Preliminary task evaluation.

For this project, I was given the task of creating the front cover of a school magazine however before I could get started; I had to research the conventions of magazine covers and what made them attractive and appealing to their target audiences. For this I researched different magazine covers observing features such as the title/masthead, colour scheme, font, main image etc. I learned from researching these features of the magazine covers, that they were very important in informing audiences what the magazines were about. For example, an image of a car would suggest that the magazine’s main focus is cars. For the second and final part of the research process I had to develop a questionnaire on what attracts someone to a magazine and sent it to my target audience (students aged 11-18).From my results, I learned that the current school magazines did not have news on current affairs which students could relate to or were interested in. I took this information and adapted it to the content of which I will focus on current affairs (e.g. tuition fees (a huge affair concerning students at the time) and school life in general which affects all students who happen to be my target audience) concerning and attractive to students.

During the actual design process, I had to consider, (in my opinion) 3 main aspects: colour scheme, logo and the main image (had to be an original, mid close-up of students). For the colour scheme, as I was focussing the magazine on my own school (The City Of London Academy), I decided that for it to relate to the school and establish a connection between the magazine and the school, I decided to have purple (similar to the schools blazers) as the base colour for both the logo and basic colour scheme. I used the colour purple as it allows the target audience to make the connection between the school and the magazine making it apparent that it is THE school magazine. For the logo, I decided on two factors: Font and image. For the font, I decided to use a graffiti font suggesting creativeness (complimented by the paint splat decals) as well as giving it an urban feel which is relevant to the school’s location. For the image, I decided to created a mascot/figurehead for the magazine (known as Sprite as he is a sprite (a 2D digital image)) so that it could be associated with the magazine even without the cover or text. The aim of the design of the character was to give the target audience a more friendly and approachable image to the magazine. I believe that this was done effectively as the feedback I got from peers stated that “it gives a friendly feel to the magazine” and “shows a fun and less serious side to the school”. This view was presented to me especially from younger years (7 & 8) who were still new and a bit intimidated by secondary school and felt that the mascot showed a more approachable side to school. As for the main image, the criteria was an original mid close-up of students in the school. To fit the image in with the main article “School: Not all doom’n’gloom” the photo I took was representing students enjoying themselves and having fun during school hours. The image was used to back up the idea that school can have a fun and more laid back side. Finally, I added a “gag” to the front cover in the form of a bar code. However as the magazine is free (feedback from the questionnaire informed me that students were more likely to read the magazine if it were free) it portrays the school logo breaking through the barcode. As well as this, where the numbers usually are under the barcode, the words “I am free…pick me up! Are stated. This adds a comedy to the element adding ever more to the friendly image of the magazine. Due to a lot of positive feedback of my first contents page, I decided to make it my final contents page as well as suiting the front cover very well. Overall, I feel very happy with the final products as I believe they have suited the preferences of my target audience thanks to my research.

During the course of this preliminary task, I have leaned many skills including effective research and how to find the preferences of the target audience which will greatly benefit me during the real task. However, for the next task to improve I plan to use more sophisticated design programmes such as Adobe Photoshop instead of Microsoft Paint and Publisher (the programmes I previously used) for a more sleek and professional look. I also plan to manage my time more effectively and meet my deadlines so tasks do not build up. Despite this I am pleased with my overall performance during the course of the task.     

Final front cover for magazine

Original photography for magazine cover

Below are my five photos of consideration for my magazine front cover.

                                                                                                                                                                        

Front cover flatplan

Below is the layout of my magazine front cover

Logo for magazine

Bellow is my logo for my magazine. To produce this, I took features from other images and edited them to create an entirely new one.The character on the left is the mascot/figurehead of the magazine As can be seen the colour scheme is consistent with the contents page.

Design stage: Draft contents page for magazine.

This is the draft of the contents page for my magazine.

Original photography practice

This is me: As can be seen, I have had a keen interest in cars ever since I could remember.

 

This is me practicing my original photography. The task was to take photos that represent your/your life.

I also love to draw (which is also a bad habit of mine) especially manga art.

Gaming has been an enjoyable hobby ever since my first PlayStation: I like to escape from reality now and then. 

Religion is a huge part of my life as being a Muslim has shaped my values and morals.

I come from Algeria and I'm as patriotic as the next person

Traveling on the bus has become a common thing for me (I can't wait to get a car though)

The view from my balcony: one of my favorite things to look at.

During the course of this project, I have started to enjoy photography and am intrigued by what the camera can do.

Being short hasn't really affected me but I do wish I was a bit taller    

School magazine project: Research: Magazine cover evaluation.

This is my magazine cover evaluation

Magazine: Fast Car

Date: July 2004

The title of this magazine “Fast Car”, suggests that it is not focused on cars in general but instead on high performance/racing cars which is emphasized by the word fast dominating the tile. This suggestion is also helped by the main image which portrays a modified high performance vehicle which also suggests that it is aimed at car enthusiasts as well as people who enjoy modifying cars (which has become a popular pastime over the last decade particularly with males). These two features shoe that the magazine is aimed at males typically aged 20-40, who are car enthusiasts as well as being interested in the modification of cars. The cover also suggests that the magazine is aimed at a more mature audience which is suggested by a second image of an almost naked modal. This shows that as well as focusing on cars the magazine has a sub-section focusing on sexually represented females. This is a typical aspect of magazines aimed at males as they are stereotypically known for their enthusiasm for cars and sexually represented women.       

School magazine project: Research: Questionnaire results evaluation.

 After candidates completed my questionnaire I made an evaluation of my results.

For the questionnaire, I asked 10 males and 10 females as the magazine is school-based and therefore must have the viewpoint of both genders of the student population. As the magazine is also aimed at secondary school students only, I asked for the preferences of students aged 11-18 as they are the target audience. Income wise, students aged 11-15 had an average income of 15-20 pounds per week whereas the majority of students aged 16-18 where either on EMA (average of 20 pounds per week) or where on a part-time job earning an average of 5 pounds per hour. However despite the majority of students having an income, the results from the questionnaire suggested the target audience wouldn’t consider spending money on a small magazine such as that of a school as compared to a magazine from a large publishing organization. When asking what interests and hobbies people had, I received a large variation of hobbies and interests apart form a trend in which virtually every participant stated that they had an interest in music and current affairs (especially with 6^th form students). As it would be very difficult to create a magazine featuring every hobby and interest of my target audience, I decided to focus more on the elements of music and current affairs which the results show are popular among the participants representing my target audience. The majority of participants also stated that their school already has a “school magazine” however most stated that they could improve by mentioning future events within the school as well as including a section with significant and interesting news from the past month. Because of this, I will incorporate these improvements into my magazine to fit their preferences. Finally when asked how regularly a school magazine should be released, a majority of the participants stated that a monthly release would satisfy them, giving them a reasonable amount of time to read the magazine until the next issue was to be released.             

School magazine project: research (Questionnaire)

 Below is questionnaire for research of my school magazine

Q1. Are you male or female?

Q2. How much income do you receive? (Pocket money, part time job, EMA etc)

Q3. What are your main hobbies and interests?

Q4. Do you currently read any magazines on your hobby or interest?

Q5. Would you read a magazine on your hobby/interest?

Q6. In what price range would you be willing to pay for a magazine?

Q7. Does your school have a “school magazine”?

Q8. Do you feel that your schools magazine should/could improve?

Q9. If so, what improvements would you suggest?

Q10. How often do you think a magazine should be released?      

Post # 1: Skills audit.

Through my results, I can deduce that I am able to recognize as well as analyze media texts and determine narrative and genre through certain aspects. As well as this, I am able to analyze representations from media texts and identify institutions involved in the making of a media text. I can also identify the target audience of a media text.

In terms of completing a task, I can work effectively in a team as well as being able to work effectively independently.

However my weaknesses are in that of the design sector of media production. I have little experience in designing logos, magazine, covers etc. However, I have begun strengthening my design skills through getting used to design software such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Fireworks.