Evaluation

Spoken Evaluation by Weak(end) arrows

Madeleine Ward Foundation Portfolio Evaluation

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Conclusion

I have enjoyed creating my magazine and blogging as i have learnt new techiques as i have never blogged before or created a magazine. I feel that the task may have been easier if i had worked in a group but by working on my i have been able to interpret my own ideas and views whereas maybe if i was in a group you would't be able to put your own style into it as much and you would have to rely on others. I am pleased with my magazine as i have met my own expectations.
There were a few problems wihilst creating the magazine, as the blog spot was down for a while and kept on being unaccessable, this made it hard to keep up with my set out tasks and with keeping everything in order.
Despite thisi have expeienced a real insight into how magazines are created and the research that goes into it.

If i could change anything it would be for me to be more organised and use my time wisely, i shall take these factors into consideration next time. However over all i am satisfied with my final product!

Evaluating my final magazine

I feel that i have achieved my goals that i set out at the beginning, i have interpreted Q magazines monochrome colours, but instead of using Red which i intended on using, the colour turned out to eventually be a pink/red colour. The colour changed as i experimented with the colours of the lips of the girl on the front cover, this was a main feature so the colour had to be bright. The red lips looked too unrealistic so i slightly changed the colour and added a hint of pink to them, however i had to then use the colour of the lips for parts of the text on the front cover and this was used throughout my magazine to keep the iconic monochrome style apparent. I was concerned that the pink colour would not appeal to some of my male audience, as the colour pink is stereotypically used as a code for feminine and young girls. I decided to use this to my advantage and make my magazine diverse and break away from conventions, so it would challenge what the 'norms' are for an edgy indie-rock magazine. By keeping the front cover image in a black and white tone it makes the writing stand out and add to the style i was aiming for, by having a strong image as the background and the pose hinting at rebellion not only determines the social group that may read the magazine but will appeal to males, so this may over shadow the fact the colour pink is used in the magazine. My colours used were a code for the genre of my magazine and it connotates the rebellious, edgy and 'dangerous' genre of the music as well.


I based my contents on my preliminary one, as i liked the layout. The editorial collumn added a personal touch and let the reader see who was behind the magazine, i feel that it made it more 'human'. By using bold headings it separated and made the layout of the contents clear and easy to read, underneath i used a slightly less bold print for the sub-headings which were the titles of what each section of the magazine had to offer and below that i used italics and the sentences explained in a bit more detail in what was in each section.
I tried to carry on the colours i used on the front cover through to the contents, like Q magazine designed theirs, i feel that this worked well and gave the magazine a professional feel.

For my double page spread i had nothing i previously done to base it on, however i researched music magazines to see their layout aswell as fashion magazines as i wanted the style of the interview to be sophisticated. I started with the image by spreading it all over the background and from that i then based the text around it. I decided not to put the title straight as i thought that would look too plain and obvious, so i changed it to be diagonal. The image was also in a black and white shade, to carry on the edgy style through from the front cover, however because of this i found it hard to choose what colours to use, as i wanted to use the colours that i used for the contents and front age. However my original text on the double page spread was white which i couldn't use as you wasn't able to see the text. After a couple of colour changes i ended up using a grey tone which was darker than the background which made it visible, i then wanted the questions to be in a slightly bigger font and colour, i decided to use a bright pink so it was clear and easy to see for the reader. This colour was the same shade that i used for the other pages.
The pose i wanted the girl to be in was sophisticated and classy, the image still appeals to the male readers but not in too much of a porovocative way. This strong image highlights the females views and her attitudes, in the interview she comes across independent as she is there without her band mates and the interview doesn't talk about her love life and she is also talking about her future, which shows that she is a strong and determined women. Her pose and costume is provocative but in a classy way which indicates that she is has respect and is a good role model for young girls, as in the media women are usually seen flaunting their bodies to get attention.

Vibe Contents

Vibe Double Page Spread

Vibe Front Cover

Front Cover Image Ideas

I used this style in my magazine as it creates a provocative image, with a dangerous element.

Image - Blindfold

image - Mask

Original plan

Title of my Magazine

I am staying with the original name that i used for my preliminary task as i feel taht it is simple but yet catchy enough for the reader to remember, it is also linked with music, as music involves vibrations, not only in the making but in the performing and dancing, feel the 'vibe'. The text is going to be in capitals as the word is rather short, it will help it stand out along with the bold font. The connotes an image of urgentness and edginess, this combimes nicely with the style and genre of my magazine.

Indie Rock

Indie Rock is a genre originated from Britain and America in 1980's. The Velvet Underground was a rock group from America and was one of the most influential groups in the 1960's. They first shot to fame when they performed at Andy Warhol's factory. The band experimented with different types of genres and mixes of music, they introduced a 'nihilistic' outlook through some of their music.

The groups image, connotes a rebellious image, that they are leaders not ones to follow the crowd. They are the first band to experiment with indie- rock so they broke the mould and set the foundations for others to build on. Their clothing is dark and their expressions are serious, this image is a juxtaposition from a different genre of music, such as pop music.

Magazines in present time still use the same edgy style and colours, a few cloolurs have been added but the style is still relatively similar.

Camera shots

The effect of a close-up shot is primarily to see the emotion of the person. It shows little background so the main focus is on the face or of mise en scene. Due to these factors this is why i chose to use a close-up shot for my front cover image, it creates and adds to the style and genre of the music magazine. The edginess of the person being blindfolded creates a dangerous and rebelliousness image. As the front cover is in black and white the black blind fold doesn't stand out as much but enough to be noticed. I am experimenting with the idea of having the models lips in a bright colour as it would be eye catching and work well with the plain backgeround tone however without distracting the reader from the information along the side. Without a close-up shot i wouldn't be able to achieve the impact i want the image to have on the reader.

How my prelim has helped

I wanted this magazine to be based around my preliminary magazine we did in january. The magazine didnt have to be based on music, however i thought that this would aid me as i knew i had my real magazine to create. I decided on keeping the name 'VIBE' as it was eyecatching and simple but enough for the reader to remember the name. The layout has changed slighty as it was a winter issue and specifically aimed at West Hatch students, however i have interpreted some elements from my contents page, for example, the editors collumn, as i thought this gives it a personal touch and the reader can see the "human" side and the person behind the magazine. I also kept the contents subheadings and left them in the bold black text box as it carries my theme of edginess and eyecatching from the front cover through well.

Preliminary Task

Result of the questionnaire

The results of my questionnaire helped me decide on my layout of my magazine and content.

I gave the questionnaire to 25 girls and 25 boys from the ages of 12 - 30 years, and the age group i have identified that is more likely to read my magazine would be 17 - 21 years, this helps me as i now know who to mainly focus on but without losing the ineterest of the other age groups. I'm going to do this by using artists that appeal to a wide age group and gender.

I believe that there are music magazines that appeal to my target group such as NME,Q, Rolling Stones, Kerrang. However these magazines come across rather daunting and overwhelm the reader with music knowledge, i personally didnt read music magazines until i started my reasearch as i thought you had to be really involved in music and the technology side, i found this off putting.

This isn't the case for some music magazines and i want mine to appeal to whoever just is interested in music and likes listening to it.

I have decided that the music magazine i am creating doesn't have to appeal my original brief of the genre indie-rock as i want the style of the magazine to be this but not necessarily be based around this type of music. I have wrote about Lady Gaga, Cheryl Cole and other artists that don't fall under the catergory of indie-rock. This decision will hopefully benefit me as my magazine doesn't focus on a certain group or genre, but is based around an edgy style.

Questionnaire

To get a better understanding of my magazine I have created a questionnaire. This will help me build on my ideas for the layout, content and age group I am aiming it will also help me find out what the audience like and dislike.

Analysis of double page spread

Contents Analysis

Deconstruction

Why I chose this brief

I decided to do a magazine as in previous tasks i preferred it to doing film, as i was able to spend longer on the details and develop my own unique selling point. There are many music magazines but they cover a wide variety of age groups and genre.

• Rolling Stones
• NME
• Mojo
  
  
  

I am going to base the style of my magazine on these images, as I feel that the black and grey colours used, really make the red text stand out and give a sophisticated and stylish finish. The red used connotes an edgy, passionate, dangerous ideological view. The images used as the background are famous people, either they are known for their music, acting or modelling. As the people used on the front cover are well known, customers are more likely to buy the magazine. This feeds into the celebrity culture of contemporary society.

Even though the magazines are similar in layout they are aimed at very different audiences. The first magazine with Madonna on the front is mainly targeting young people and fans of Madonna, as her music attracts a young age group. Male and females like her music so the magazine can attract both, however the majority would be females, admiration seekers and materialists.

The image in the middle has quite a strong image as her positioning is unusual, as she is not looking at the camera and her pose with her hand is different, this is less conventional than the first magazine. The style and image suggest that it is aimed at an older audience.

The last cover is an album cover, however I chose it, as the Rolling Stones are an iconic rock band. Their image on the front and the edgy red writing portrays their genre of music and their rebellious attitudes, this therefore attracts people who are interested in the rock music and are anti-authority rebels.