Evaluation!!

Magazine evaluation

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Audience Feedback.

I created a questionnaire which was handed out to 10 people from my target audience. The questionnaire was to see if the target audience would iterpret the genre of the magazine correctly and to see if it would appeal to it.
Here are some of the questionnaires:

By looking at the feedback, most of it is positive which is a delight as if it was to become a magazine and be published i know that it would sell well amongst the target audience.

One of the questions asks what type of genre the magazine focus' on and how do they know this? The results of this question shows that 6 out of 10 recognised the magazine as indie-pop with 4 out of 10 recognising indie. This is positive as the genre type i tried to get across was indie-pop.

Another question asked was do the pages look professional?

100% of the respondents said that the pages all look professional, although some improvements can be made and have been stated in the questionnaire results this is again positive feedback as it shows that although the genre that i have used is new compared to genres that are already out there, there can be a change as indie-pop can now be as good and popular as other music magazines. This also shows that the magazine would be recognisable as a music magazine amosnt the music fans out there.

And another question...
How genuine does the front cover seem?

As one of the more important questions i was hoping for a good response on this question and this is exactly what i got, yay! 8 out of the 10 people thought that my front cover looked very genuine with the remaining 2 saying genuine giving it an overall big tick!

Other feedback from the respondents include:

What does the title suggest to you?
"Artists are just starting out- up and coming"
"New artists are breaking out into the musuic industry"
"New artists"
"Something new"
"New musicians showing what they are like"

What genre/type of music does the magazine focus on and how do you know this?
"Indie- because of the musicians featured in the magazine"
"Indie- through the images and artists featured"
"Indie-pop- images of the artist(red hair), vinyl, the colours used etc"
"Indie-pop- names of bands in the magazine"

....what improvements can be made?
" The text on the front cover should be them same font"
"None"

"Better quality colour"

Final Magazine Cover!!!

This is it, my magazine cover! overall i really like it, when i first started i was unsure as to what it would turn out like as i was struggeling to learn photoshop again, but somehow i managed to produce this. I am really happy with the way the image has turned out, i wanted the image to really stand out which it does, this should attract the readers attention straight away. For the title i used a font i downloaded off dafont which i made sure i could fill in with colour as in my preliminary task the font that i used wouldn't allow me to fill. The colour blue also works well against the redness of my artist's hair which i think makes it stand out. As the background is the image part of it was dark which made it difficult for colours to stand out so for the title i had to put a white outline on the title, however i think this has worked really well and makes the title look bright and bold. For the leading caption i wanted the artist's name to be the main attraction as the magazines aim is to introduce new artist's who are breaking out into the industry, with a smaller caption underneath, in this case "ready to break the silence" is my smaller caption. This reflects the image as the image shows the artist with a vinyl over her mouth stopping her from breaking the silence. I chose to use red and white colours for the leading caption as these were the two that best stood out on the background, they are also present in the costume that the artist is wearing which makes the page look more subtle. Around the main image are other smaller captions to keep the reader engaged into the cover encouraging them to buy the magazine, the captions include stories about other artists including "new" ones and the famous Paolo Nutini and The Kooks which should again attract the readers attention as these are well known names. I have included a strapline at the bottom of the page which provides additonal information as to what can be found inside the magazine, this adds to the page as it doesn't make it look bare, i have decreased the oppasity of the strapline slightly to make it seem bold however if you look closely you can still see the the background image behind it, I used white font as white contrasts black which makes it stand out. I also added a barcode, date and price to finish off the look.

Final Contents Page!!!

Next is my contents page, again i am happy with this page as i think that it actually does look like a real contents page, after analyisng a few contents pages i found that a lot of them were quite plain and boring so i wanted mine to have more on it that would attract the reader. For the heading i didn't just want "contents" as this is seen in nearly all magazines so i decided to have "This Week" instead, this shows to the reader that the magazine is fresh and updated weekly which should make the reader intrigued as to what is happening in the world of music in this present week. I used different style of fonts for the header to make it stand out more and appear more interesting, the swirly type font also gives the page a feminine pressence about it which again suits my target audience. I still had to have "contents" on my page somewhere so i decided to place it down the right hand side, if readers are flickering through they will see this pop out at them again hopefully drawing them into the page. I have used a few artist images to show what is in the magazine, the main headlining image is of the feature article Lois, the image shows a more relaxed approach to the artist as i didnt want this image to dominte over the feature article images. The other band "Lava Pop" are featured on the main cover so i added an image of them to the contents page to catch peoples attention, it can also be a bit of eye candy for females or just interest males who are fans of the band. I chose the colour palette of pink, black and white to give a girlie "pop" feel yet a more "indie" feel to the page, i have used the pinks for text that i want to stand out to the reader. I also added an editors letter to the left hand side of the page to keep it away from the main focus' of the page yet to provide information about the magazine to the reader, i added an image to the letter which gives the letter/page a more fun/relaxed appraoch to it. For the text used for the main subheadings and contents pages, i decided to use a more plain style to keep the reader attracted to the images and to give the page a nice professional look.

Final Feature Article!!!!!

 

Here is my final feature article, overall i am very pleased with it, it has turned out exactly how i had intended it to be and more. I particularly like the photo strip that i have created as it is unique and different, this also represents the artist featured. I chose to use more "girly" colours to aim at my target audience of mainly females but keeping the images edited to be a more indie-grunge look but also making them stand out this hopefully indicates that the genre of the magazine is indie-pop. I have highlighted a quote taken from the interview in a pink box, again the pink demonstrates the target audience but also i have done this to make the quote stand out as i think that many late teens will be able to read the quote and relate to it making them want to continue reading the article. I used another quote next to the heading which makes the artist seem more "bitchy" when in reality she is just your average teenager, i placed it here as the heading is a big focal point when first gancing at an article so when the reader is introduced to the artist as Lois they instantly are drawn towards the quotes which automatically gives the reader the wrong impression of the artist drawin them into the article even more.

Coursework development!

For the past few weeks i have started and successfully nearly finished my front cover, contents page and feature article. At first i found it hard to use Photoshop as i hadn't used it for over a year and had forgot what i was doing on it but after a few searches on google and a few tutorials later iv managed to edit all my photos that i took, i also somehow found an online editing site which i edited one of the feature article images on. Also i didn't know that you could alter the colours used in photoshop so for the first few weeks i found it hard finding colours that would stand out on my background on the front cover but as the weeks have gone on i think that my progress has improved. I have attempted to cut out an image to put on my contents page but as i was on the laptop it was hard to cut neatly around the image so in the end i decided to abolish that idea... for now.
And this post is to keep you up to date and show that i infact havn't died i have just been getting on with my coursework.

Feature article images...

These are the photos that i have chosen to put in my feature article, this top photo will be the main photo as it looks like she is having fun and happy which will catch the readers attention, also the colours are enhanced which makes the image also stand out more. I have edited this image to make it look like an actual printed out photo, i am yet to decide which of the top images i will use, the more edited one looks more funky which could appeal to the younger side of my target audience 16/17 year olds however the other image is more subtle which might be suited more towards the older side of 22/24 year olds.

I wanted a few images to be in the article but with my feature article interview being quite lengthy i had to cut some out, however i found this website which allowed me to collage my images into a strip almost like the ones you get from a photobooth, i thought this looked effective as people would recognise the strip and might compare the artist to being real and down to earth as she has photos taken in a photobooth. As above i am still undecided which strip to use although the more edited is catching my eye a lot more.

Feature Article Draft...

The "Lo" down on Lois!! - This is a title for the article, im not sure if i'll use it yet although i like it as we call Lois "Lo" as a nickname.
She's the new funky, fun, loving "IT" girl who's about to rock our worlds and dominate our charts. Lois Andrews and her flaming hot hair are set to breakout into the music industry with her brand new debut single "Pressure". Here the bubbly beauty speaks exclusively to Breakout for the first time about fame, life and music.

Hi Lois, How are you lately? We hope the pressure of fame hasn't gone straight to your head just yet!
I'm cool, I'm  awsome actually, it's not gone to my head but it's pretty weird with the paparazzi flashing their cameras and taking my photo whilst I'm getting into my car to have corn beef hash at my Gran's. (Laughs)

So how are you adjusting to your new life? Any freebies yet or fake friends joining the scene?
I've had quite a lot of Facebook requests but they're from all over the place, places I've never even heard of before, It's mad, I'm like i have MySpace for all that Malarki, I'm all up for fans but it's my own personal thing, I will have to do a Lily Allen and have orange hair for my picture as a decoy! Yeah I've had a free kebab from the local and a few clothing lines but I'm not all into Lacoste and Burberry but if Coast and ASOS want me, yeah! Haha! But no freebies from my mum's Tesco shop yet.

You're a singer/songwriter, has music always been apart of your life?
Yeah, I've grown up with music, it's been pumping through my veins for many many years. I've just had a strong passion and real connection with songs. My mum and dad aren't famous musicians or record label owners so it's all new for us. ( Huge smile on face), I used to be the karaoke hog at Xmas dinner with the family so I think it all started from there. (Chuckles)

We hear a collaboration with Snow Patrol is going to be on your debut album, how major is that!?
Major! It's epic! I actually have a crush on Gary, I'm single, He's single, maybe... (Lois now has a really cheeky grin on her face) but yeah I've loved them sicne they started out! But the song will hopefully be huge, it's a twist on Snow Patrol you'll love it. I do.

So how did that come about?
Ummmm, when i first got signed i didn't realise i was signed to their record company. Our managers and producers got talking about a possible collaberation and yeah that is how history is made.

Your hair is going to become a massive trademark for you, is that how you intended it to be?
No, i actually just went to Boots and bought it, it was between Blonde, brown and red! No intention, i love the colour but mum hates it! Like it? It's sort of fading, do i colour it again or let it go natural?

Ohh we LOVE the colour but we hear your natural colour is extremely exquisite.
Yeah, well it is nice, check out my roots! (she tilts her head and moans like any other female about her roots to Breakout) you will have to wait a few months to see it, i just like the change and the change has done me good, but yeah it was very nice.

And your style? It's very indie-chic. Any influences?
My brother's uni friends, well actually his ex! She was gorgeous and her clothes too, i wanted that old chic look and the indie part has come naturally really. I just shove stuff on and it looks cool, well in my view, but I'm not just a fashion lover, I can't stand what Chung wear from overprices TopShop!

Lets hope Alexa Chung doesn't read Breakout any time soon!
(Haha) no, i like her just not her style.

Okay so your debut single "Pressure" is set tp be released this Monday, what is the song actually about?
It's based on life, like how many things get to you and it shouldn't get you down as there is ways through it, the pressure of sex,drugs, doing well in education but then you have friends and family to get you up again and it's all good.

And you've just turned 17? How do you cope with school, friends, boys and business?
I don't cope, I put up with (Haha) school there's so much pressure 7 A-Levels, the pupils are the worst part, fake asses! Friends are fab, they help you out a lot and also come to teh gigs and pull the hot guys (another cheeky grin) I'm just glad I have my mum to sort all the media and music out! I have a great support system, without them I qould have crumbled and I havn't even started yet, it's madness.

Many up and coming artists of all genres automatically have the job as being a role model, is that what you want?
Ermm, well i want people to let them be who they want and maybe my music can help them shape them into a cool person. I'd love it if i did help! That would be awsome.

Finally any eye-candy we should be on the lookout for?
(Laughs) That's for me to knoe and you to find out!

Lois' debut Album Foundation will be available to download from I-Tunes on the 1st April 2010, her debut single Pressure will be available to download from Monday.

I will need to shorten this article in order for it to fit on the page and to keep the readers attention for longer, i have chosen a few text grab lines such as " I can't stand what Chung wears from overpriced TopShop" This will make it sound like Lois is very bitchy however it is an innocent comment on fashion influences.

More Edited Photos

I have edited some more photos that i am considering using in my feature article, i have used the same effect as previous photos as i really like the effect, also images in magazines aren't overally edited therefore i think this effect will suit the style of the magazine.

This bottom image i am using as the main image in the feature article, the image itself shows that this artist isn't your typical artist who likes typical photoshoots as she is outdoors in the cold (my friend actually loved the photoshoot outside!!) The image also symbolises that she is trying to get over that barrier of breaking into the industry whilst looking back on the past and heading towards the future.  I have done a few effects for this photo which i am undecided on as i like both of them (the other being in the post underneath) however i will more than likely use the other effect to make all the photos one effect which will make it look more professional and neat.

Photos edited...

I have started to edited photos from  the photoshoot for my magazine. I found tutorials online for photoshop and have created a few different looks.

This is the photo that i have chosen for my front cover, the second photo is the edited version, i actually really like this edit but i am going to continue editing the same picture more to make sure that the right edit is chosen.

This is one of the pictures that i am considering for my feature article, i like this editing but to me it looks too much and a little on the cartoon side, however i love the fact that the contrast has altered making the photo stand out a lot more than the original photo.

Photoshoot!!!

Here it is!!! My photoshoot! Yet again it had to snow on the day i planned to do the shoot so the costumes i had planned didn't go according to plan. I did however get my model to wear black which was one of my costume ideas and we used the vinyl as a prop. I also used the locations that i said i was going to use although at the memorial park i did use a different spot as Lois didn't want people to watch. I took a variety of shots ranging from close ups for the front cover to medium shots and long shots for the feature article, it has also given me a large selection of images to work with for page ideas. All these pictures are unedited however i will edit them for the final piece.