BUTTONS

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

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? My magazine also challenged conventions of other magazines, my barcode, price and date are all placed in the top right corner of my media product, I have done so to go against the typical forms of other music magazines and to challenge these expectations. I believe the price of my magazine is hugely important as it was chosen in accordance to my readers wishes and the research I found in accordance to my Questionnaires and Ideal Reader. I have used conventions of real media products in reference to the strap line from Q-Magazine, it influenced my own strap-line, I felt it looked professional therefore getting my magazine more sales Like the strap line from Q-Magazine I also decided to use cap locks in order to catch buyers eyes, I used the colour white as I felt it looked good in contrast to the dark background. My intention was to entice my readers and to create a house style for my magazine, this would become an expectation from my readers and they would expect this convention. I feel that my magazine layout and style is appealing and representative of other real media products such as Q-Magazine and NME, the colours used were purple, black and white, I felt these contrasted well together and helped to create the rock chic image I was portraying and would appeal to a teenage female audience.

3. I followed the conventions of other real media products such as NME, Kerrang and Q-Magazine when designing the layout and style of my own Music Magazine, I looked ay their Cover Pages and took some of their ideas to inspire my own magazine’s look. BUTTONS As you can see from the images NME frequently uses buttons on their cover pages, the use of buttons allows for certain information to stand out, they are often used to promote a certain feature within the magazine or to advertise a particular band/artist. I have decided to use a button in my own cover page as I think they are appealing to my readers and it will also promote the band featured in my cover page. The button I have used promotes a pair of tickets to The Lonely Hearts Gig, the colours purple and white contrast well together to allow the feature to stand out against the black background. I also took inspiration for my magazines title from Kerrang magazine, I believe the font used in the title ‘Toxic’ is edgy, fresh and represents a Rock Chic look, it fits in well with the layout of the magazine, It is the same colour as the cover lines, the button and the guitar and in my opinion. Kerrang give me this inspiration as it also has a very edgy, sharp look which works well with the Heavy Metal/Rock genre it exemplifies.

4. Q-Magazine gave me a lot of inspiration and ideas in reference to my image, cover lines and barcode when considering my own Toxic Magazine. I both challenged and used the conventions in real magazine products and am pleased with the results. I took the idea to place my barcode on the top right hand corner from Q-Magazine, I felt it challenged the forms and conventions of other magazines within the music industry and proved that a magazine could still look professional and be successful without following the rules. My decision to place the cover lines in the style that I did also was inspired from Q- Magazine, by placing cover lines onboth sides of the image it gave the reader plenty of information on the content of the magazine while also enticing them to find out more. I decided to place my main image in the centre of my magazine with cover lines surrounding it. I thought this would be the best look for my magazine as it made the band the centre of attention.

5. I took much of my influence for my Toxic from the Kerrang contents page which I analysed as part of my portfolio. I decided to place my ‘Contents’ and ‘Features’ on the right hand column of the magazine, these are represented by the arrows which show the similarities in layout. I felt this looked professional and followed many of the conventions of other music magazines which also follow this format. The purple arrow shows how both magazines, Kerrang and Toxic have a small scale image of the Frontcover on the top left hand corner, this allows the reader to remember what firstly appealed them to the magazine, and reinforces the main band in which the magazine is promoting and initially attracted the readers attention. The white arrows highlight the ‘Each Week’ section on my magazine and the influence I took off Q-Magazines ‘Every Month’ section, i done so to show a feature in the magazine which is expected by the reader and has become a house style for the magazine. I chose to have this section in an orange and pale pink font instead of the conventional pink/purple, white and black theme on the rest of the contents page. I done so to allow this section to stand out from the rest of the magazine and to show how it never changes.

6. • The colours used in the article are dark pink, white and black which follow the house style of the rest of the magazine. The caption is placed on the right third, its easily spotted when flicking through the magazine and offers a brief outline to what the article is about. The title is in large font which attracts attention, the cap lock font reinforces this and it stands out to the reader, demanding attention. The introduction is conventional of Nme, Q-Magazine and Kerrang, it also gives a synopsis of the article which appeals to the reader and allows them to read on. The main image takes up the right half of the DP’s, it attracts attention to anyone flicking through the magazine. The pull quote is conventional of other music magazines, it is an interesting quote which entices the reader into reading the article. The layout is in 3 columns, this gives the article a professional look, and follows the conventions of other music Magazines which follow this format. The lexis used is sophisticated to promote the bands stylish and successful lifestyle.

7. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

8. When conducting research in terms of my Ideal Reader and Questionnaires I produced to discover who my magazine will be aimed towards, I found that my target audience were teenage girls who had a strong interest in Chart and Rock Music. I therefore decided to base my magazines music genre with a mix of both Rock and Chart Music which would appeal to them. The colours throughout are Pink/Purple, Black and White, I feel these colours depict a strong Rock Chic theme which my target audience will be heavily attracted by. I also feel these colours are young, appealing to teenage girls but are snazzy and slick. I felt that teenage girls would be appealed to these colours as they are obviously chosen to draw them towards the magazine and they give a clue of the content which is going to be inside. The images used on the front cover are of two attractive teenage girls, they look confident, independent and demand attention from their admirers.

9. The fact that two teenage girls are on the front cover with no other images surrounding it instantly makes potential buyers aware that this magazine is for girls only, this gives them a level of confidence that other magazines do not, they are aware that the content within the magazine will be written for girls interested in independent music icons. • The title ‘Toxic’ was influenced by the song title of one of Britney Spear’s singles, the song was very popular at the time of release and depicted Britney as a strong, independent woman who appeared superior compared to men in the magazine who were portrayed as inferior. This reinforces the idea that the magazine is for teenage girls interested in iconic woman artists. • Many of the artists mentioned on the front cover such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna are very successful, iconic female artists which teenage girls would inspire to be like, the fact that the Lonely Hearts also feature beside these signers shows how they have similar characteristics and have the potential to be as successful as these artists. • The dialogue used within my Double Page Spread Article is very sophisticated to represent the band success, I think this appeals to a lower to middle class social group as the article offers a type of escapism as they read about the lavish lifestyle of two young artists who grew up with nothing but ended up with a fortune through their musical talents.

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

11. When researching this particular question I decided that both BAUER Media and IPC Media were the two most relevant institutions. • IPC Media (International Publishing Company) is one of the UK's leading consumer magazine and digital publishers, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. • IPC Media produces over 85 iconic media brands, with our print brands alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 44% of UK men – almost 27 million UK adults – while our online brands collectively reach 20 million users every month. • IPC's diverse print and digital portfolio offers something for everyone, with a focus on three core audiences: men, mass market women and up market women.

12. IPC MEDIA AND NME •NME has become a truly unique multi-platform media proposition. Across the magazine, nme.com, NMETV, NME Radio and the brand's live events and awards. • NME reaches over one million music fans every week and is the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world. • Every week it gives its readers the most exciting, most authoritative coverage of the very best in contemporary music. •It also includes award winning features such as the latest releases, live reviews, the definitive guide to the best new bands in its Radar section, as well as a regular look back through the magazine's incredible 58 year heritage.

13. On the other hand, BAUER Media is a large German publishing company operating in 15 countries worldwide and with a World Wide circulation of 38million million magazines produced weekly. • It is responsible for the production of both Q-Magazine and Kerrang, both heavy influences on the production of my own magazine Toxic. • The Q music brand has expanded to Radio and Television specializing in indie, rock and alternative. Q also holds annual Q Awards in the UK, Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicized music awards. • BAUER Media also published Kerrang which specialises in Rock Music, it remained in 2009 as the UK’s best selling music weekly. Kerrang also features its own radio channel, TV channel and it’s own website. As of 2005 all of its programme content is music videos, the majority of which is open scheduled, for text requests from their playlist.

14. Judging by the fact that Kerrang and Q-Magazine have such a huge success, I have decided that BAUER Media would be the media product to distribute my magazine. • Kerrang is Rock/Heavy metal magazine, whereas Q-Magazine promotes music of all genre, and due to the fact that my own magazine is a Rock Chic magazine which took much of its inspiration from these two media products, I feel that BAUER Media will give it the help it needs to succeed. • I also feel that the opportunity for my magazine to have its own radio station, TV Channel and website will influence its success in the UK.

15. Who would be the Audience for your media product? The Rock Chic theme I have portrayed throughout my magazine is heavily geared towards teenage girls with a strong interest within the female music industry. Artists such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga are unique, independent female artists who have a massive teenage fan base. I believe my own Audience will be majorly teenage girls who want to read and learn more about these particular singers. The Strap line on my Cover page ‘THE MONTHLY MAG FOR GIRLS WHO LOVE TO DANCE’ instantly makes it aware that this particular magazine is geared towards teenage girls, whereas the colour scheme of the magazine and the images depicted all reinforce this idea. I felt that the clothes I chose for my models to wear are young, stylish and would be something teenage girls would be interested in wearing.

16. How did you attract/address your audience? I conducted a range of Questionnaires to discover what exactly is it that attracts readers to particular magazines. I discovered that NME and Kerrang were the most popular music magazines that my readers read, this heavily influenced the design of my magazines cover page, contents and double page spread in order to attract my target audience. 1 The white rings highlight the influence I got from both NME and Kerrang in order of the position and structure of my cover lines, I felt by positioning them on the left side of the cover, they did not distract the reader from the main image or other features. The purple arrows show the use of strap lines in Kerrang and NME, on a shelf full of magazines it is important that yours sticks out, strap lines can help achieve this to attract your particular audience. The blue arrows show how the use of buttons in NME influenced my own design decision to use them. It is important for a magazine cover to look attractive and interesting in order to entice potential buyers.

17. As my magazine was targeted towards teenage girls who had a strong interest in the female music industry, I wanted my magazine to appear fresh and vibrant. I chose the title ‘Toxic’ with a slick font and a dark pink colour scheme as I felt it looked stylish and attractive to my target audience. • I chose two mention Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna on the front cover as I felt these were three unique indepndent female artists which would appeal to a teenage audience, their music is known worldwide and they have a huge fan base. I hoped by mentioning these artists it would lure potential buyers. • I also discovered after analysing my questionnaire results that my target audience were enticed by promotional features advertised on magazines, therefore I decided to include free tickets for ‘THE LONELY HEARTS’ in a bid to entice buyers ad to promote the new band.

18. In reference to my contents page, female models were again used to promote the independent Rock Chic theme throughout my magazine. • References in my contents page to Florence and the Machine, ‘Lady Gaga’s latest crazy fashion antics, and ‘Amazing female artists at the NME awards’ all appeal to teenage girls who are looking for a music magazine made only for their interests. It gives the magazine an exclusive and secretive persona as it is directed to one gender only and makes the reader feel that it is only for them. • My Double Page Spread Article promotes ‘The Lonely Hearts’, the fact that they are two teenage girls keeps in theme with the rest of the magazine. Their clothing and the use of the pink guitar again reinforces the Rock Chic theme. • The language used is sophisticated, it offers a level of escapism to teenage readers who admire their luxurious lifestyle, their good looks and their musical talents. Teenage readers may begin to view them as an icon in terms of fashion and musical ability.

19. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? In order to construct my portfolio, I had to use a range of technology products to help me maximise its full potential. Pb Works was the main site that was used, it was our online blog that allowed us to post all our work onto, I could also contact both my class mates and my teacher using this site whenever I was in difficulty, however it was a very frustrating site to use, I had problems uploading my files and we could not enter YouTube in school which contained important information on how to use Photoshop. YouTube was very important as it had a large number of tutorials needed when it came to using Photoshop. Photoshop was by far the most difficult of the technologies I needed to use, and YouTube definitely helped me when it came to editing my images.

20. Photoshop was very important in constructing my Cover page, Contents and Double Page Spread. I had very little knowledge on how to use Photoshop before this project. I had to start from the basics and work my way up. The tutorials offered on Youtube taught me how to draw shapes, edit blemishes, remove background colours, cropping images etc. • To begin with I had to produce my Preliminary Task which was constructing a school magazine cover and contents page, this was important as it allowed me to experiment with Photoshop before constructing my main task. There is of course a large difference between the standard of the two cover pages which in my opinion shows the progress I made. This shows the before and after image created by Photoshop. To do so I used the Magic want tool to eliminate the background and to create a pink guitar. I then darkened the image and increased the contrast so the image stood out compared to the background. Other tools I used in photoshop were; the paintbucket tool, red eye tool, spot healing brush, text tool, and feathering tool were also used.

21. Microsoft Publisher and Excel also were useful in creating my media product. Microsoft Publisher allowed me to create a series of flat plans for the construction of my Cover page, Contents and Double Page Spread, these were important as it helped to save time and when I using Photoshop and finding difficulty I could always refer back to my flat plans to keep things running smoothly. Microsoft excel was important when researching my Questionnaire and analysing the results. It allowed me to see clearly what the most popular choices were within my target audience and this was very essential in the construction of my magazine the design decisions that I had to make.

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

23. This is the cover page and the contents page from my preliminary task, I can see instantly that it looks quite amateur in comparison to my final product. I can also see that I quite clearly didn’t follow many of the conventions of real media products, there is no sign of a barcode, date or price on the cover page, or is there any sign of variety for example the use of a button or a strap line. The cover page is also very basic and it is quite obvious that there is little use of editing done to the photos. However I did make good use of cover lines, however if would not use the colours red and yellow if I was going to do this again.

24. Microsoft Excel, Publisher and Photoshop are all forms of technology which I used and I feel have progressed well in, the skills I have learned from these technologies all helped in constructing my final product which I am pleased with. Blogging on PB works and keeping up to date with my peers work helped motivate me into creating a product to my full ability, without the help of my class mates and teacher I do not think I would have produced a product half as well as I feel I have. I am now comfortable with using different forms of technology and equipment without feeling under pressure or confused, the experimentation I done with my Preliminary Task definitely helped me develop the skills I needed. My knowledge of how the media works has also deeply improved, I learnt how to analyse magazines, realising exactly why certain conventions were used and the positive effects they had for both producers and buyers of the media product. I have also learnt more about certain media institutions, IPC Media and BRAUR Media which helped me with some of my more difficult design decisions.

25. THE FINAL PRODUCT