Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product? Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

http://youtu.be/iqFZlc6ZRO0

Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I have previously looked into media institutions that distribute magazines, in particular i researched into IPC media whom are a large institution and distribute various magazine genres, including well known ones such as Now, Womans Weekly, Teen Now and NME. 

By looking further into IPC media and other institutions such as WWMD, BBC and Bauer I concluded that IPC media would be the best suited media institution to distribute my magazine. 

I found that IPC Media Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.

"IPC Media is the UK's leading consumer magazine and digital publisher

With more than 60 iconic media brands, IPC creates content for multiple platforms, across print, online, mobile, tablets and events. We engage with 26 million UK adults - almost two thirds of UK women and over 40% of UK men. Our award winning portfolio of websites reaches over 25 million global users every month."

I noticed that IPC media only distribute one music magazine, that being NME. NME is a well known magazine and sells a great amount of magazines with a vast amount of fans who loyally buy each edition. As they do only have one large music magazine as their brand that they publish i felt IPC media would be a good company to use for my pop magazine. The genre of NME is also very different to my magazine, with NME being aimed at both genders with interests in rock and indie music whereas mine is aimed specifically at girls and with a major pop music focus.

I feel that the brands that IPC media already own have a wide range of genres and audiences that they target, ranging from womans weeklies, sport, fashion and beauty, home and style and TV entertainment. Most of their magazines target an older audience with very few that are for young adults, teenagers and young girls. It was apparent to me that they had only one magazine that was targeted at teenagers and young girls, which is Teen Now.

Teen Now is a magazine that IPC media have only recently launched, but it is evident that it  is proving popular by teenagers. Therefore my magazine could have the same affect because

although my magazine is similar to Teen Now, I feel mine is more music related rather than the typical teen magazine that have gossip and fashion dominantly in there, because of this i think that there is a gap in IPC medias portfolio for a magazine aimed at teenage girls and with a focus of pop music. 

Due to IPC media having a great success in their magazine brands it would be the best one for my magazine. I feel they need a pop magazine, because of the success that NME has had it would be a good idea to see if a pop magazine has the same effect.  NME is now dominated by their website due to the audience that they target, IPC Media are starting to see a drop in sales due to this. however by them launching my magazine which is aimed at young teenage girls it is an easy audience to target as they are not yet completely taken over by social media and therefore still find pleasure in purchasing a magazine.

Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Question 1: In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions or real media products?

When creating my own pop music magazine I had previously looked at a range of exisiting music magazine covers  such as 'We Love Pop' and 'Top of the Pops'. I choose to look into these magazines as i felt the style and genre were similar to mine and therefore the inspiration for typical contents and layout came from these magazines.

Front cover

Masthead:

The masthead i created for my magazine is using a typical san serif font style, i feel this uses the forms and conventions of existing music magazines as it suits the genre being pop because it stands out is corroborates the stereotypical pop style. I edited the 'V' to look different to the standard font i used as i felt it looked unique and added an edge to the standard font, i also noticed from looking at other mastheads in my research that 'We love Pop' magazine also edited the angle and look of the first letter of their masthead, it makes it look more iconic and interesting. I intended to use the colour pink in my masthead because it is the conventional colour for a pop magazine, it also fitted in with my colour scheme for my cover, I was going to use black as i found most magazines do but to make mine stand out more I felt pink was more suited, although i found that 'Top of The Pops' uses pink often and it looks attractive for the genre it is conveying. Mine does however challenge some conventions as I found that most pop magazines have the word 'Pop' in their masthead to make it evident, like 'We love pop ' 'Pop girl' and 'Top of the pops'  I wanted to go against this as i wanted the genre to be conveyed by the content and other features of my cover. 'Voice' also relates to pop as all songs in the pop genre are liked and listened too due to the voice of the artist singing, whereas in other genres like rock it is sometimes focused on the music and instruments used, also dance is based on the remixing. 

Cover Lines:

The cover lines that i have used both use and develop the forms and conventions of real music magazines. I included cover lines that are solely focused on music and pop artists, which goes against most pop magazines as they often have content on beauty and gossip, with little focus on music related topics. The reasoning for going against the conventions like this is because i feel that there are already existing magazines out there which are just one genre, such as beauty and fashion related. I wanted my magazine to be just music, and just based around pop genre. I used some conventions like 'Exclusives' and '+ *insert pop artist name here*', the style and layout of my cover lines also use the conventions of a pop magazine with the use of highlight to make the most enticing element stand out and exclamatory to make it more compelling. I wanted to keep away from fashion and beauty on the cover as the main focus is music, therefore having cover lines like 'chart heat' 'tour secrets' 'super spring playlist' 'hot new collab' relate to music but so also have aspects of gossip involved which will draw the audience in because they get to find out things they don't already know about their favourite pop artist. I used existing artists in the pop genre that I found were the most mentioned on all pop magazines, purely because they are the most popular and liked by the audience, these include One Direction, Justin Bieber, The Vamps and Little Mix. As seen on the 'We Love Pop' cover lines these artists are also used.

Main Cover Line:

As you can see the main cover line of my front cover uses the forms and conventions of a pop magazine. I made the artists name 'Lucy Grace' the largest font as it is the artist that is the main aspect and the one who i am intending to promote. I have made it in a bold font style also to make it stand out and easily readable. I have used 'exclusive' with a  quote from the article to make the reader feel intrigued to buy it and see whats inside, this is the same as 'We love Pop' magazine, i feel this is an important feature to include as it is a revealing method to get the audience to read it. The colours i used also use the forms and conventions as pink orange and blue are fun and eye catching to an audience who are looking for a pop magazine. They are colours that are associated with pop and therefore having them on the cover lines use the conventions. 

Main Image: 

The main image of my front cover uses forms and conventions of a pop magazine as it shows a female artist who is demonstrating an image that the readers would be inspired by, I feel this is a convention of a typical pop magazine as all the female artists that are featured have a ideological look, including nice hair and perfect make up. Also the clothing that they are styled in. I also found that the style of the artist is done in a way that shows the genre too. The use of eye contact with the audience is a form and convention as it engages with the audience and also gives a fun and innocent feel to the artist that it being portrayed. I used a light background with light coloured clothing and make up as it fits in with the conventional pop magazine, also matches the colour scheme of my cover, i found this is also a key aspect to condemn with as the picture must look attractive when placed with the cover lines and features. 

Contents Page

Masthead:

The masthead of my contents page uses the forms and conventions of a pop magazine as i have used the same aspect of 'In the mag' shortening 'magazine' to 'mag' makes it a pop magazine as it makes it less formal and will relate to the reader, who are young and will use the term mag when talking about magazines. i have made it into a banner at the top of the page so that it is easily identified and corroborates with the contents inside as it says 'in the mag'. The use of pink also shows the conventional pop magazine as it shows 'house style' from the cover, as the design is similar, something all pop magazines do. 

Contents:

The contents uses forms and conventions of a pop magazine as i have duplicated a feature that 'Top of the Pops' have done, this is using the font cover on the contents which arrows and page numbers to navigate where each cover line is inside the magazine, this is a good convention to include in a pop magazine as some readers do not want to read everything, some will just be interested in one particular artist that is featured therefore they can use this as a short cut. It makes them easily identified. It also looks good on a contents page as it is the main aspect of the magazine.

Editiors Note:

The editors note both uses and develops the forms and conventions of a pop magazine. I included it as it allows a relationship with the editor of the magazine and the audience, who are young and will therefore find pleasure in this aspect. I found that some pop magazines do not have this feature, they just have a contents filled with images and contents of the magazine but i felt it was necessary due to the audience i am targeting. We love pop, however, does include an editors note and therefore i used the forms and conventions here when writing mine so that i got the same idea and could relate to the audience in the correct manor. 

The contents of my magazine uses the forms and conventions of a pop magazine as i do have aspects of fashion, competitions and gossip. The layout of my magazine is also similar as it is split into categories something that 'Top of the pops' also does. I feel this makes it easier to navigate the feature the reader would most like to read about. The numbers on the contents must also stand out and i have make sure mine have by using a different font style and also a different colour to the other font, top of the pops has also done this. 

Double Page Spread

 My main title for my double page spread uses the forms and conventions as i have used a quote from the article. It is the main aspect and will capture the audience as they flick through the magazine. Its also got to be the biggest and the most eye catching as it is the main feature of the magazine, and the artist who it is about i am promoting in this way. I have used the same colours as conventional pop magazines, pink and black are standard colours that are associated with the pop genre. 

The layout of my double page spread uses the forms and conventions of existing magazine, as it shows the question asked and then the response, this is a quick and easy way of showing the reader the full extent of how the interview went. An image is also included to show the artist and promote them further. I have also included the magazine website which is a convention used in we love pop magazine. The image is also big and fills a page which shows the artist and creates a fun element.I used a pull quote to add something extra to the page and shows a aspect that is interesting to the readers as she is talking about another popular artist in the industry.

Double Page Spread Final

Drafting of double page spread

The first draft of my DPS shows my article coming into place, making it into three columns with the use of questions and answers done in a structured way. I made a introduction to my article to make it conventional of a double page spread and also a drop capital as it is an aspect that every magazine uses.

I have now added all text. including my main title being a quote from my article. I also added a pull quote in a puff and plug style which is an interesting part of my article. From this I need to place two images, one which will be a close up which will embed in with my text columns. I will also be adding a main image into the corresponding page which will fill it and become a main focus to my double page.

Contents Page Final

Drafting of Contents Page

This is the first draft of my contents page, I have included the word 'contents' as my main title to make it prominent to the audience. I have also made a pink background and banner to make it look more conventional of a typical contents page. The 'also this month' section is a commonly used feature as it will include the most typical content of my magazine.

This is a second draft that i have developed further. I have changed the word 'contents' to 'In the mag' because i felt it is more suited for my audience, as the word 'mag' is shortened and becomes more informal, it sets the audience accordingly. I also included the font cover and added arrows and page numbers to make the main aspects of the magazine easy to navigate for the audience. I got inspiration for this from top of the pops magazine. I uploaded the image of my completed cover after exporting it as a JPEG, i was then able to place the image where i wanted it on my contents. I then created the arrows using photoshop and edited the angle and positioning to make it point to each cover line, the page numbers were then added to show what page these would be found within my magazine.

From my previous draft i have now added my main contents that will be found in my magazine. I have created categories as it makes it easy for the readers to skim through and find the content they wish to see as and when they would like too. I have incorporated the same colours used on my cover, pink, blue and orange, as it shows a house style. I have included the main features of my magazine here.

The final draft for my contents page shows 3 additonal images and a editiors note. The images all relate to the content and have the page number clearly shown next to it so that it is evident for the reader. I used an image which was taken from a One Direction concert as it shows corroboration with the competition, The tweet also relates to an artist featured on the cover. I created an editors note as it shows a relationship with the reader, it is also a conventional feature of a contents page and therefore i added one to make it well suited for my target audience.

Contents Flat Plan

Music Magazine Completed Front Cover

Drafting of Music Magazine

This is a frist drafting of my music magazine made using InDesign. To start the process i uploaded an image which i felt would work well on my cover, I choose this one because of the prominent space for the left third and the eye contact targeting the masthead. I also designed the masthead for my pop magazine, i initially wrote the word 'Voice' and capitalised it to make it stand out. I wanted a simple san-serif style font type and selected a few which would be effective and conventional on a pop magazine. The one i thought looked best for a pop genre magazine aimed at teenage girls was 'Century Gothic' it looks simple yet dominant on my cover. I used tools on InDesign once i had choose a font type and altered the angle of the 'V' this makes it look unique and suits the overall style i hoped to gain. I wanted an evident line beneath the masthead to underline it and make it clear.

This is the second draft for my music magazine cover. The adaptations i have made from my previous draft was inserting my main cover lines. This was done by adding 3 separate texts and editing them to make them have there own unique style but yet have a theme that occurs so it looks conventional for a pop magazine, this is shown by the colours i have used making each text pink but adding elements of blue to make it different and more enticing to the audience. I have placed them below my main image and central to the page due to it being the main focus and aspect of my cover it is important it stands out from the other cover lines i will add next.

After editing around i decided to change the layout from my previous draft. I have changed my main cover line making it more bold and interesting. It has an overall theme of pink and blue with elements of orange because these are covers that reflect the pop genre also by having 3 colours it makes it stand out more and shows a good ratio of each colour.I have created a consistent theme with the font styles too so it looks presentable but with samples of unique text to make it different and eye catching. There are still improvements to be made from this draft but the overall layout and styling i am happy with and feel it fits the conventions well so far.

 From my previous draft i have now added a image that suits the pop genre. It relates to one of my cover lines being 'Win tickets to the 1D stadium tour'. Having a pink banner at the bottom is conventional for a pop magazine and makes the cover line stand out. I also added a barcode as this is essential for a magazine.

This is a draft showing all my cover lines in place. I feel the layout looks well structured and there is a good colour ratio which makes it stand out and suits the pop genre accordingly. The masthead stands out the most which is good as it attracts the audience. The main cover line is also dominant and will promote the artist well. All cover lines are music related and will reflect the content inside. I feel when the final image is placed it will look like a real media product.

 My final draft shows the finished product with the image in place, the image shows a direct look to the audience and portrays a stereotypical pop artist. I feel the text works suitably around it and the layout works out well with all text being easy to read and each stands out.

Proposal for Music Magazine

The audience i will be targeting my magazine at are those who are fans of the pop genre and listen to pop music. I will aim to target teenage girls aged 13-16. It will be a magazine only accessible in the UK and therefore the audience will be spread to those who live in the UK region and like pop culture.

The image i have proposed for my cover is a teenage girl who acts as the pop artists, the style will be fun and girly showing this with the expressions and poses. It has a white plain background so that this becomes effective and easy to work with when placing text and features onto the cover. I photographed the images at home in a room with good lighting, and used lighting effects to brighten it further.

The genre of music i have chosen is pop, i concluded this would be the best genre to appeal to because of the popularity and the mass audience it could be targeted at. It is a genre with a wide spread of content that could be featured and many people will be enticed to buy it for the genre it is.

The content i will include in my pop magazine is typically gossip in relation to pop artists. It will feature interviews, facts, new releases, quizzes and competitions. It will initially be like the mainstream pop magazines, except mine will include more music related topics as well as gossip and will include less fashion content. The target audience will have a selection of everything they hope to find in a pop magazine plus more. I have chosen the main topics of 'Pop, Gossip, Boys' because those are the conventional features of a pop magazine for the target audience i have chosen to aim at.

From researching other pop magazines i have come up with a selection of cover lines which would fit with the content of my magazine. '1Dful Prizes to be won!' this would entice the reader because the '1D' relates to One Direction, suggesting there will be prizes in relation to them to be won in the magazine, '1Dful' is a catchy way of saying wonderful and will capture the audiences attention when they see '1D'. 'Pops Hottest Couple' 'Big confessions' 'Exclusive look at ...' cover lines like this will be used on my magazine because they reflect the gossip aspect, they will entice the audience because they are short lines which do not explicitly reveal what is included and therefore the magazine has to be purchased to find out the full aspect. 'Harry Styles reveals all! '"I'd date a fan"' a cover line like this will attract fans of one direction because of the quote and the secrecy they would want to read more. I will also have puff and plugs like '101 facts' 'Plus...' 'Free poster with this issue!'. For the main cover line it will include the name of the new pop artist in which i have photographed for the main image, it will have cover line of 'Pops Newest Edition'. Other pop artists names will be menioned to attract a wider variety of people who are fans of a selection of celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Little Mix, Olly Murs.

The title i have decided on is 'Voice' the reason for this is because I wanted my masthead to consist of just one word to keep it simple yet effective. Having a one word title dominates the cover and will catch the audiences attention. The style can also be altered more effectively. The word voice has a direct correlation to music. For a pop magazine it sounds fun and shows the music aspect to the magazine. I rejected other title ideas such as 'Factor', 'Teen Pop', 'Pop Party', 'Love Pop' due to the fact that they sounded to conventional for a Pop magazine. I wanted the magazine cover itself to have the pop vibe without being to perceptible with the name. They were also ones that would be commonly used for a pop magazine and therefore i decided to steer away from that.

The fonts i opt to use on my cover will be a range of san serif fonts. I have decided to dismiss the use of serif fonts on my cover because they do not emulate the current feel of a pop genre magazine. i have chosen to use fonts like Century Gothic, Arial Black, Calibri, Chalkduster and Veranda, i think these font styles will create a fun and relevant feel to my cover and make it look young and creative.

I will aim to publish my magazine in spring/summer, this reasoning for this is because of the colour and themes i wish to use. I want the initial colour scheme to include bright colours. I will use the colour pink because it is a stereotypical female colour and will show the fun/bubblegum pop aspect to my magazine. To add additional colour i will include blue or green because it will compliment the pink colour and stand out on the cover, the cover lines will alternate in each of these colours. The colour white will also be obvious on my cover. Due to it being published during this time i will feature topics which corroborate this. It will be published on a monthly basis, i think this is realistic in terms of the content that could be included. By doing it monthly it could have a wider and more elaborate update on the previous issue, for example new music releases, up to date gossip, chart music and tour dates. it could also change with the seasons and events that occur during the year.

The dimensions of my music magazine will be the average A4 size. 19 width x 27 length. 

For my contents page i will continue will the general theme of my cover, using the same pink, blue and white colour scheme. The images will include my own photography from concerts, a photo of my featured new artist and possibly images that relate to my content like make up or prizes that could be won. The price of my magazine will be £2.50, i have chosen to price it as this because as i researched other pop magazines i found that both 'We love Pop' and 'Top of the Pops' are priced at £2.99, therefore i opted to be cheaper in order to compete with existing magazines. 

Initial Ideas and Flat Plan

Photography