a very prominent pale orange colour on a dark background. This contrast attracts attention and the strapline underneath not only shows the detailed abbreviation of 'etc' but also shows what the magazine aims to provide information about. This, combined with the small 'a chemistry lesson' shows that this magazine is aimed at a student audience, but this also relates to the main topic of alcohol that is featured in the front cover graphics and in the main coverline. Smaller coverlines are also present (highlighted in blue that attracts attention in the same way as the title) that show what else the magazine has to offer readers. The typeface is an informal sans-serif font and the masthead is in lower case letters, an opposite to the capital lettering of all other text on the front cover. The contents page uses the same title font and in the same case.



Contents page

The contents page has a three-column layout, with photos on the far left and two columns of text. The contents page takes on a more composed theme and has a more relaxed colour palette of blues, whites and blacks compared to the front cover that uses contrasting colours. The photos on the left-hand side of the page gives readers an insight into the content of the magazine, and adds a little more interest to an otherwise plain yet effective contents page.

Questionnaire

Please fill in this questionnaire by posting a comment with your chosen answers


1) What feature(s) would you most like to see in a student magazine?

News, including:
- World/UK
- Sport
- Entertainment
Information for students, including:
- Universities
- Careers advice
- General advice columns
Competitions
Event
Ads
Media, including:
- New films
- Music reviews
- Games

2) How much would you be willing to pay for a new magazine?

< £1
£1 - £1.50
£1.50 - £2.50
£2.50 - £5
£5 <

3) How often should the magazine be issued?

Every week
Bi-weekly
Monthly
Bi-monthly

4) What gender should I target my magazine at?
Male
Female
Both

5) Which age category should I target my magazine at?
13-15 years
16-18 years
18+ years

6) Any other suggestions?

Thank you!

Comparison of Magazines

I have been looking at various magazines to find common and/or unique features of each one that I could use as inspiration for mine.

Student ID 8
This magazine featured news relevant to students, for example information on universities, upcoming events such as festivals, ideas on revising successfully, adverts, 'what's not and what's not', an introduction to new college staff, and a small article on what previous college students are now doing.

HC 2008-2009
This magazine was aimed at all students and provided information on gap years, universities and careers. It also featured info on gigs and events, and included adverts and competitions.

First Car
This gave information that could advise a new driver (age of around 17+), for example information and tips on theory tests, good first cars, and an article on road deaths may discourage new drivers from speeding.

Action Plan

Welcome to my new blog!

I have set this blog up for my Media coursework, which will involve making a student magazine cover and contents page. I have set up an 'action plan' to set out what I will have to do over the next four weeks.

Action Plan:

Week 1 (Monday 15th November '10)

- Create blog. √
- Compare various student-themed magazines and carry out textual analysis √

Week 2 (Monday 22nd November '10)

- Market research; audience questionnaire
- Organise a photo shoot for my cover
- Decide on layout

Week 3 (Monday 29th November '10)

- Edit photos for magazine
- Create cover and contents

Week 4 (Monday 6th December '10)

- Pages fully drafted for deadline
- Complete evaluation and receive feedback from target audience