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

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

Evaluation Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

Completed Magazine with Example Advert from Vice Magzine

This completed magazine includes an advert from Vice magazine (page 2), which I did not make. 

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

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

Skills Development

Coming into this project I was fairly proficient in most of the technology I've used to create my media product. However I have advanced greatly in the area of InDesign.

While using InDesign I had to use the program on several different computers. This often causes links in the document to go missing or become corrupt. The first time this happened I assumed the file had been deleted accidentally. However on investigation I realised the files I use in InDesign are not actually saved into the INDD document - unlike PhotoShop - as this would cause the file to take up large amounts of memory. Instead InDesign uses previews of the links, to keep the document size to a minimum. So through updating missing links, no files have to be remade or replaced.

Another element I had to transfer my previous knowledge from PhotoShop was the use of layers. InDesign and PhotoShop both use layers, however in very different ways. With InDesign multiple elements can be placed onto one layer, while still being able to edit and transform it independently from other elements on the same layer. Where as in PhotoShop, once an element has been merged with another onto one layer it is then locked into editing the elements as a singular element.

One of the most useful features I found using InDesign were gutters and rulers. Both of these tools greatly helped with ensuring the grid layout of my magazine was in perfect proportion.

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

Focus Group

DPS First Draft

Second Draft of Contents

With my first draft I had problems with the readability and distinguishing between the two columns of text. To overcome this I used the images as a banner down the page to separate the columns. I think this layout works much better for the readability of the page and also makes it a bit more unique, fitting in with the experimental theme of the magazine

Second Draft of Cover

Contents First Draft

I wanted to keep my house style very minimal, continuing from my cover, and the magazines I looked at during research. I did this by using a fair amount of white space to separate my images, articles and title; making it easy to view. However I feel that because of this generous white space, this has caused the two columns to merge, as it isn't very clear where the columns finish and end. To amend this I'll look at changing the layout of the page, or alternatively using a line/box in between the columns. I used the images I have to give a good colour continuation, so the images work well together. Furthermore to continue with the house style I've used the same font for the articles as I have on the cover page, to give a cohesive feel to the magazine as a whole.

Hot Desking Comments

Critical Evaluation of First Draft of Front cover

I wanted to create a minimal easy to read cover that doesn't use clashing colours. I have achieved this by keeping the colours to black white or grey, along with this the cover image uses soft colouring. Also using a sans serif font keeps with the modern styling of the magazine, along with its content and genre. Furthermore the sans serif font makes it more readable, in the large font.

With the cover image I followed the convention of having a model from a mid-shot facing down the camera, however the image is quite stylised as I wanted the magazine to be fairly sophisticated and art involved; so I chose interesting lighting and a minimalistic background. Although when I printed the image for displaying, the cover image was quite dark and hard to distinguish the models features, so in the second version of my front cover I will need to change the brightness of the image. Furthermore if the image was brighter I think it would make the masthead stand out even better; along with this i will need to add a price and date to the magazine, I'll do this on the banner of the masthead.

Photoshoot with G-I Graver

Photoshoot with G-I Graver, a set on Flickr.

Flat Plans

Cover 

Contents Page

DPS

Regarding the layout of my magazine I wanted to follow most of the conventions, keeping it fairly simplistic and professional. Furthermore keeping the magazine very clean and structured I found was essential to give it a modern feel that my audience of young, creative, fashionable people would want to be associated with. Along with this I kept it simple to be more experimental and art orientated in the content of the magazine.

Interview Plan

I want to keep the interview fairly informal and unstructured, this is to get a personal insight to the artist on what they want to talk about, as this is the kind of articles my audience would want to read according to my research. However I will have some themes I'll want to cover during the conversation. Such as the artists influences to start music, again a point my audience wanted to be covered in the magazine. Other points to cover would be the artist childhood, view on current pop culture. Also how the artist creates their music will be an interesting point to cover during the modern day of hundreds of ways to make music.

G-I Graver - Artist Research

G-I Graver is an artist local to me in Norwich, who has been creating music for a few years; but has only recently sharing his talent. I've chosen to feature G-I in EXP magazine as G-I has an obvious experimental influence to his music in the beats he uses, as well as his style of rapping and singing. Not only this he is part of a new generation of musicians; The Soundcloud geniuses. Other artists of this generation include; Yung Lean, Kitty, Azealia Banks and LE1F, these people have Soundcloud to thank for their fame. But it's not just the small timers that rule Soundcloud, names such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga have even previewed their own works on Soundcloud. Making Soundcloud the modern-day, worldwide Virgin Megastore; the place to view, own and distribute music. Even better it's free. Making it greatly popular with my target audience, as everyone wants the latest buzz, but nobody has the money. Which is why I have chosen Vice Media to publish my magazine to keep the truth of what is actually going on, not censoring or distorting the truth. Vice Media are known for their honest and raw approach to media, in an age where censorship is evident. So who better to cover EXP than G-I Graver, a musician quietly leading the way to the future of music.

Articles

This is a drafted list of articles I will use in my magazine contents page:

Main Features:
Interview
SoundCloud Geniuses
Label Discovery: 4AD

Features:
The Creative Project
Beyonce Has Gone Experimental?
CRIM3S vs. Crystal Castles
Who's New?
M.I.A Still Reigning
SS14 Fashion


Regulars:

How To: Make a Beat 
The Month in Review: Albums, Artists and Videos
Must See Gigs and Tours
5 Minutes with 5 Upcoming artists
Influences of Current Artists
Competition: Your Chance to Win a Pioneer XDJ-R1 Deck
Who Is: Cyril Hahn
Infographic: How The Internet Has Changed Music 

Masthead Designs

These three designs are my initial drafts for my masthead. I used the font Trade Gothic as I thought its bold strokes would stand out well on the magazine, furthermore it is a San Serif font; thus keeping with the modern styling I want to create in my magazine.

I kept the colouring to just black and transparent as I didn't want the content of the magazine to clash with the masthead, this simple colouring also makes a lasting impression on the audience. Also keeping it fairly simplistic gives it a more sophisticated look, which is also the look I want to achieve.