Evaluation q1
- 1. Evaluation
- 2. Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? AVAILABLE NOW AT JD SPORTS, 197-203 OXFORD STREET
- 3. Front cover With my front cover I chose to keep it very conventional, whilst mixing ideas I had gathered from research into both regional and fashion magazines. With the masthead I made sure it was the largest font on the page as well as being heavily contrasting against its background. I used a next art light font for the masthead, keeping it clear and easy to read whilst looking nice and professional. I kept to the convention of a one line title just to keep it all in one place and to help make it as clear and easy to read as possible. I also made use of the convention of having the region name in the main title of the magazine. This is so the audience can automatically see where the magazine is based and saves any possible confusion. I took the idea of shooting a location for the front cover and added in a model to not only showcase the area but also still stick to the fashion aspect of my magazine that I wanted. The model I used was also instructed to look straight into the camera lens as I wanted to keep the aspect of direct mode of address to really connect with the reader. I also asked the model to wear something different that will make a statement for the front cover. The choice of outfit fits very well with the loud colours and complimenting pieces. I kept to the common convention of using high key lighting as it really brings the best out of the image. I used adobe lightroom to then enhance a few colours, desaturate others and overall just clean up the image so it looks as best as possible. The template I used for the front cover was heavily influenced by a personal favorite fashion magazine of mine called ‘HYPEBEAST’. I followed some general conventions from that magazine whilst also interpreting common conventions from regional magazines. I added the issue number in the top right corner so collectors can keep them in order and easily find the issue they are looking for. For the anchor text I listed off the name of the image, making it more identifiable for the reader, as well as added numerous names of people included in the magazine to make it more appealing to the target audience. This helps to not only give more of an insight into what’s inside the magazine but will also engage with the reader more as they can read about the people they are interested in, which seems to be a huge common convention as to why people read magazines. I feel that just listing the names of the people inside the magazine will make the reader curious as to what information there could be inside the magazine about each person, making the reader want to find out more. This supports Roland Barthes: Enigma Code, which leaves the audience curious and makes them want to read on and find out more. This too is a very common convention of most magazines in general.
- 4. Contents To start with I made sure once again that the magazine logo was the largest text on the page, as well as being placed at the very top of the page to show importance. I then chose a slightly unconventional layout of my pictures to create a modern look as well as make it aesthetically pleasing for the reader whilst still keeping them relevant to the articles in the magazine. I kept the pictures separate from the text which was organized in columns underneath the pictures. This is more conventional in regional magazines as it keeps the page looking neat and tidy as well as keeping up with the aesthetic standards that I had achieved throughout my production. It also makes it easier for the reader to find exactly what they need and to navigate their way through the magazine. I also stuck with the house scheme for the magazine, using minimal amount of colouring and keeping it professional. Short and sharp sentences were used to describe each piece of content. These were used to give the reader an insight and to keep them informed which also references the uses and gratifications theory. This is a common convention in most magazines let alone regional magazines so I thought it would be sensible to include this kind of layout and presentation. I also made sure I used a clean and clear black font to contrast against the white background whilst still being clear and easy for the reader to read. The addition of page numbers was also a very common convention in all magazines as it makes it extremely helpful for the reader to navigate their way throughout the magazine.
- 5. Editorial Large titles are very often used in magazines to show where the importance is. I chose to follow this convention closely throughout my magazine which is evident on this page. It helps the audience to automatically identify the subject of the page. The use of this on the editorial page also creates more of a personal relationship between the writer and the reader as it seems more direct and personal. This also supports the uses and gratifications theory. I made the addition of a picture from one of the photoshoots just to break down the page a little, so it’s not all text and also to make the page more aesthetically pleasing as a whole. I also thought the addition of an editors favorites section would be a nice touch as it gives the reader the sort of idea as to what the editor likes/wears and where to find the items. This is quite conventional in regional magazines so I decided to add the fashion aspect to it and list a couple items. I stuck to the convention of having a letter from the editor to the reader included in my editorial as it again creates more of a personal relationship between the two. This uses and conforms to the hegemonic norms thus making it more relatable to them. I also adapted the common convention of having a small picture of the editor along with a signature and social media links to give the wider option of interaction to the reader. This also helps to engage with the younger aged people from my audience as they are generally more likely to engage via social media.
- 6. Advert For my advert I kept to the common convention of very little text and let the product advertise itself. I included the key information on the product, basically just saying what it is/what it does and where you can find it. I kept the location local to the region of the magazine where anyone can access the product (central London). This links to the uses and gratifications theory of gratification surveillance as the audience is gaining information. The brand logo is also the largest text on the page and heavily contrasts against the background to help it stand out and catch the eye of the reader. With this it makes the advert instantly identifiable. I stuck with the common convention of including the address/location of where the reader can purchase the product making it easily accessible fro the reader. I used high key lighting which in itself is highly conventional as it brightens up the whole image, showcases more detail and makes the product that little bit more aesthetically pleasing for the viewer. I also edited the photo using adobe lightroom to enhance clarity, brightness, saturation and sharpness to add to the aesthetics of the image to really attract the reader. AVAILABLE NOW AT JD SPORTS, 197-203 OXFORD STREET
- 7. Website I again stuck with the most popular convention of magazine websites and kept the title as the largest text on the page. This shows its importance as well as catches the eye of the reader/viewer. I also made use of the social media icons to appeal to the younger users and also to increase interactivity. I made use of the hyperlinks for the most necessary topics. This makes it easier for the user to navigate their way throughout the site. For everything else there are pictures for each article as you scroll down the page. These are accompanied by short and snappy titles that will help the reader to find exactly what they want to read. The pictures make the website look so much more aesthetically pleasing and if the reader likes the pictures then they are more than likely to click on them and read the articles. In terms of the colour scheme I followed similar conventions of magazines like The London Magazine and Vogue. I done this by keeping a very clear and contrasting black and white colour scheme. I also found that it made the pictures really pop as they were the only real addition of colour to the website.
- 8. Billboard When it comes to regional magazines, there aren’t many that use billboards to advertise their product. However, some of the worlds most popular fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle have been known to use billboards as a form of advertising for their magazine. So I used some common conventions from those billboards along with some general conventions of billboards as a whole in order to create mine. In the presentation of the billboard I chose to include several devices of which can easily access my magazine/website on. This shows that anyone can access it at any time, making it nice and easy for the audience to stay in the loop. Making the magazine available on multiple platforms helps to create a wider scope of activity and appeal to a much larger audience. As with most billboards I chose to keep it very plain and tidy. This includes one main colour scheme with a plain background and a short and snappy message. Finally I made sure that the magazines logo was the largest text on the billboard as that will be the first thing that catches peoples eyes.