Q7- Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression?

Q7- Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression?
I have presented my answer to this question using the Web 2.0 tool Padlet.

Q6- What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Q6- What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have presented my answer to question 6 of the evaluation in a Powtoon.


 

Q5- How did you attract/address your audience?

Q5- How did you attract/address your audience?
I have presented my answer to this evaluation question using the Web 2.0 tool Slideshare.

Q5 evaluation from Rachel Leveney

Q4- Who would be the audience for your media product?

Q4- Who would be the audience for your media product?
I have presented my answer to this evaluation question using the Web 2.0 tool Piktochart.

Q3- What kind of media institution might distribute your product?

Q3- What kind of media institution might distribute your product?
I have presented my answer to this question using the Web 2.0 tool Powtoon. I then uploaded it to Vimeo and embedded it into my blog.

Q2- How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Q2- How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I have presented my answer to this question using the Web 2.0 tool emaze.

Q1- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Q1- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I have presented my answer to this evaluation question in a Prezi.

Final Product

This is my final product- front cover, contents page and double page spread!

FRONT COVER

CONTENTS PAGE

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Detailed Layouts of Magazine Pages

I drew out flat plans for all 3 of my magazine pages so that when it came to making them on Photoshop it would be easier because I would have a plan to work from.

My final contents page turned out looking least like my flat plan because it was the least detailed of the 3 and I hadn't included all the conventions of a contents page in my drawing. I found my contents page the most difficult to create because of this, so if I had made my drawing more detailed I would have found the contents page easier to make. My double page spread turned out looking most like my flat plan because it was the most detailed of my 3 plans. I included all the conventions of a double page spread on my drawing and I liked the layout that I had drawn so I didn't need to change very much when transferring my design to Photoshop. This meant that I found the double page spread the easiest page to create because I already had a detailed plan to work from.

Fonts, Colour Scheme and House Style Ideas

These are my initial ideas for fonts, colour schemes and house styles. I have presented my ideas in a flowchart using the Web 2.0 tool Gliffy.

(Please follow the link to access my completed task)

Fonts, Colour Scheme and House Style Ideas

Audience Feedback on Cover Line Ideas

I have videoed four people giving feedback on my cover line ideas and put them together using iMovie. The three questions they are answering are:

What are your 3 favourite cover lines and why?
How many cover lines do you think should be on a magazine cover and why?
How long do you think each cover line should be and why?

 

Cover Line Ideas

I have made a mind map of my cover line ideas using a Web 2.0 tool I found called Bubbl.us. I will ask people of my target audience which are their favourites and why to decide which to use for my final product.

Audience Feedback on Initial Ideas

I have put my initial ideas into a survey using the Web 2.0 tool SurveyMonkey. 50 people filled out my survey and the results showed people's favourite title, slogan, tone and price ideas. I have listened to my audience feedback and used the most popular choices for my magazine.

Initial Ideas

I have made mind maps of my initial ideas for a title, slogan, tone and price of my music magazine. I have made time-lapses for these mind maps and presented them using the Web 2.0 tool Prezi.

Evaluation of Preliminary Task

This is my evaluation of the preliminary task. I have presented this task using the Web 2.0 tool Canva.

Preliminary Task

This is my preliminary task. The brief was to create the front cover and contents page of a school/college magazine and I created it using Photoshop.

Sub-Genre Research

I have done some research into the sub-genre pop ballads and presented my research using the Web 2.0 tool Prezi. This will help me because I may not use this sub-genre for my magazine but if I do, I will have a better knowledge of what features to include in order to attract my target audience.

 

Competitor Research

I have looked into five of the most popular pop music magazines and researched their prices, publishing companies, first date of release and how often they are released. I have presented this research in a word cloud. This research will help me when designing my own cover and double page spread because I have looked into the most popular pop magazines and what makes them so popular; so I can replicate this and create the cover of a magazine that would appeal to my chosen target audience.

 

Genre Research

I have researched further into the meaning of 'genre' and I have chosen to create my magazine cover, contents page and double page spread in the genre of pop so I have also researched further into the genre of pop, what it means, where it came from and why it is so popular. I have presented my research using the Web 2.0 tool Prezi. This will help me when I come to create my own magazine because I have a better knowledge of what a pop magazine should include and why people like to read them which will help me to know what to include in my magazine and what will attract people to it and therefore encourage them to buy it.

Mass VS Niche Publications

I have used the Wed 2.0 tool Powtoon to explore the differences between Mass and Niche publications. This has helped me to understand that Mass publications are not necessarily better or more successful than Niche publications because although Mass publications have a more general target audience, Niche publications are directed specifically towards a group of people with a common interest. This means that although Mass publications might have a larger audience, Niche publications are directed towards a specific audience which means they are more likely to buy the magazine regularly.

Summary of What I Have Learnt So Far

I have used a new Web 2.0 tool that I found called Venngage to summarise all the tasks that I have done so far, what I have learnt from doing them and how they will help me when I come to create my own magazine cover, contents page and double page spread. 

*Please click here to view my post* 

Music Iconography Mindmap

I have produced a Music Iconography Mindmap using the Web 2.0 tool SimpleMind. In producing this mindmap, I have learnt about the variety of different genres and what types of audiences they attract. I found it easier to find artists and magazines in the pop, rock and jazz genre than I did reggae or classical which suggests that these are the more popular genres. This will help me in choosing the genre for my magazine as I have thought about the genres that people like and what target audience my magazine would attract. For example, if I choose to make a pop music magazine I will probably attract a larger audience than if I were to make a classical music magazine.

Contrasting Publishers

I have looked into 2 different magazine publishers, Bauer Media and Anthem Publishing. I have looked at the types of magazines that they produce and how popular they are and used the Web 2.0 tool Emaze to present my research. This will help me with my final product because I have looked in detail at the techniques that independent publications use to grab people's attention and I can use some of these techniques to attract my target audience.
 

Wordle on music magazine names

I created a Wordle using magazine names, different genres, features of a magazine and different instruments. I have found that the majority of music magazine names have some relevance to the music industry which makes it easier for a reader to know the genre of the magazine straight away when they see it. A well known magazine 'Rolling Stone' gets its name from a very famous band 'The Rolling Stones' so when people see the magazine they will immediately relate it back to the band and therefore the music industry.

This will help me when I create my own magazine because I know that the name of my magazine needs to be catchy and memorable and have some relevance to music.

Comparing Music Magazines

I have created a comparison between different music magazines using the Web 2.0 tool Piktochart. This has allowed me to get a better idea of the conventions that I need to include and how to link them to the theme and genre of my magazine, as well as considering my target audience and what might appeal to them. It will also help me explain the choices I have made when it comes to evaluating my magazine because I will have practiced evaluating already existing products.

Key Concepts Applied to a Music Magazine

I have used the Web 2.0 tool Slideshare to present my research into the key concepts applied to a music magazine. This task will help me when making my own magazine because I have looked into the concepts that are important to think about when deciding who I want my target audience to be and what features I need to include in order to attract that particular audience.

History of the Magazine Industry

For this task I have used the Web 2.0 tool Hstry to create a timeline of the history of the magazine industry, going into detail about music magazines. This will help me when creating my own cover and double page spread because I have researched how magazines have developed over time and how certain magazines were launched many years ago but are still popular today.

(Please follow the link below to view my timeline)

History of the magazine industry timeline

Introduction

ABOUT ME
My name is Rachel, I am 16 years old and taking AS level media studies. I chose to take media studies because I may choose to go into the media industry, possibly working in advertisement and marketing.

THE BRIEF
My first coursework assignment is to create a front cover, contents page and a double page spread of a new music magazine. I will have to research into different genres of music magazine and plan for a specific target audience. I will then have to produce my magazine and then evaluate my magazine, explaining why I chose to create it in that way and whether it had the intended effect. Each stage of my coursework will be published onto my blog, using a range of Web 2.0 tools to showcase research.

WHAT IS A MAGAZINE
In order to create my own magazine, first had to research what a magazine is and the specific conventions of it. The word 'magazine' comes from the French word 'magasin' which means 'storehouse' as magazines store information. The first magazine was 'The Gentleman's magazine of London' and was first published in 1731.