Evaluation video

Preliminary task

Front Cover

Contents Page

Final Products

 Front Cover

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

Development of my Front Cover

Due to a technical difficulty with the Apple Macs I couldn't save my Front Cover as a Photoshop Document which meant I had to save my Front Cover as a print screen. This meant that I could not show layer by layer so I couldn't show the development of my front cover.

Development of my contents page

Development of contents page

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Development of Double Page Spread

Development of double page spread

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Evaluation of my media product

Evaluation media as

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Interview for my Double Page Spread

When DJ Stimulus first plugged into the rave in 2008, it was the beginning of a whole new dimension to dance culture. His fans are mainly scarred by ecstasy’s acne and living deep within their Apple Mac’s. DJ Stimulus aged 21 is already a veteran of dance culture in everyone’s eyes, an artist with a true wide-screen vision. He is about to release his new album ‘Gravity’. Over 60 minutes long, listening to Gravity is like dreaming, out of this world.
If limits of music were limits of society this man is going to create new words. DJ Stimulus liquidizes space and rhythm into strong currents you can just get lost in. We sent an iDJ representative Micky B to interview DJ Stimulus about his succession in dance culture over recent years. Micky "well congratulations on the new album, it looks like it's going to be incredible".
DJ Stimulus "thanks it looks pretty promising, yes".
Micky "talk us through the album, what is it about?"
DJ Stimulus "the album Gravity is all about my past experiences, high and low, conflicting thoughts all represented through the mixing. If it wasn't for music don’t know where I would be. I was undecided when I left school in what I wanted to do until I went to a mate’s house for a jammin session, where I took a liking for music mixing. This is where I discovered I had a talent for it so I took it up as a profession.”

Micky “you sure do have a talent for it, so who is your inspiration, your role model?”
DJ Stimulus “my inspiration comes from many things family to fans. Sporting stars such as Rafael Nadal inspires me to never give up as he does on the court. David Guetta is an inspiration to me when music is concerned as his work is legendary in my eyes. I would love to achieve what he has, working with big
names in the music industry. By far they urge me on to keep inventing, when their happy I’m happy and that’s what gets me up in the morning.”
Micky “you’ve got a tour coming soon in the states with fellow DJ’s James Carter and DJ Merley, how do you feel about it?”
DJ Stimulus “I feel it’s gonna be a great experience, a chance to mix with other top artists. Exciting to experience America to it’s full potential and see my fans”.
Micky “Sounds great but where do you see yourself in the future?”
DJ Stimulus “well I don’t know, I like to live in the moment like my music but I would like to see myself as a top selling artist putting my name up there with the greats, the legends. Maybe help promote other young artists, I guess I’m still undecided just like when I was a school kid haha.”

Micky “other than the tour of the states are you thinking of any performances or gigs for example around Britain?”
DJ Stimulus “I don’t know really, you never really know I may keep it low key play at some clubs and small venues. If I’m lucky I might even get a chance to play at V festival and maybe make a cheeky appearance at Reading”.
Micky “what a legend at the age of 21, pleasure to meet ya, anything else you would like to add”.
DJ Stimulus “remember guys, it’s all the people, the party, the atmosphere!”

Draft for my magazine - Front Cover

Draft for my magazine - Contents Page

Draft for my magazine - Double Page Spread

Photos



For my original photos I decided to find an urban scene which contained graffiti to help identify with my chosen demographic (creative, non-materialist and experimental). The graffiti codes for all of these demographics, take non-materialist for example as it is a sign of not conforming to society as well as rebellious/anti-authority as it disobeys the law. It also represents experimental and creative as the graffiti is artistic and original.

I found a local skate park which met the criteria I was looking for, an urban scene which displayed graffiti. The urban scene shows the artists playful side as this is where people decide to have fun skating, quite child-like. I took my friends camera along with a tripod to provide a still image by holding the camera in a fixed position. This enabled me to get the shot I was looking for.

The five images dispayed above are the final photos that I will be using in my music magazine as I feel they all help identify with my target audience demographic. I decided to get images of the artist performing so the audience can identify with his musicianship.

Double Page Analysis - NME

Double Page Spread Analysis - Mixmag

I have decided to analyze one of 'Mixmag's' double page spread as my magazine is promoting the same genre of music as them. I am going to to use this analysis to help me develop and create my double page spread. I am trying to identify with creative, experimental and non-materialist so I feel I must create a theme for my double page spread and I will use codes and conventions in order to create this.

Magazine Research - Music Background

The music magazine genre our group have decided on making is dance/club/electro/funky house. This appeals to both male and female genders. We decided on choosing this genre, as there is many different types of music in this category, which means it, can reach a wider target audience. This could mean we attract more customers with our magazine as dance/club music has a variety of music and aren’t specialists compared to other genres of music.

Electronic Dance Music is produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting or an environment that is set upon dance based entertainment. This is created for the use of DJ’s (Disc Jockeys) and produced of it being heard in the context of a continuous DJ set then the DJ progresses from one record to next record via a synchronized mix.

Electronic Dance Music brings a variety of types such as:

· Break beat

· Dance – punk

· Disco

· Drum and Bass

· Down tempo

· Electronic body music (EBM)

· Electro

· Euro dance

· Freestyle

· Post – disco

· Hardcore

· Hi – NRG

· House

· Intelligent dance music (IDM)

· Speed core

· Techno

· Trance

· UK garage

A nightclub is where club/dance music is usually played and is a drinking, dancing and entertainment venue, which is usually open after dark for business. Nightclubs are distinguished from bars, pubs and taverns because they include a dance floor and a ­­booth for DJ’s where they play recorded dance music. The music usually played in nightclubs is either live bands or most commonly a mix of songs played by a DJ. The usual dance music genres played in a nightclub are techno, house music, heavy metal, garage, hip – hop, salsa, dancehall or soca music.

You would associate Nightclubs with strobe lights, mirror covered disco ball, and foam and smoke machines. Nightclubs feature lighting and other effects to enhance the dancing experience for everyone.

Contents Analysis - Mixmag

As my magazine is promoting the same genre of music as this magazine I have decided to analyze 'Mixmag' so I can build up a clear understanding of what a dance music magazine actually looks like. This should provide help for me to design my magazines contents page.

Contents Page Analysis - NME

Like NME I have decided to keep a consistent theme from my front cover through to my contents page as it provides continuity and house style of the magazine. This creates a brand identity amongst the magazine. I would decide to use colors that are similar i.e. pink and purple on the front cover and in the contents page as well as a similar font style to add to this consistency. This would also provide a professional look for the magazine.

Colour

I have to decide what colors are to be used on my front cover before creating it. Color must be chosen carefully as it creates the feeling of the magazine and can be used as code so I must choose appropriately. I decided to research into colors to help me decide what to use and I felt the colors below would be most appropriate:

• Green for part of the front cover design as it represents nature, growth and freshness just like my chosen genre of music being fresh, never boring, exciting and it is growing in terms of fan base.
• Purple for the background as it represents creativity, power, royalty and magic. Purple gives the magazine a sense of prestige and also fits in with the demographic I'm trying to identify with, creative.
• White will be used for the font colors as it stands out amongst the background color , purple. White is associated with light, goodness and purity which represents the promoted genre of music in the magazine as it is original. It identifies with my target audience demographic being non-materialist as the color is pure not representing corruption.

All of these colors fit in with the target audience demographic I am trying to identify with being creative, experimental and non-materialist. The colors are a mix and is why it is experimental and creative. The colors clash which is why it is creative, experimental and non-materialist as it doesn't conform like society. It represents the nature of the genre of music being promoted in the magazine, Electro/Dance. 

What font to use?

Before I create my magazine I must decide what fonts to use throughout my magazine. I need to decide on a font for the masthead, headers and main feature. In order to find these fonts I would have to find a font more interesting than the default fonts as the font will add to the theme and feeling of the magazine. To help me decide I subscribed to www.1001fonts.com where you can view many fonts. This website enabled me to download custom fonts then upload them so they were ready to use on Adobe Photoshop.
I have listed the font below of what I am going to use for the masthead, headers and the main feature. This helped me have an idea of what the final product would look like.

I have decided to use 'MEXCELLENT' and 'MEXCELLENT 3D' as well as 'BUMMER' as I feel that it will stand out on the front cover. The 'MEXCELLENT' styles are funky and quirky and could code for the genre of music that I am promoting in my magazine which is another reason why I chose these fonts.

Front Cover Analysis - NME

This is the front cover of the NME magazine. The audience demographic it is attempting to identify with is 'rebellious' or 'anti authority.' It is also aimed at people who are creative or experimental. It is different in tone and style to other music magazines in that it is not trying to identify with an audience that enjoys manufactured 'pop' like the X Factor variety. The red font suggests that the music is serious, plus it is bold and chunky which codes for masculinity. The facial expressions of the artists seem serious representing their style of music as well as their body language, back to back suggests seriousness. The magazine mainly comes across serious suggesting they are dedicated to their fans and are serious on their music.

The kicker on the front page says that the lead singer of the Arctic Monkey's is not 'leaving' his band for The Last Shadow Puppets. This suggests that the fan base/audience of the Arctic Monkeys are very loyal, and the NME is keeping them up to date with the latest news and gossip. This is something the magazine prides itself on - they are on the side of the fan. 

end product

Front Cover Analysis - Mixmag

After analyzing 'Mixmag' magazine I would like to incorporate a bright color scheme as it immediately catches the target audiences attention as it is eye-catching. The magazine has also included a free giveaway which I would also like to incorporate into my magazine as this will promote our magazine as well as the genre of music associated with it. This could help gain the magazine popularity and increase a fan base. To make money you've got to spend money. You can see that there is a consistent font on the magazine which makes it look professional which I would also need to do to acquire that professional effect. I have noticed that the magazine has decided to use effects to make the font stand out such as the drop shadow behind headers and features increasing their importance. I would use layer effects on Adobe Photoshop to add these effects to fonts throughout the magazine. I have taken note that many magazines use a competition to draw attention from the audience which could increase sales as it offers a prize to some of the fans, so I am most likely to use this.  

For the Main feature which will be an interview of one of the artists that perform in this genre of music I have decided to include an image of that artist dominating the front cover of the magazine instead. 

This is the front cover of a Mixmag magazine. The audience demographic it is attempting to identify with is 'rebellious' or 'anti authority' as it is represented by school kids who usually are cheeky and rebellious. It is also aimed at people who are creative or experimental as the costumes code for this as well as the artists being unknown shows that it is for people who like to experiment when listening to new artists/music. It is different in tone and style to other music magazines in that it is not trying to identify with an audience that enjoys manufactured 'pop' like the X Factor variety. The kicker on the front page says meet the new artists on the scene, 'Meet the young things that run tings'. Using slang such as 'tings' suggesting that the magazine is suitable for the younger generation. This suggests that the fan base/audience of Mixmag are a younger generation, and Mixmag are keeping them up to date with the latest news and gossip such as new artists etc. This is something the magazine prides itself on - they are on the side of the fan. The font used is quirky which codes for the type of music the magazine comments on. The colors of the font, blue and white codes for freedom and hope just like the style of music, let yourself go kind. The disco ball represents the genre of music which is electro/house and would find a disco ball in a nightclub which is where you would expect to hear this genre of music. The costumes used for the artists are all quirky adding to the nature of their music codes for experimental, non-materialist, creative and non-conformist as they aren't conforming to mainstream society.

Brief layout of my front cover of the magazine

• Large image of the artist who will be featuring in the magazine, promoting a feature inside
• Quote from the artist promoting a feature within the magazine
• Sub headers promoting other features within the magazine
• A bar code
• Issue release date
• Price of the magazine
• Consistent font
• Free giveaway - most likely to be a CD promoting associated artists within the genre of music
• Header in the largest font on the page in a seperate font from the rest of the fonts on the front cover providing uniqueness
• Competition - most likely to be a holiday destination such as Ibiza as this is where this genre of music is very popular and heavily involved.

The name of my magazine

For the name of my magazine I chose the name of 'iDJ'. Its simple but identifies a lot with the chosen genre of music I will be promoting within my magazine. Take the 'i' for example it codes for technology which is heavily involved within this genre of music, plus electric feel like the music electro. Apple's iPod also gave me the idea as soon as you see the 'i' an iPod comes to mind, a music player/store. The DJ simply identifies with the type of artists that perform my chosen genre of music, Electro/House.

Codes & Conventions

To gather a clear understanding of how I get to appeal to my target audience, I have decided to gather research by analyzing two front covers, two contents pages and two double page spreads. In order to create my magazine I would have to research certain conventions of a magazine and how they appeal to their audience.
Further research would include how demographics are created through certain techniques. I have chosen to analyze the music magazine 'Mixmag' as this magazine is associated with the genre of music I have chosen. Analyzing 'Mixmag' will help me in developing my magazine as I want to appeal to the same target audience as they do as well as identify with the audience demographic, experimental, creative and non-materialist.

Conclusion from my survey

From my results I have gathered valuable research that will be used to develop my magazine. U have found that I will be targeting an audience of young party-goers as my results have shown that Electro/House is the  preferred genre. I have also found that my magazine will be sold at a price between £2.00 - £4.00 so I would estimate the magazine to be at a fair price of £3.00. I asked friends as they are within the same age bracket as my target audience as well as my cousins who go to university and their friends as they are also within my target audience age bracket.


Chosen Genre of Music

For my magazine I have decided to promote the genre of dance/club music. I have chosen one particular genre of music as that way I can focus solely on one target audience. I feel that if I decided to focus on other music genres I would get sidetracked and include too much on one music genre than others in my magazine. I have also decided on this music genre as dance/club music attracts both genders, male and female. This creates a wider audience for the magazine so would most probably increase sales of the magazine issues. From the background research, I have found that this music attracts people between the ages of 16 and 30, and attracts party-goers which is our main target audience. This would benefit me as this is the type of music I listen to and am familiar with what it is about. I have the same type of mind set as my target audience as I am in the same age group so think and act the same. For example text/language used in my magazine would include slang and slogans as it makes the text interesting to read and would be suitable for my target audience as we are trying to attract younger rebellious party goers. This genre of music attempts to identify with 'anti authority' and 'rebellious' as it is familiarised with nightclubs where people go to rave and get drunk to have a good time.

People who decide to listen to dance/club music are creative and experimental as dance/club music can be remixed or mixed with other soundtracks. There are a variety of different types of dance music as I have listed in an earlier blog which shows that dance/club music is experimental.

Results of my survey

I decided to put the results from the survey into tables so it is easy to compare the results.

I decided to ask an equal amount of males and females as this would provide an equal opinion as both genders are represented as well as valid and reliable feedback.

This gives me an appropriate price that I will value my magazine at.

To decide what genre of music I would market I asked what genre of music people within my target audience would prefer to read about in my magazine. 

My Target Audience

My main target audience are young adults, but I wish to gain a clearer understanding of what genre of music they are interested in. This would be valuable research for the development of my magazine as this will determine the outcome of the genre of music I will promote in my magazine. To research this I will conduct a survey with friends and family between the ages of 18-30.
My template to the survey would look like this:

1. Gender:     Male / Female

2. If you were to buy a monthly magazine how much would you be willing to pay?
  
    £1.00 - £2.00       £2.00 - £4.00       £4.00+

3. What is your preferred genre of music that you would likely to buy in a magazine?

    Indie        Rock       Heavy Metal       R&B/Hip Hop       Pop       House/ Electro

I will decide to give this to a sample size of 30 students who I will get to simply fill it in. I will use the results to construct a magazine and understanding of the chosen genre of music.

Why I chose Print over Film

I have decided to choose print over film for a few reasons such as I will be working independently so I will be able to work without disruptions and I won't have to rely on anybody but myself. If I was to work on film I would have to work as a group and would mean that I would have to consult others on ideas. If the ideas are conflicting it could cause arguments which I would like to avoid.
As I am only working on my own it will allow me to spend more time in terms of consulting others. I also feel more comfortable on print editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop than film editing programs where I would usually struggle. I would also like to enhance my skills in using Photoshop as I have only used it at a basic level so this is an opportunity for me for me to develop my skills in this department. This would benefit me as I see a possible chance of me using this in the future and could possibly be linked with what I would like to study at University.
In the preliminary task I worked independently for the print task and as a group in the the film task, from the experience it persuaded me to work on my own as there were distractions when working as a group.