Blog 10 - Feedback

I have created and given out 10 questionnaires to find out what my target audience think of my magazine. Below is an example of one of the questionnaires filled out by a 13 year old girl.

I have created a bar chart so that I can see my results clearly. From this I found out that my magazine appeals to my target audience and they would be likely to buy it if they were to see it in a shop. Most people liked the choice of colours and fonts. The article interested 9/10 people but I found that a couple of people said i could use more images. I also found that it was easy for my target audience to read the contents page which means it must be clear and straight forward.

Blog 9 - Evaluation of my finished magazine

Front Cover Link: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B3uKibXCcyyhOWEzOTRmNDktNzMxMS00YTlmLTk1ODUtZWU5NGRkOTkzMDM0&hl=en

My music magazine uses one main image on the front cover making eye contact with the camera, this makes it stand out and catch the readers eye in a newsagents. I have also used a plain background for this image to make the subject stand out more. I did this by using the lasso tool on Photoshop. This also makes the text easy to read and eye catching. I have used a variety of fonts to make it look more interesting and appealing. I chose a funky disco-like font for the name of the magazine as it relates to the genre of music my magazine is for. Also it acts as a logo so when people see this font it will remind them of 'Popalicious'. I have written the word 'exclusive' diagonally across the page on a pink background to make it stand out from the rest of the text. The viewer will be drawn to this and be intrigued to know what is inside. Other magazines I have looked at have had a bar code at the bottom of the magazine which I have also included. I have printed the issue date and price at the top of the magazine in a clear, highlighted box. I found that when I researched into other magazines, they put their price and issue date here so I felt the consumer would easily be able to find it if I put it in the same place. I have also used different colour fonts to make the texts separate from one another. The image that I have chosen here relates to my genre of pop as it is happy and girly and gives off a positive tone. I have used the adjective 'slick' to describe the dance moves which feature in the magazine. This sounds cool and funky making the target market of young teens want to buy it. I have written 'fashion' in capital letters in a large font across the image. This makes it jump out at the viewer and gives them more information as to what is featured inside. I have used a band of light pink across the to of the magazine cover to help frame it and give it a border, this makes it look neater.

The costume I have used for the model in my image is fashionable, casual wear. This will attract the young teen target audience as it is clothes which they would wear. I have accessorised the outfit with glitzy jewelery. This is typical to the 'Pop' genre and will stand out to the viewer.

Contents Page Link: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B3uKibXCcyyhNWNkNTE0MjItYzY5Ni00OTMyLTg3M2ItMGQ0ZjEzNjRiZTc5&hl=en

For my contents page I have used a variety of images which represent what can be found on each page of my magazine. I have written the page numbers next to them in black font so that it stands out and the comsumer can see where to find the particular articles. I have used lots of different colours which are bright and cheerful as this is what is appropriate to my music genre of pop. I have used people of different races in the images of my magazine to show that it is multicultural. This magazine could be found in shops such as WHSmiths or local newsagents. My target audience for this magazine would be young females between the ages of 8-16. The band of pink across the top seperates the heading from the rest of the text so that it is clear what the pge is about. I have divided the contents into five categories, music, celebs, fashion, real life and fun. This makes the page organised and easy to follow. I have written the page number next to the fauture in a different colour font to seperate it and make it clear to read. I have included a box with a quote 'Popalicious is the new music magazine for young people'. This gets staight to the point and speaks to it's audience. It targets the young teenage market (8-16 year olds) by telling them this is the new music magazine for them.

Double Page Spread Link: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B3uKibXCcyyhNWNkMmI4MzgtMTIwZS00MTU3LWFjYjMtMzcxMTYxYTE3NDFh&hl=en

This is my finished double page spread for my music magazine. The target audience is young teens between the ages of 8 and 16. I have thought carefully about what to include to reach this paticular target audience. I researched into other double page spreads from music magazines and found that they included pop gossip and interesting information about pop stars. My target audience are interested by this so I decided to include an interview from the newest popstar on the scene, Jayla Luna. I structured the page by writing the artists name in large font at the top of the page. This tells the audience exactly who the article is about and make them want to read on. Underneah this I have written a quote saying who Jayla is and that she is the latest and hottest new arival in the pop scene. In then makes people want to find out more if they haven't heard of her before. I wrote this using black fonton a white background to make it easy to read. I then used the same style for the boxes for the interview. I wrote th questions from the interviewer in bold font and Jayla's response in normal font. This made it clear who was talking each time and easy to read. I had to make the text an easy read as this is what suits my target audience. I added a dark blue shaddow box behind the text to give it a 3D look. I hve picked out a quote from the interview, 'I'm a girl that values friendship' This is to interest the reader before they start reading and give them a hint as to what the article is about. I have written this in an oval text box with a purple background to make it stand out. I hav then included snap shots of Jayla around the text to make th article more visualy apealing. From my research I found that music magazines aimed at younger people were often fillen with lots of graphics as this type of audience are fasinated my images. I have taken this information on board and used a variety of images to capture the audiences attention. The image on the second page is a large image of Jayla chilling out. I wanted my target audience to be able to relate to the double page so to do this I thought carefully about my images. I chose an outdoor location, nothing glamourous as I wanted the audience to feel as though they are on the same level.

Overall I am really pleased with my magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. It was myfirst time using Photoshop and took me a while to get use to, I enjoyed experimenting with different editing techniques and designs. I imported my fonts from dafont.com which gave me greater choice. I have never created anything like this before and I have gained more skills in designing, researching and creating.I have developed my skills using different software such as inDesign and feel more confident in using it. If I could do something differently I would have another photoshoot so that I had a wider variety of images to choose from. Also I would organise my time more efficiently so that I had more time fo finishing touches.

Blog 8 - Planning and Evaluation of the article

This double page spread uses exaggeration to make it more up beat and happy. It is also quite informal and not too serious. There isn't too much writing on one page as this may look a bit daunting and boring which can put people off reading it.

They use conversational language, for example, "Hello Campers" this gives the page a more relaxed and chatty feel. By saying, "Come to camp rock" it engages with the reader and makes it seem more personal to them.

They have used an interview in this double page spread which is quite short but has some interesting information.



This is a double page spread from Mizz magazine uses informal language to communicate with the target audience. It says, 'Gal's' instead if 'girls' which targets a younger audience as it is slag language which is associated with young people. The also use lots of adjectives such as 'super-exciting' and 'brill', this makes it more interesting and exciting to read. The use of the question, 'But can they cut it?' makes it more directed to the reader and makes them feel involved with what they are reading. The text is divided by numbers to make it easier to read and the writer has included five 'fab' facts. The writing is informal and uses abrieviated words such as 'wanna' and 'Crimbo' this comunicates with the target audience of young girls as this is how they might speak so it makes it more conversational. The Spread is designed to be an easy read so it is not overloaded with too much text and is broken down with images.

This is the first draft of my article in my double page spread. It is an interview with 'Jayla Luna'. The language I used is informal and has a laid back/casual tone. I have used some humour and included laughter to show that it is fun and not too serious. I will now add images and colour to the article to make the page more attractive.

Blog 7 - Photo editing

I have edited some of the images which I will be using in my magazine so that the look of them will be improved. I have used techniques such as airbrushing, cropping and adjusting the contrast and brightness. I want the images in my magazine to look professional which meant I had to make some adjustments to the images. Before and After. I didn't do much editing to this image as I am going to make it small and put it on my double page spread. I have cropped it as I wanted less background and all the focus on her face. I have chosen to use this image as It is happy and captures her laughing. The genre of my magazine is pop which is cheesy and happy, I felt that this image suited this genre.

Before and After For this image I increased the brightness by 38%, this makes the subject stand out from the background and also brightens up the picture. I did this because I want my contents page to look fun and exciting and if I left it how it was before it would look a bit dull. I also cropped the image as I wanted less background so that it wouldn't take up too much room on my contents page.

BEFORE EDITING AND AFTER

I have edited this photo in Photo shop to perfect it. I firstly duplicated the layer and then added a blur. I then used the eraser tool to erase certain areas like the eyes, mouth and nose to make them stand out more. This gives the skin an airbrushed effect and also makes the image stand out from the background. I then wanted to delete the background so that it had a plain white background. This will make writing or various other features on the front cover of my magazine stand out better. I used the magic wand tool to go around the image. This took a lot of tries as the edges were going very jagged. I then did it again but feathered the edges to make it smoother.

BEFORE ____________________________________AFTER

I have increased the brightness of this image and also created more contrast as it looked rather dull. This brings out a happier tone and will be preferred by my target audience. I also airbrushed the skin in this photo to make it look flawless and smooth.

Blog 6 - Photos

I have created a contact sheet of all the images from my first photo shoot. I chose to shoot a dance teacher which I would then create as a famous singer in my magazine. I chose casual/dance style clothing to relate to the theme of dance and music. I also shot them in a dance studio so that the audience immediately becomes aware of what the photos are all about. My idea was to have photos of a dance routine on my double page spread which will show you how to do it step by step. I was going to select 12 images so that the target audience of young girls could easily see how to do it and do it themselves. Children's pop magazines need to be fun to read and look at so I thought that this would make it more interesting. I steered away from this idea though as the quality of the images were not very good and I didn't have a tripod for my camera to keep it in one place. If i were to put the images together in a row it would look a bit disorientated so I decided to change my ideas as I couldn't re shoot this particular theme again.

I then decided to have the photos in my double page spread of the cover girl of the magazine. I shot my images firstly on a plain background as I wanted a close up image for my front cover. I then took some varied shots from different angles to experiment with different ideas. I shot my photos outside as I wanted to give off a playful feel and create a sense or 'normality'. I wanted the target audience of my magazine, which is young girls, to feel like this pop star tar is just like them and will hang out and do the same kind of things as they do. Young girls often look up to pop stars as role models so I wanted there to be a connection between the audience and the pop star to show that they don't need to be fake and glammed up. This is why I chose quite a casual outfit and had natural make-up. The idea was to teach young children that they can be themselves and they are no different from celebrities. I created a contact sheet of all my images so that I could see them clearly, I then circled the ones which i want to use for my magazine.

FRONT COVER IMAGE

For my front cover image I have chosen a close-up shot so that the magazine readers can easily spot who it is by looking at the face. Pop magazines are very happy and funky so I have made sure that she is smiling to give off a positive tone so that it is welcoming. The jewelry creates a more glamorous look and will appeal to my target audience. I chose to have her hair up for this shot as it accentuates her neck and makes her look more fresh. I kept the makeup to a minimal as i wanted it to look quite natural. I used pink lip gloss to give a bit of colour to her face. Although I originally wanted a plain background, this image caught my eye so I will use it. I may delete the background in photo shop. The images I took on a plain background didn't stand out very well and looked a bit dark so I didn't use them. This image uses natural light so looks fresh.

This photo looks more glamorous and I like the way the wind is sweeping the hair as this makes it look more professional. The outfit I chose here is a glitzy dress as it relates to my music genre of pop because it is sparkly and fun. I kept the makeup neutral but added colour to the cheeks and lips to brighten it up. I will use this image in my double page spread.

I

will be using this image for the main shot in my double page spread. I chose this one because I think it gives off positive vibes and will appeal to my target audience. I chose to shoot this image with my model sitting down on a step outside because I wanted to create a natural environment where it wouldn't make the audience feel inferior. I told my model to smile to give off a positive tone and also act casual and relaxed. I want my target audience to relate to the image and I did this by choosing an outfit which my targt audience are likely to wear and a loacation where teenagers would hang around.

Blog 5 - Fonts

I have picked out this font because I feel the letter 'o' looks like a disco ball and relates to my genre of pop. The font is kept simple with straight lines but is glammed up by a pop feel.

I selcted this font as the majority of my target audience is young girls. This font is simple but girly with the use of the hearts. I like it a lot but am not sure if it will be suitable as it won't be reaching to a wider target audience of boys aswell. This font reminds me of disco lights or adance floor the way that the circles are used n the letters. I think it will look really good for the title of my magazine and will consider using it. This font will go perfectly with my genre of pop as stars are used on topog the letter 'I' which can be a symbol of pop star. I like how the font is black but the first letter is in white.

This is the same font as the previous one but white and without the bubbles in some of the letters. I'm not sure which one I prefer and am at the moment undecided.

I have been looking at fonts from dafont.com to see which ones I could use for my magazine. For the magazine name on the front cover I have picked 5 different fonts that I think would look good. My favourite out of the five is the third one. I think it looks funky and disco like so i will use this on my front cover. I will continue looking for other fonts for subheadings and other titles in my magazine.

Blog 4 - Flat Plans