Evaluation

My music magazine use conventions of other music magazines as on the splash I have a masthead and a picture that takes up most of the front cover, my picture also overlaps the masthead as do other music magazines. I have a main subtitle on my front cover and other smaller subtitles. Also I have special features and exclusives, which other magazines use as well. On my double page spread my magazine follows conventions by having a picture on one of the pages and the other page predominately text, which is the article. Also on my double page spread I pull out certain quotes from the article and make them bigger and change the colour to break up the text. This is also another code and convention of music magazines.

My magazine represents different social groups, for example groups who like alternative music, as my music magazine is based on alternative music. Also my magazine represents teenagers. It does this as my main feature is a band called ‘Cool For Cats’ and this band is made up of two teenagers. It therefore represents teenagers as being able to do whatever they want to do, and being very motivated.

My magazine would be distributed by IPC, this is because they distribute magazines such as NME, and the NME is a magazine which involves itself in the same genre of music as my magazine does. Therefore the layout of there magazine is similar to mine, and it would benefit my magazine more to be distributed by the same institution as so a well known magazine like the NME.

My front cover attracts and addresses my audience as the picture I have selected as for the splash is the main focus and is positioned in a way that overlaps the masthead and makes the key aspects of the picture stand out, for instance the guitar that is in the picture stands out. I have done this to address my target audience. As my target audience are people who like alternative music, and music that is guitar based. For this reason I felt it was important to make the guitar visible. To do this I realised that other text and word art on the splash needed to be in other areas. Another way in which my front cover attracts and addresses my audience is by having ‘exclusives’ and ‘reviewed inside sections. This attracts my audience by making them feel that getting this magazine will give them the chance to know something exclusively, be the first to know this information. My contents page attracts and addresses my audience by having pictures in it that makes the audience want to know more about it, for example another picture that focuses on the main story on the front cover. Again the band pictured with a guitar and drum sticks immediately shows the audience what type of magazine this is. Other aspects of my contents page back this up. For example having the ‘features’ column shows the many other features in the magazine that the audience can view. My double page spread attracts and addresses my target audience by the use of imagery, on my double page spread I have the background of my picture that extends across the page, which my article is written on top of, this picture is again of my man story, and pictures them facing each other with each member of the band with their instrument. These pictures were originally separate but I have edited them so that they form one picture. The other picture on this double page spread is of the back of a guitar which has the band members reflection in it. This attracts my target audience as it is a picture that is different to all my other pictures in my magazine, and has rarely been done before, and has many connotations, it co notates how much they like their particular genre of music, and how passionate they are about guitars. It also addresses my target audience as well because this passion of guitars that the band has can be related to by the many of my target audience, as my magazine specifically focuses on alternative music.

I have learnt a lot about technologies from the process of constructing my magazine, for example Photoshop. This programme has helped me edit and create many of my pictures to attract my target audience. Also I have learnt a lot about a camera as I have had to learn how to get the right shot, and use the right amount of lighting to create the specific effect I want, and to make the shot look professional.

Looking back at the preliminary task I feel I have learnt a lot about the computer programmes, for instance I feel I have more understanding on Photoshop. I have learnt how to edit my pictures. For example the main picture on the splash of my magazine has been made so that it overlaps my masthead. This is just one of the skills I have learnt using Photoshop.