Finished Media Products

Construction Schedule

Week 1-2: Create and work on front cover of my magazine.
Week 3-4: Create and work on my contents page.
Week 5-6: Create and work on my feature article.

Album Art

This is my album art in which featured on my feature article. To create this I used an image which I took, the edited in Photoshop. I changed it to black and white to match the image of the duet, 'Reckless'. I edited it using Camera Raw Filter to bring out the different tones and adjust the contrast in the image. I used a font which also would fit into 'Reckless' image.

Evaluation: Skills Development

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the procession from in to full product? 

Above to the left is my preliminary task and to the right is my finished magazine front cover. You can see straight away from looking at both of them that I have gained skills throughout with project as my final product is an improvement compared to my preliminary task and it much better style and quality. 

The difference between the two main images on each front cover is massive. The image on my preliminary task is bad quality so it is not clear and looks unprofessional, furthermore it is also blurry on the hand as she was moving. The image is also quite small and doesn’t dominate the page, which then the image doesn’t stand out and it looks quite bare towards the left of the page. In comparison the image on my finished product dominates the page and is in complete focus which makes the magazine look much more professional. The image on my finished product also follows conventions; there is space down both sides of the image, which means I have room for cover lines. The technology which I used for both images has also changed. For my preliminary task I used my mobile phone, which had a bad quality meanwhile for my finished product I used a good quality camera, this made my finished product look much more professional and it also looked generally nice and more appealing. Another big difference is the cover lines. On my preliminary task, they do not stand out as much on my finished product; this is because the font is not bold enough and the colour of the words, are similar to the colour of the background. By having the cover lines stand out makes a huge difference as the cover lines is what attracts the target audience’s attention. The cover lines on my finished product attract the target audience more as they are about things which interest them. Furthermore for my cover lines on my finished product I made sure that they stand out against the background so they are easy to read but also so it gets the audience’s attention. The background of my finished product is the background in which I used for my background of the images. On my preliminary task, I cut the figure out and put the background as blue. I think on my finished product the background of the image worked well so I decided to keep it, it also added a bit of texture. By having a background which fitted in with the colour scheme, makes it look more professional and neater. 

 Above to the left is my preliminary task and to the right is my finished magazine contents page. Again, you can see that I have gained skills throughout this project as my final product is an improvement compared to my preliminary task, as it has much better quality. 

The first difference between my preliminary task and my finished task is the overall contents. On my preliminary task it is very vague and doesn’t tell you much about what it is in the magazine. Meanwhile in my finished product, there is must more description. This helps the audience know what the magazine includes. My preliminary task also would not appeal to my target audience for my finished product. This is because there are bands and festival mentioned which my target audience would like. On my preliminary task there is not an image on the contents page, this makes it look very plain and boring. Meanwhile on my finished task there are two. By having images on the contents page makes it more exciting and also fills some space as on my preliminary task all there is, is page numbers. The size of this is very big and fills most of the page which makes it look less professional. Furthermore the placing of each page number is not inline, this makes it look unprofessional. The font on my preliminary contents page is not the same size; by this it doesn’t look as neat.

Evaluation: Technologies

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

Evaluation: Addressing My Audience

How did you attract/address your audience? 

Evaluation: Target Audience

What would your audience be for your media products?

Audience Questionnaire Results and Analysis

Evaluation: Forms and Conventions

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

Evaluation: Represention

 How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation: Institutions

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The magazine company in which I think would be suitable to distribute my media product is Conde Nast. This is because I believe they don’t have any media products which are like mine. Conde Nast is a leading media institution who publishes high class magazine, for example ‘Vogue’ and ‘Glamour’. These are two leading fashion magazines, so by Conde Nast publishing my magazine would fit in nicely with these. I believe this because Vogue and Glamour is both very upper class magazine aiming at a more older demographic meanwhile mine would contrast slightly, this is because mine is aimed in the middle of middle and upper and also a younger demographic meaning that my magazine target an audience which Conde Nast don’t already have.

When researching Conde Nast I found that their products are of a high quality and those that are fashion related have sophisticated and women attribute. This is something I think my magazine has, as it is stylish and classy look and general feel. The difference between my magazine and Vogue for example is are there target audience is more of a Niche Market, meaning that it is more specific as there is an average age which is 34. On the other hand my magazine is has a lower age average in comparison. By having this difference is a good thing, as Conde Nast produce a high end fashion magazine for an older demographic, they would be able to publish mine for a lower demographic. Furthermore mine is also individual because mine is a hybrid genre of fashion and music. By having the two mixed together creates a suitable target audience as that age range is interested in both things. From my research of researching Conde Nast, I think a major publishing house such as Conde Nast would be appropriate to distribute my magazine.


If I happened to self-publish my magazine, I think it would be a bad idea. This is because most magazines that launch themselves do not last for much longer than four years. However as my magazine is a hybrid genre with a specific target audience it could be successful as my target audience is dedicated to their interests furthermore there is not a magazine which is published which is similar to my own. Therefore I think my magazine has a chance to survive, on the other hand I believe it would gain a bigger readership and be better advertised if it was distributed by a institution such as Conde Nast. There are down sides however for my magazine to be published by a publishing house. For example I may lose control over what is put into the magazine.I think I would be interested in the use of doing digital publishing, as being a younger generation who is in a technological age. Furthermore as younger and older generations are becoming more in tune with the digital age it would be more successful. So with everyone being connected this way means it would be suitable for my media products to be distributed. To get it into the digital publishing, firstly I would create an App, which is available for a wide range of smart phones and tablets to make my readership larger. For example they would be available for iPhone/iPod/iMac etc, Android, Samsung etc. I would work with Apple to advertise and create apps which would make it easier to make my magazine successful. 

 An institution in which I don’t think would work well to publish my magazine would be TimeIncUK which was formally known as IPC MEDIA. I don’t think that this is a good publication for my magazine because I think that this publisher already has magazine containing fashion and a lot of magazine containing music. This means that my magazine would not stand out beside the others which are already published then could mean my magazine would not be a success. I have gone for an indie rock type of music, in regards to this it would be similar to NME which is published by so there would be no interest of the music audience. On the other hand, NME’s target audience is older male men, which is a lot different to my target audience. With the combination of fashion I would have to compete with magazines such as ‘Look’, ‘Essentials’, ‘Instyle’ and many more which are branded by women and already have a large reading audience. My magazine could not be success if I published it with TimeInkUK, as it would take long for my magazine to get recognised, or even it wouldn’t get recognised at all. In addition if I published my magazine with TimeInkUK, it probably be classed as a lower class magazine in comparison to Conde Nast, the types of magazine which TimeInkUK published are more chatty and of a lower class, for example ‘Soaplife’ or ‘Now’.

Location, Props and Costume Report

When taking my images for my media products I tried taking images outside and inside which was in the studio; I done this just to see what both looked like. I thought that the ones outside looked unprofessional and didn’t suit the style of my magazine as it includes fashion and should be sophisticated. The images outside also looked too natural and I wanted the effect of having it staged. As my magazine includes fashion it was appropriate to use the studio with lighting and black/white plain backgrounds. In the studio I experimented with a white background and black background to see which one looked better; overall I thought that the black background looked better so I used it for my front cover and contents page. I chose to use the images which I took in the studio because I liked the way it looked, with lighting which made them look mature. I picked to have a black ground for my images on the front cover and contents page because I thought that it suited the colour scheme of my magazine, furthermore I used the image as a whole on the front cover as I thought the background gave it a bit of texture. I also thought that my models stood out against the dark wall so it would be important for my front cover that they stand out. On the feature article I used one with a white background, this is because I thought the image looked good and as it’s the feature article the image doesn’t have to stand out as much.

I made sure my models were wearing casual every day wear, this is because I think it would suit my target audience. Even though my target audience is between middle and upper class, they are still teenagers who wear casual wear so they would be able to aspire to be like them. However I did make sure my models were wearing things which would suit the genre and colour scheme of the magazine. They are wearing simple outfits which back up my feature article story that they have just made it and the rock star life is still quite new to them.

I used a guitar and a massive speaker, I think these suited the genre of my magazine as it is quite grungy and rock star like. Furthermore the poses in which the models do on the speaker suit the rebelliousness which are connotations within the rock genre. 

Original Images

The top four images are my contact sheets for my magazine, which I used on all three of my media products. The shoot consists of some photographs which I took outside using natural light, however I didn't use any of these on my media products. I also done a shoot which consists of photographs which I took in the studio with lamps and lighting. These fit better in this my magazine style and looked more effective. The models I used were Lydia and Kesia.

The bottom image is one which I quickly took for my contents page. It was in the studio, just against a white background. I used this as the editor of my magazine. This model was Chloe. 

Drafts Using Photoshop of my Three Media Products

Drawn Drafts of My Three Media Products

Colours Mood Board

The colours which I have chosen to pick to use on my magazine are black, white and red. These colours are both appeal to female and male target audience, even though my magazine is mainly targeted to female. The colours are very complimentary and work well together to make my magazine attractive.

These colours could make the magazine look more upper class as they are simple in addition I did not pick bright colours as the indie-rock target audience that I am aiming for often wear dark colours so I will match the magazine to them. The colours I have chosen for my magazine indicate the grunge look as they are quite dark.

For the images I put the colours are black and white, this also links in with the grunge theme, but also makes the magazine look older and sophisticated.

Font Mood Board

I have chosen some fonts which I will consider using on my magazine. I think will appeal to my target audience and link in with my magazine, they are not too childish which will give a certain image for my magazine, making it sophisticated. To put on my mood board chose Harlow Solid Italic Italic because it is quite bold and will stand out furthermore it looks feminine. Eras Light ITC Regular and Adobe Caslon Pro Bold are both quite thin and they look like they could be seen on Vogue and other top designer magazines. Buxton Sketch Regular looks relaxed which could then suggest that my magazine is. 

For my magazine I have decided to pick Bodoni MT Condensed Bold Italic for the mast head, this is because it is bold which will make the stand out, furthermore it is not to sketchy which then would make my magazine look a little childish, as I want my magazine to look sophisticated and it also looks like the type of font which you would find on Vogue, this then suggests my magazine is a higher end magazine. In addition it also is quite girl and will fit in and appeal to my target audience. I will also use the font Bodoni MT Black Italic and Bells MT Italic for the cover lines; this is because it is a thin font and will make my magazine look more girly however it’s not too thin that it’s hard to see.

For my contents page and feature article, I carried on using Bodoni MT Condensed Bold Italic, this is so the fonts link throughout the pieces. Furthermore it is a font which is easy to read for my audience. This is important as my target audience are teenagers so will need an easy read font. 

Advertisers Mood Board

This mood boards shows the type of advertisers which will pay to have their products and brand names advertised in my magazine. The advertisers hint to what my target audience is.

My advertisers mood board shows that my target audience is girl teenagers, this is because I have companies which my audience is likely to buy from such as Max Factor, Rimmel London, Mac, L’oreal Paris, Lush, Soap & Glory; these are all companies which do girly products like make-up or bath essentials. This also tells you that my target audience likes to take care of themselves. In addition I have also put some high street shops in there for example Next, Zara, River Island, and Topshop. As they are teenagers they will not have a high income to shop in upper market shops, however I have put Chanel in there as I believe a female audience would buy little things from there for example perfume. I have also put shoe brands in there such as Converse and Dr. Marten; I think these are the type of shoes which my audience will wear.

I have put some social media sites of there such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. As my audience are teenagers they are into technology and use it a lot. Furthermore I have put the apple logo in here in addition due to my audience being young most of my audience will probably own an Apple product, such as iPhone, iPod or Mac. By them also having a phone, I have put Vodafone on there as they will use phone companies. Furthermore for technology I have put camera products on there such as Nikon or Canon.

On my mood board I have also put some music related advertisers; this shows how passionate my audience is about music. Some examples are Reading and Leeds Festival and Latitude, as they are teenagers they are likely to attend festivals. In addition I put National Rail on here as they would use public transport to get to these festivals as they probably don’t have a car yet. I have also put Dre Beats logo on here as a way to listen to their music and HMV and iTunes for where to buy their music. 

My advertisers mood board also have some things which my audience will eat or drink, for example KFC, Subway, Nandos, Galaxy, Coca-Cola, Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Vitamin Water, and Smartwater. The fast food places are not upper market stores and are cheap so it’s easy to buy furthermore they are teenagers so are likely to eat fast food, however as they are females are a little health conscious by having Vitamin Water and Smartwater on there.

My target audience are also teenagers by this I have shops on there such as Staples and WHSmiths as they would need to buy stationary and books for school/college, furthermore as they are quite well educated they like to read books so that is why Waterstones is on there. As they are students Wikipedia is on there also.

Target Audience Mood Board

This is my mood board for my target audience. This includes an overall of what my target audience would be like. My target audience are teenager females, who listen to indie-rock music. This mood board reflects their interests.

I chose to put some bands which my target audience will listen to give an idea of what type of music my magazine will include, for example, The 1975, Oasis, Deaf Havana, Artic Monkeys, The Killers, You Me at Six. This suggests that my target audience listen to quite indie-rock genre music. In addition to this I have put Latitude and Reading and Leeds Festival on there, this is because they are the type of people to go to festivals and are passionate about spending a lot of money to see their favourite artists and will like the type of music which is played there.

Some other things which I have put on my mood board are some make-up items such as Mac lipstick, and Essie nail varnish as my target audience is a female audience I thought it was important to put some make-up items on there, this also suggests that they are the type of people to care about what they look like. In addition to that I have put some clothing brands/shops for example River Island, ASOS, Topshop, and Zara on there. These are not too expensive shops and are high street shop as my target audience are teenagers they might not have a high income. I have also put some shoe brands that they will wear, for example DR. Martens and Converse.

Some other things I have put on my target audience mood board are a pile of books, Dre Beats, a record, smoothies, a bike, vogue, and a couple of DVDs these all suggest there interests and hobbies. They are well educated and like to read books, they listen to music, they like to eat quite healthy, they do already read magazines and are in to fashion. The two DVDs which I have put on here are Mean Girls and Clueless, this are very girly films which suggest my target audience.

As my target audience are teenagers I have put some technology onto my mood board, for example Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Tumblr. These are social networking sites which teenagers use. In addition I have put iPhone onto this mood board this suggests they are into smart technology. I have also put a camera on this mood board; this is because usually indie-rock listeners are into photography, I have also put a Polaroid camera on this as they are vintage. 

Full Analysis of One Music Magazine - KERRANG

Kerrang is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music; it is published by Bauer Media Group. Kerrang was first published on 6 June 1981. They were named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric guitar. They publish their magazine weekly furthermore their total circulation in June 2013 was 37,603.


Kerrang is not just a magazine; they also have different media platforms. For example they have a website (www.kerrang.com); this is e-media platform. The website hosts Kerrang's online shop, podcasts, message board, TV and radio segments ensuring even more opportunities to sell associated merchandise and products. The website has a lot of different links for example, they have a ‘latest’, ‘hottest’, ‘music’, and lastly a ‘lists’ link. Furthermore they have a link to that week’s issue. The latest news including bands, artists, line-ups, new album releases, new band merch, etc. Furthermore they have a link to their Facebook page and Twitter page; in addition they have an Instagram. By having a lot of social media sites, their audience can keep up to date in different ways if they don’t particularly like reading magazines. On their website they also have some playlists, for example they have this week’s Kerrang! Chart and they also have new music. There is also a chance for the audience to win in competitions; this engages the audience making them feel involved. The purpose of the website is for the audience to find out more information to do with the magazine.

As well as a magazine and website, they also have ‘Kerrang Radio’, which was launched in 2000 and is available DAB, Freeview and online (www.kerrang.com); this is broadcast and e-media platforms, by having both these are  Kerrang Radio plays music, tells news, give competition chances to win things like festival/gig tickets, albums etc. The radio had a number of specialist programmes dedicated to the many subgenres of rock music. On the Kerrang Radio website there is a lot of links, for example, music features, links to the Kerrang Radio on YouTube, music news, their Facebook and Twitter, by having their social media linked on most of their websites make sure the audience find it and so they are advertising it. They also advertise their app, this is so people are aware that it exists.

 Kerrang also have a mobile app which is available for Android, Blackberry and iPhone, on this app you can listen to their Radio wherever you are, listen to previous shows and watch their videos. By having it available for different phones means most people can download it as those types of phones are popular.

 There is also ‘Kerrang Awards’, this has been happening since 1993, the magazine has held an annual awards ceremony to mark the most successful bands in the interests of their readers. The awards became one of Britain's most recognised events by the now defunct Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, often listing some of the winners in their annual round-up of the previous year.

 Kerrang! TV was launched in 2001. As with the radio station, the television channel covers the more meanstream side to rock music as well as classic rock bands like Aerosmith and AC/DC and classic heavy metal bands such as Guns N' Roses and Metallica. Kerrang TV is now a joint venture between Bauer Media Group and Channel 4.

 In March 2012, Kerrang announced a new rock chart for the UK which is based upon airplay across Kerrang Radio, Kerrang TV and sale figures from the Official Charts Company. Charts are announced on Saturday morning and feature twenty tracks. The latest chart can be viewed on their website every Saturday at midday.