Front Page final product

Contents page final product

Double page spread final product

First Evaluation question

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

When constructing my Magazine front page, contents page and double page spread I used the majority of conventions from real magazines in order for mine to look like and represent a real music magazine.

Typical conventions used include the layout e.g. positions of where the magazine name, the main story title, the sub - stories, the bar code and the PUG would be on the front page.
A convention which I did not want to challenge was the position of the magazine name, which for the majority of the time is situated at the top of the front page, I didn't want to place this anywhere else on the page as it may have looked inappropriate and out of place, therefore the original convention is something I followed on my product.
Other conventions such as having the main story title noticeably bigger than the sub - stories, and having the magazine name in big and bold capital letters to ensure that it grabs the readers attention straight away were used on my front page, also I used the layers to position the magazine name behind the models head on the main image instead of overlapping, this ensures the model is fully displayed.




With the sub - stories on the front page, I followed the traditional convention of placing them more or less mid way down the page to the sides, this is done to ensure that the main image is still fully display with nothing obtructing the reader's view.


For the contents page the layout of where the contents and images should be situated are also conventions that I used, also having the text colour alternating so that the reader can easily distinguish between different stories and the titles is something that I used. For the double page spread the position of the main article the the use of a large main images and a smaller image is something I have used, an again the alternating of text colour between the questions asked and the answers in the article is a convention taken from a real magazine.
On the contents page and double page spread, the use of a banner for the titles to be situated inside were used, this was done to enable to text to stand out even more and general theme was followed as the same colour skyline/header is used on both separate pages. Also the name of the magazine 'Pulse' is input again in smaller text on the double page spread in the skyline/header, this is a convention taken from a real magazine.
The magazine website address is placed on the front page and again on the contents page, it is in quite small sized text as it is not supposed to draw to reader's immediate attention to it, but the reiteration of the address is a convention seen on big name magazines.
The continued colour scheme is a convention that is always used for real magazines e.g. the colour of the text, the background colour, the colour/shade of the images used are all things that are generally continued throughout every page of the magazine, this is shown on mine as my general colour scheme is pink/black and white, these three colours are the only ones used throughout each page of my magazine excluding the PUG, for the text colour, the images were edited using the Hue/ saturation tool to make them black and white and the skyline/header on the contents page and double page spread.

The page numbers on the double page spread were typical conventions used, and also the magazine issue date which is reiterated at the bottom of the contents page.


The bar code is a convention has been used just as it would be on a real magazine as it is small and placed towards the bottom corner of the page, this is because it is meant to be discrete and not draw attention from the reader straight away.







The PUG is a common convention on magazine front pages, they usually contrast with the general colour scheme of the magazine to ensure that the PUG grabs the reader attention. Therefore this is what I done when creating my front page by making the PUG in the colours white and blue which makes it basic, a traditional convention on real magazines.
The design of my PUG was inspired by the designs from 'Q' magazine, their's stood out, they were not linked to the genral colour scheme of the magazine and were kept basic with a short piece of information so the reader would be able to read this easily.

Second Evaluation Question

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents particular social groups by focusing particularly age and ethnicity/orientation.

My media product represents age through the use of the colour scheme used, the language and the images used on each of the pages.

Firstly the general colour scheme is pink, black and white, the black and white gives a dark vibe, the pink contrasts with the black and white and makes the magazine seem more modern, this would appeal to my main target audience which is primarily teenagers.

Secondly the images used display teenage models which would appeal to the same aged reader and to people in their 20s or 30s.

Lastly the language used throughout each page is quite simple, it does not contain too many technical words and therefore is easily readable by people in their early teens to a middle aged reader. The sub - titles on the front page are kept short and simple as this would keep a younger teenager interested in reading on further, otherwise if the titles were too long the reader may become bored and lose interest.

Throughout the front page, contents page and double page spread, the images are of white people, this is mainly because this magazine and the genre of music the magazine focuses on is mainly targeted for this audience as the majority of them are in to the genre of music. There are not any black people in the images as this genre of music does not really appeal to them as much as RnB music and Rap.

Third Evaluation Questions

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

The media institution that my distribute my media product would be a publisher, this is because my product is a magazine/ a print based product and therefore a company that is involved in publishing magazine, newspapers and books would be needed.

A well known magazine publisher is IPC, this company produces over 85 iconic media brands, their print brands alone reach almost two thirds of women in the UK and 44% of men in the UK. Having this media institution distributing my media product is easily said, but may not be easily done as IPC already publish NME magazine, therefore the company may not want my magazine competing with an already big selling and well established music magazine as it could affect the amount of sales of NME. 

Another big name publishing company is Future PLC which publishes over 150 magazines and a variety of magazines for different markets; gaming, films, music, technology, cycling, automotive and crafts. This company is the sixth largest in the UK, and is the largest publisher of guitar magazines in the world. The music magazines this company already publish are: Classic Rock, Classic Prog, Computer music, Future music, Guitarist, Guitar techniques, Metal Hammer, Rhythm, Total Guitar, Guitar Aficionado, Guitar World, Guitar World Legends and Revolver. As this publisher already deals with a great number of music magazine already it shows that they prefer to have a large portfolio unlike IPC, therefore there is a better chance that this company would distribute my media product. As my music magazine portrays a more futuristic look through the use of the design, colour and images, it could contrast with the magazine that this company already publish, therefore they may be interested in having a Rock magazine that looks different from the rest.

Fourth Evaluation Question

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my media product would be for both male and female who like Rock music. As my target audience is unisex this will attract a wider range of people and entice people to purchase my magazine.

The age range would be between people in their early teenage years to people in their twenties, this is shown through each page of my magazine as the images display teenage models, therefore people of the same age or a bit older would be interested to read about teenage models, the colour scheme would appeal to an audience of this age range. Also the language used is simple and is easy for people of any age range really from early teens, upwards.

The genre of music that the target audience would listen to is primarily the rock genre, and like artists like ; Nickelback, Aerosmith etc.

In my target audience analysis it shows a male in his late teens, this does not mean though that my magazine is specifically for males, my target audience is unisex.

Fifth Evaluation Question

How did you attract/address your audience?
I attracted my target audience through the use of my colour choice, the images used, the language an the layout of each of the pages, each of these I tried to make as appealing to them as possible.

First of all each of the image on my pages were edited to display them in black and white, the contrasting more vibrant coloured titles/text made the magazine look more modern and would therefore appeal more to a younger/teenage audience.





Secondly each of the images were of teenage models as this would appeal to the same aged audience, the images also show the models wearing suits which contrasts to the dress code that the audience would normally associate with people of this age who like this genre of music, therefore this would attract a wider ranged audience e.g. people who would not usually like Rock music because of the way artists portray themselves, but with the models in my magazine looking more respectable in suits it shows a different side to Rock artists, this theme is followed throughout the front page, contents page and double page spread.

On the front page the titles are positioned and highlighted in the colours accordingly pink and white to ensure that they can be easily read on the chosen image/background. The same goes for the contents page where the text of the contents are highlighted pink and black so they can be easily read on the plain white background, and on the double page spread the pink and black text for the main article makes it easy for the reader to scan specific bits of information on the white background.

On the main image on the front page I edited specifically the colour of the tie as I did not want it in black and white after I edited the photo, so I used the lassoo tool and Hue/saturation tool to make the tie pink which follows the general colour scheme of the magazine.

Sixth Evaluation Question

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

Technology used during this coursework:

• Laptop/Mac
• Digital Camera
• Software (Photoshop)
• Memory Card
• Memory Stick
• Printer/Scanner
• Blogger

Throughout the construction of my final products I have learnt a great deal about the softwarePhotoshop and the different tools within the program which have helped me construct each of my pages.
I had not used the Photoshop software before we started this coursework and therefore I had to learn how to use and select the different tools within the program from scratch.
Firstly the ordering of the layers was very important as it would enable me to make certain images or certain text stand out maybe more than others, and also to situate specific things behind another object.

The magic wand and lassoo tools were things that I had to learn to use when cutting out the images of the models from the original background. Before I could input the image of the model on the front page, I used the magic wand to select areas in the background around the model and delete the area around the model, then I used the eraser tool to completely erase the original background to only leave the image of model. Then I used the lassoo tool and used the mouse to draw around the model, this was done carefully as it would save the amount of time I would of had to spend using the eraser tool around the image once it had been input onto the front page.

The Heu/saturation tool was also very important for me as I edited every image throughout each page so that they would appear in black and white, this is a very easy tool to use but was very effective. I done this by making sure the correct layer/image had been selected, and pressed CTRL + U, the tool appeared on the screen allowing me to shift the 3 different bars which enabled me to experiment with different colours, different amount of lighting/darkness etc.

I also used the opacity tool, this was significant when constructing my double page spread as this tool changed the level of how transparent a selected object it. The big capital 'C' which can be seen placed in the background behind the text of the main article was edited using the opacity tool to make the 'C' slightly transparent, by doing this it made it stand out less and also still made it easy for the text in front of it to be easily read.

Seventh Evaluation Question

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

When I look back to when I designed the front page and contents page for my preliminary task automatically I can tell that my knowledge of how to use photoshop and all the tools within the software has expanded dramatically which has enabled me to create my final products.
Also I have a much better understanding of how the conventions of a magazine are vitally important to ensure that it appeals to the target audience, I have learnt this while I analysed the three different front pages, three contents pages and double page spreads e.g. through the use of colour, the age and gender of the model featured on the pages, the language used to communicate with the reader and the design/layout of the page.

Preliminary Task

Final Media Product

When comparing my preliminary work and my final media product, a huge difference in quality can be seen. This is primarily because of the gained knowledge about how to use the software photoshop and the tools within it, also the significant difference between the two pieces of work is down to the improved knowledge about magazine conventions and how to construct magazine pages to attract the audience. The use of the colour scheme pink/black/ white remains constant throughout each of the pages on my final media products, this is not the case in my preliminary work where no specific colour scheme is used  or followed and therefore a relationship between the front page and contents page in my preliminary task is not seen.

Also for my final product I have been able to utilize all the space available on the page, this is not the case on my preliminary front page as a lot of free space is shown on the page as there were not enough sub - stories featured on the page and the images were not placed in the best position.   

On my preliminary front page the images and the text were not able to stand out, the text was not easily readable because of the colour of the text and the colour of the main image behind it.

I learnt from this and have shown this on my final product as I have edited the main image to be quite dark and neutral, and use of a more vibrant colour (pink) and white for the text which is placed on the main image, these chosen colours for the text allow it to be easily readable. 

In my preliminary work the photos taken did not look very professional, in the majority of the photos the model is not looking directly at the camera, I learnt that this is a very important concept when constructing a magazine as the model needs to make direct eye contact with the reader and grab their attention. This is seen in the majority of the photos taken for my final products except for the main image on the front page, I took at medium shot of the model looking diagonally down but the audience are still able to see his body language and the emotions that he is displaying. 

Construction of double page spread

1) To contruct my double page spread the first step I took was importing the chosen main picture. I resized the image so that it covered half the width of the page and ensured that I left a small gap between the top of the page and the image. When I clicked and dragged the image into the right position, I used the Hue/saturation tool bar to change the image colour into black and white as I wanted to follow the colour scheme of black and white images shown through the front page and contents page.

2)Next I used the rectangle tool to draw a box at the top of the page as a banner, this is highlighted in black. I added to pieces of text 'New Artist' and the magazine name 'Pulse', both are highlighted in pink to follow the general colour scheme, the two pieces of text are deliberatlely in different styled font as I wanted to use the same style font for 'Pulse' as was shown on the front page. Then I used the eraser tool to created clear lines in the banner.

3) In the next step I added in the main title for the double page spread, this text is highlighted in black to ensure it is easy to read on the white background, and I clicked and dragged it into position tot he left just underneath the black banner. At the bottom of the page I added two separate page numbers in each corner, they are both highlighted in pink as they can both be clearly seen on the white background and with the image in the background.

4)The next step was adding two columns of text for the main article, for the first letter of the first column I made the 'Y' slightly larger than the rest of the article and highlighted it red. The questions in the article are highlighted pink and I ensured it was still easily readable on the white background, the answers were highlighted in black, this makes it easy for the reader to distinguish between the questions and answers.

5) Finally I typed the letter 'C' as a piece of text and used the scale to enlarge it as the biggest piece of text on the page, I clicked and dragged this layer so that it is situated behind the article. I lowered the opacity level to make the letter slightly transparent to ensure the article was still easily readable.

Construction of contents page

1) The first step I took was choosing the font style, colour, size and position for the contents page title. I wanted to follow the general colour scheme of the magazine from the front page therefore I made the text pink, this colour choice will also make this stand out to the reader. I situated the contents title in the top left hand corner. I also added another piece of text to go in the top right hand corner which was the magazine website address, this too is highlighted in pink but is a significantly smaller font size than the main title.

2) The next step was to input pieces of text which would consist of the contents of the magazine, these run down the left hand side of the page, the text alternates between being highlighted in black and pink which again follows the general colour scheme, two sub-titles have been added 'Features' and 'Regulars' these can easily picked out as they are a bigger font size than the contents but not biggers than the Contents title.

3) Next I input the images, for the top image I cut out the image of the model himself and placed him onto an alternative background, for both images I used the Hue/ saturation tool to change them into black and white which follows the theme portrayed on the front cover. Both images are placed on the right hand side of the page one underneath the other.

4) Next I added a few banners/boxes by using the rectangle tool. I drew one box underneath the images, this was highlighted in black, this box is intended to have a piece of text inside of it later on. Two more black boxes were drawn to surround the two sub-titles 'Feature' and 'Regulars', this makes the sub-titles stand out to the reader even more. A much thinner box is drawn and is placed towards the bottom of the page, this is highlighted in pink.

5) Lastly I decided to draw another banner at the top of the page, this is situated behind the Contents title and website address and is highglighted in black, this makes the pink text stand out even more and still continues the general colour scheme. Just after the Contents title I used the eraser tool to create to clear lines in the banner.

I input a piece of text which is placed inside the black box underneath the images, this text is highlighted in white which stands out on the black background, I also copy and pasted the front cover of the magazine and reduced its size using :edit/transform/scale. The last piece of text I input was the date of the magazine issue 'April 2010', this is highlighted in black and stands out on the white background.

Construction of front page

1)To construct my magazine front page the first step I took was importing this chosen photo into photoshop. I cut out the image of the just the model as I did not want to use the background that was in the photo. After is experimented with the Hue/saturation toolbar and decided that the image would look best in black and white as this would relate to my chosen colour scheme for the magazine.

2) Next I had to decide on the style, colour and size of the font for my chosen magazine name. I wanted it to look quite modern and to stand out, therefore I have the font highlighted in a vibrant pink colour and had it spread across the entire width of the page.

3) After a considerable amount of time i chose this picture as the background, i imported it inot photoshop and used the marquee tool to cut it out and paste onto this page, then sorted the sequence of the layers to have it situated behind the image of the model and the magazine name.

4) The next step was choosing the font style, colour, position and size for the main title of the main story.I decided the majority of the text would be highlighted in white and one word 'Arrived' would be highlighted in pink to emphasize that word. The title is situated at the bottom of the page because I wanted the main image to be displayed as much as possible. I also added two banners using the rectangle tool to go at the top of the page which is highlighted in white and I edited the opacity level to make it slightly transparent, the same went for the banner at the bottom of the page except this banner is highlighted in black.

5) Next I used the lassoo tool to go around the tie, I then used the Hue/saturation tool box to make the tie pink to link it to the colour scheme, I also input the barcode which is placed near the bottom right hand corner, the barcode will be edited further later on in the construction.

6) In this next stage I used the rectangle tool to draw a small box highlighted in white to join onto the barcode, text was then added inside that box to display the magazine price highlighted in black. Underneath the barcode I added text consisting of the magazine website address and was highlighted in white, I once again used the rectangle tool to draw a box around the website address which was highlighted in pink and made slightly transparent by lowering the opacity level. I added six pieces of text which was for the magazine sub-stories, these were situated on the main image from the shoulders down to the black banner, the pieces of text alternated between pink and white.

7) Finally I used the ellipse tool to created my PUG, I drew two circles, one colour blue the other white, I made the white circle slightly smaller and placed it on top of the blue one which gave the PUG a blue outline. I input a piece of text for the magazine issue date which was highligheted in white and placed to the left just underneath the banner at the top.

Photograph Analysis

Number 1) This photo is a medium shot of the model looking diagonally downwards, although he is not looking directly at the camera he is still easily recognisable. The background was quite plain and basic therefore making it easier to cut out the image of just the model and copy it onto an alternate background. I decided am am going to use this photo as the image on the front page of my magazine.

2) I took this photo to use as a background for the main image on the front page, therefore I would cut out the image of the model in the previous photo and copy it onto this photo.

3) This photo displays a medium shot of the model, unlike the first photograph he is making direct eye contact with the camera, the background is again plain and therefore easy to cut out specifically the model to copy onto an alternate background. I decided that I would use this photo for the contents page.

4) I decided to use this photo as the background for the previous photo, this again will be used for the contents page.

5) This photo displays the model sitting and making direct eye contact with the camera. There is a lot of free space either side of him for pieces of text to be situated. Though there is too much distance between the model and the camera, therefore i decided not to use this as the main image of my front, instead I will use this as a smaller image on my contents page.

6) In this photo the model is looking directly at the camera, it displays him from the waist up and therefore shows his shoulder and arms so the audience can see the emotion he is portraying. I decided to use this as the main image on my double page spread.

7) In this photograph the model has his body completely facing the direction of the camera and again maintains eye contact can see him from the waist up and there is a lot of space either side of him for any text that may be chosen to be placed there. I decided to use this on the double page spread as well but as a smaller image.

Double page spread initial design 3

On this design the main title is situated in the top left had corner of the page. Underneath are two photos one below the other on the left hand side of the page. To the right of these are two columns for the main article. Two more images are placed on the right hand side of the page and to the right of the columns one below the other. 

At the bottom of the page are the page numbers in each corner. 

Overall I don't think the layout of the page is very good, at the top of the page there is nothing else apart from the title therefore the top of the page is not being utilized fully. 

Double page spread initial design 2

For this double page spread design, traditional conventions of a magazine layout are shown. A banner is at the top of the page and covers the entire width f the spread, inside this banner are two pieces of text, one placed on the left hand side, the other on the right in the other corner. Underneath the banner is the main title for the article. Underneath the title are two columns of text for the main article, these are placed on the left hand side of the spread, the second column of text is made smaller so that there is space underneath it for the smaller image. The main image is situated on the right hand side of the spread, this takes up the entire right side. At the very bottom of the spread are the two page numbers in each bottom corner of the page. Overall I feel this is a good deign of a double page spread as every area of the page is being utilized fully and the layout looks tidy. Therefore I will be using this deign for my final product.

Double page spread initial design 1

On this initial design of a double page spread it does not show original convention of a magazine layout. The main title is placed in the top right hand corner of the page. There are two images used for the spread one is placed towards the top on the left hand side, the other is on the right towards the bottom of of the page. There are four columns of text for the main article, the first two are situated on the left underneath the first images, the other two are placed on the right above the second image. Overall I feel that the positions of the images and the text are out of place therefore I will not be using this design for my double page spread.

Contents Page initial design 3

On this initial design, it does not show typical conventions of a magazine layout. The title is placed in the centre at the top of the page and the magazine website address is to the right of this. There are two images on the page , one located on the left nearer the top of the page, the other on the right hand side towards the bottom of the page. There are two separate pieces of text, one is placed on the right next to the first image, the other on the left next to the second image. A footer is placed at the bottom of the and covers he entire width of the page. Overall I don't feel this is the best layout for my contents page as I feel the images and text look out of place and areas of the page are not being utilized properly/fully as there is a lot of free space, therefore I will not be using this deign for my contents page. 

Contents page inital design 2

For this design the page will only consist of one image instead of two images like the other two initial designs have, this image is situated on the right hand side of the page. A column of text is placed on the left hand side. The main title is placed in the top right hand corner of the page. A PUG is placed in the bottom left hand corner and another piece of text which will be related to the main image. Overall I don't think this deign is very good as things like the PUG and Title look out of place and I feel spaces of the page are not being utilized fully as there is quite a bit of free space. Therefore I will not be using this design for my contents page.  

contents page intial design 1

On this contents page design, typical conventions of a magazine are shown through the layout. The main titles is situated in the top left hand corner and the website address in the top right hand corner. For his design the images are shown on the left hand side of the page one underneath the other, and the text is placed in a column on the right. A footer is placed at the bottom of the page and covers the entire width of the page. I do think that this design is quite good as the layout allows the entire page to be utilized fully.