Evaluation

Media critical evaluation

In what ways does my music magazine develop of changlenge the form and conventions seen in real music magazines?

My music magazine complies with some forms and conventions seen in real music magazines but in some cases changeless them, I didn’t comply with some forms and conventions to try and create an alternative style, similar to that seen in Disorder magazines, although I have still tried to make my magazine identifiable as a music magazine, I didn’t want it to be like Lodown magazine which is hard to identify its genre.

I choose the masthead name ‘Slaters’ to set a down to earth tone, the word ‘Slaters’ I think represents a harsh no nonsense attitude which I wanted to show in my magazine. I choose the font from dafont.com, I think the font I choose looks similar to a stamp or stencil, the bold black writing stands out against deep blue background and almost looks like it is graffiti.

Graffiti is often associated with the younger generation so I wanted to include this style to attract a youth ordinance and for the readers to be able to identify with it. I choose this medium close up image of jasper for the front cover mainly because of the background, the dark blue emphasis the masthead and complimented the Photoshop brushes I wanted to use.

The layout I used is; a medium close up image of Jasper, four main sells, a standard masthead at the top of the page and included the barcode and issue information of the right so it could be seen in magazine racks. This is a standard layout for a music magazine; I tried to develop the forms and conventions seen in real music magazines on my front cover to make my magazine easily identifiable as a music magazine which I think is important. I used Photoshop brushes in the front cover this changeless the standard conventions but I wanted to create a more eye catching image that my target audience would identify with.

In my double page spread I used only pull quotes to introduce the artist I done this instead of using ‘Jasper Dumas’ as a title, to give you the reader an insight into the jaspers character I think this more effective than using a title.

I used a simplistic layout thought out the DPS,to represent Jaspers character, on the first page there is just one image of jasper and a pull quote on the other there is two columns of copy and an introducing paragraph, I made the layout simple to compliment Jaspers alternative music and his easy going character that comes across in the interview.

The colour palette is mainly black red, white and grey, I choose to make the images of jasper black and white and use dark colours in the background to create an opaque style, I think the red contrasts well along side the dark colours to highlight relative information like artists name and the questions. I used mainly dark colours also to compliment the Photoshop brushes I think the brushes look like light trials in black and white which I think goes well with the images of Jasper. The Photoshop tools I used were brushes, clone stamp to create a layered effect on both sides of the DPS.

I used a wide spread colour palette in the contents page I think this was the only article where using lots of different colours would comply with an alternative style similar to Disorder magazine. I tried to use as many photographs in the contents page to try and make a display using photographs as the main focus, I done this to try fit with an arty style instead of using the standard conventions.


Represent social groups

The media studies definaition of representation is - the way groups are presented in the media and popular culture, often through stereotypical images that affect our views of gender, race, class, age, and ability.

My magazine relates to this by the representation of Jasper as an artist and how youth culture is presented. I think the image I have given Jasper is positive he is presented as an alternative young musician from Norwich, Jasper’s image is made up from the content of the interview where jasper is represented as being a confident cool guy, he talks about his future plans and opinions in the interview which I think shows a true representation of his character.

By using his opinions I think this makes the reader feel like they’re getting a true insight into the artists life. This type of representation fits with the harsh no nonsense style of the magazine that I wanted to portray. The images I used of jasper are mainly medium close up’s I used theses images as they were easy to manipulate using Photoshop brushes, the images used of Jasper are open to interpretation and don’t portray Jasper in a defined way that Kerang or NME magazine would, I used images of Jasper that did determine his style so that attention is drawn to his music and his true character seen in the interview, I tried to emphasis this effect by using a pull quote to introduce him instead of a masthead. I think the pull quote I used ‘I want a platinum record maybe two, and the modern equivalent to eureka Johnston’ represents him as being a confident nice guy.

What media institute would distribute my magazine?

I don’t think a big brand like IPC would produce my magazine I don’t think my narrow target audience and the alternative style seen in my magazine would fit with there mainstream status, IPC distribute most mainstream magazines in the UK NME and Nuts are just two, I think my magazine would be distributed by a smaller name like the distributor of Disorder Magazine. I think my magazine would have less effect as an online zine, even thought it would cut production cost dramatically I think the aesthetic style of my magazine would be appreciated more printed and used as some thing you can look at more than once.


Target audience for my music magazine

My audience are aged between 16 – 21; they are people that value teenage life, youth culture is important to them. They are into a slightly alternative scene similar to the readers of Disorder magazine; my audience would possibly be in a band or be a small time DJ playing at alternative night clubs. There main values are there fashion; there ‘alternative look’ and the aesthetics of life are important to them.

They like to go out on drink and drug filled nights out, they have a uncaring attitude but don’t project it to every one the way a ‘Punk’ would, they spend there time and money on going out buying drinks, alternative clothes, CD’s and maybe records. The public figures they admire are Pete Docherty, Kate Moss and Morrissey; they have a wide spread musical taste, The Smiths to an abstract new sound you haven’t herd of.

Attracting audience

To attract my target audience the unique selling point in my magazine was the use of Photoshop brushes as a consistent house style, I think using Photoshop brushes consistently would stand out to create an alternative eye catching aesthetic, similar to Disorder magazine which was my main influence for my production.

I think concentrating on the asthetics of my magazine would be something my target audience would be into against other main stream music magazines like NME and Kerang which rely on the standard conventions to create an image for there magazine, I choose to do some thing a bit different by creating an alternative style which I made up from using Photoshop brushes, interviewing an alternative artist and by not conveying all of the standard conventions in the front cover, contents and DPS which I think my alternative audience would be into.

I think the way in which Jasper is portrayed contributes to attract my target audience, Jasper is portrayed as being a confident and cool character though out my magazine by using original images and describing his character in pull quotes describing him as being an interesting character, and example of this is the pull quote from the DPS ‘ I want a platinum record maybe two and the modern equivalent to Eureka Johnston’ this makes jasper out to be a confident whitey individual that my ordinance could aspire to. I think this and jasper being a similar age to my target audience would be seen as an attractive feature, many young teenagers aspire to be a successful artist and would see Jasper’s celebrity life style achievable.


I completed my own research into how successfully my magazine attracted my target audience, I did a focus group where I asked six people to give me there opinions of my magazine, and how it could be improved.

The outcome was mainly positive I asked people ‘would you buy my magazine?’ the feedback was that four out of six said they would spend money on my magazine, when I asked ‘what part attracts you to my magazine?’ they said it was eye catching aesthetic from the use of brushes and original images, I think this shows that my magazine was successful against my initial proposal to attract my target audience by using a consistent house style and using eye catching original images of Jasper.

The people that said they wouldn’t buy my magazine, said that the content of the magazine didn’t suit there taste, they said they would have preferred a band with an obvious style like ‘Machine Head’ from kerang. I think this feedback was useful and shows that my magazine has a defined audience which was what I expected as my magazine doesn’t convey all the conventions seen in other magazines.

What have I learnt about using Photoshop?

I think I the main achievements I have gained whilst producing my music magazine are; the use of Photoshop tools; clone stamp, brushes and manipulating images and text and changing the opacity. I think I have gained a basic knowledge of how magazines are produced the time frame in which it takes to produce a magazine and the skills you need to produce a professional music magazine.

What since the preliminary task?

I have learnt how to time manage my work, working to dead lines, how to do market research into who my target audience is and what they want, the importance of doing research into my target audience, use of Photoshop to create a final product, how to apply the representation of youth culture is in my media work.