Before creating my own magazine I did research on the key elements of student magazines and magazines in general. I found that a lot of the features were similar. Student magazines tend to focus on a certain person/band as the main image which is therefore the centre of attention to the audience, the person/people are usually that of a younger generation in order to relate to the reader. The mode of address used with student magazines was seen to be informal and chatty to relate to the target audience. The colour palette used often consisted of either two or three main colours. These colours were bright and bold which not only caught the eye but also had connotations of youthfulness and energy.
Looking at my research I then went on to photograph a student which again, relates to the target audience and to coincide with the brief I used a medium close up shot. I chose the colours of black, blue and white as I thought these were eye catching and also gender neutral. The black masthead also contrasts nicely with the white background, which perhaps connotes a more grown up vibe for the magazine, but then the youthfulness is reiterated with the splattering of blue boxes which encase the cover lines splash and puffs. For my masthead I chose the word 'Current' as I feel as though this connotes a young and flesh, almost electric vibe for the magazine, and also playing on the idea of electric that the magazine is exciting and new.
- Question Two
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
d My magazine represents teenage social groups averaging from 16-24 as I am apart of that social group. I have shown this by photographing a student, keeping the colours quite simple, such as white which connotes freshness. As a result of this I believe that although the image is of a male, my magazine still targets both genders due to the colour palette I have used. From my target research I found that students were willing to pay 50p at the least and £1 at the most, perhaps £2 depending on the thickness of the magazine and the quality of content. I chose to price my magazine at £75p as it is affordable for students who perhaps do not have much money, which I think is a fair price for the amount of content.
- Question Three
I feel as though my media would be most appropriate distributed within a college or university as the content within the magazine is targeted at students and college life, with competitions and prizes which would benefit students. The magazine is relatively inexpensive and therefore I think it will appeal to many students.
- Question Four
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The target audience for my magazine would be mainly teenagers, and people ageing from 16-24. I say this because the content in the magazine is created and based for and around students, who will enjoy the competitions and also reading about college life, achievements. Also the magazine involves top tips for studying and also veers away from the work-based aspect which compiles the majority of the magazine and focuses on outside college life matters, such as music downloads and festivals which may interest a lot of students.
- Question Five
How did you attract/address your audience?
I
I attracted my audience by using a clean, fresh and simple central image on the front cover, which was cluttered, abstract or hard to understand. The image is also of a student who attends the college and therefore will attract other students as they will relate to the pictures as it is someone of their own age. I used black texts which stands out against the white background covered in blue boxes which adds to the youthful look. I addressed my audience with an informal chatty style which relates to young people. My cover line, splash and puff fonts are the same as on my contents page which adds to the continuity of the magazine. The fonts I have used are clear and easy to read.
- Question Six
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
To bring my ideas to life I used a programme called Indesign. This was a new programme I was not familiar with and had to learn in order to create my magazine front cover and contents. I had to use layers when I wanted to add images or text to my magazine. Deleting or adding items as my magazine developed and changed. However, I did find it quite hard and at times frustrating placing images or text as I often kept forgetting to add a new layer every time I made something new! It was quite hard getting used to but I know that now I can effectively and easily use Indesign that it will be extremely helpful in creating my music magazine for my main coursework task in the future.
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