Evaluation

For my music magazine, I decided to challenge, develop and follow magazine conventions. On the front cover of my magazine, my masthead is published on the top of the page as this is a typical magazine convention, however, following this convention will allow more of my target audience to see my magazine as shops place magazines on waterfall shelving, so therefore allows the potential customers to see the name of my magazine without having to sift through a variety of magazines. In most magazines the model is staring towards the audience to grab the readers attention and to draw them into purchasing the magazine, however, i decided to challenge this convention as my model is looking away from the camera, but as my magazine is targeted towards those who are interesting in reading information on the techniques and methods of DJing, so therefore this image worked as it would be appealing to my main target audience. My contents page is very similar to the front cover as it follows some of the rules laid out by the industry; this is due to having a big contents header at the top of the page. I have listed all the main features in the magazine which is a very popular magazine content’s conventions. On a typical magazine's contents page they intend to have the audience focus on what's included in the magazine rather than the pictures, however, i challenged this convention as I wanted my images to strongly catch the audience's eye. I made my images stand out my editing them on Photoshop, giving them a slight shadow which looks as if the images are coming out of the page; therefore I was happy with my contents page. My double page spread also follow suit, as I have carried out the same colour scheme to the rest of my magazine, the font styles are also similar to create a flow and consistency throughout my music magazine. Another successful feature that challenges typical magazine conventions is the use of Polaroid’s; this is due to helping break up the two pages. Similarly to the contents page, I used a blurred effect to emphasize the images, this also shows consistency. For my magazine, I decided you use the same colour scheme throughout; I decided to use colours which appealed to my target audience, so I thought vibrant colours would trigger off different emotions and certainly catch the reader’s eye. The colours which i used was green and pink, I felt that they are very psychedelic, referencing subliminally to drug culture which is linked heavily with the club scene.

The Dubstep community are mainly young. Because of the scene and culture behind the genre of music and the audience, I included a feature looking into the best club in Britain. This is successful because it breaks up all the information about certain DJ’s and helps to keep people going and seeing DJ’s live. The magazine itself represents a young rebellious community. This is shown through the use of spray paint and dripping paint throughout. The colour scheme used is also very psychedelic, influencing the heavy use of drug use within the community.

As a kind of media institution I would release it inside ATM magazine. ATM is a magazine about Drum and Bass. This is then the next step because Dubstep has evolved from Drum and Bass. Because of the link between the two the same DJ’s may be in both for different articles/features. This will increase the predetermined audience that follow such DJ’s to buy the magazine. Also how it would make the people that listen to Drum and Bass, l but don’t know much about Dubstep, informed about the happenings inside the Genre. There are two main reasons why it would be released inside ATM: to raise awareness about Dubstep, and to review the reaction from people without actually releasing the magazine on its own increasing the risk of potential loss. ATM magazine is already on sale in all the major stores. It is in the main WHSmith stores, HMV, and is being distributed to local communities where the underground music scene is at its highs.

My intended audience is young people between 18 -24. My audience is between this region because it has been proven that over time music tastes change and so therefore will evolution and change of music tastes I don’t believe that many people over 24 are into sub genres of Drum and Bass like Dubstep. The reason that the lowest end is 18 is because it’s a very nightclub scene meaning you have to be 18 to enter. This isn’t excluding other people to look at the magazines, but I believe that the majority of people willing to be buying it will between this range, so therefore the subject matter will be directed at things that they like doing.

I attract this audience using different techniques. Firstly the colour scheme is very bright. These bright colours trigger memories of euphoria. They are hallucinogenic colours, and colours enhanced by other stimulating drugs. It is an attempt to recreate the feeling of being in a club with the bright lights flashing around you. It’s trying to take that emotion and nurture it so you can feel that it is triggered when you see it in a shop. Another factor that makes it attractive to this target audience is the actual layout. It uses lots of spray paint and paint dripping to try and recreate that rebellion in youth. It’s targeting the generation that wants to be rebellious and push themselves to the absolute limits.

From this project I have delved deep into the criteria needed to make a magazine that would be accepted as the norm in today’s society. I have also had to undergo the learning process of Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe InDesign. The original structure and layout was achieved through Photoshop, and then all of the writing was created in InDesign. This brought a new challenge because at first I had used Photoshop but not to a level that was needed to produce a magazine. However throughout this process I have learnt a bundle of new skills that should help push future work to new limits. Layering was the most interesting part of Photoshop. There is so much you can do with layering and it was really fun and challenging uncovering these things. Using advanced tools such as smudging to a good effect and retouching photographs were the main uses.

The Preliminary assignment was a very flat quite boring magazine with not a lot going on. All the lines were parallel, and the features were not shown in as much detail. Looking back at my preliminary exercise now I can’t see how it would be relevant to the audience, as it is not that attractive to a younger audience. However all the aspects that were needed in it were and it was a first boundary. Working from that I started to develop my skills. I wanted to push what I had done to create something that I would be proud of. I used my preliminary exercise as a starting point, but it soon became apparent after research that this would not be successful; it would be3 a lot more attractive to an older audience. Therefore I wanted to take everything in my preliminary and reverse it. Instead of straight lines there is lots of movements and different shapes. The paint drips and spray paint create a flow. Instead of quite neutral colours I went for vibrant ones to really grab the potential buyer’s eye. I think the difference between my first and second magazine is massive and this is because of the research and development into audiences.

I am very satisfied with my final result. I think it represents the community very well, it is very attention grabbing, and either uses or challenges all the conventions you would usually expected, without straying from them too far.