Evaluation Six.

Technology used when creating magazine.

I used a dell studio laptop, when writing my article and editing some of the photos used and carrying out a lot of my research. I didn't really learn much as I already knew how to work the programs that I used.

When I took my draft and final shots I used this cybershot camera to take them. I found that the images I took were of really good quality and looked really good. I learnt that I could take some really interesting shots by changing the effects on the camera.

A program that I learnt a lot from was photoshop elements as I could edit my photos to create effects that suited my magazine style. I could also move my magazine around with ease until I found the look I thought was best. 

Not only did I use the school computers and my home laptop I used a macbook to use other programs that I could edit my photos on. I learnt quite a lot -although I didn't use it that much- but I used adobe illustrator to try edit some of my photos. 

I also used blogger, Scribd and slideshare when uploading images, articles and research.

evaluation Five.

Addressing and attracting the audience.

FRONT COVER:

The use of a strong main title/ logo can attract the audience as magazines such as NME have built up a name for themselves and even when it's covered over it is still easily recognizable. With my title, I wanted to create a similar effect and so had a simplistic logo that could be easily recognizable and would attract the audience.

When attracting the audience to the magazine I used a simple cover line that fitted in well with my magazine, as it was the same colour scheme/ fonts etc. The image I used on the background of my main page has high contrasting colours that attract attention. Also, my models eyes are very striking in the image which directly addresses the audience and makes it seem more appealing. 

The use of a good colour scheme throughout the front cover makes the magazine more professional and attracts the target audience as this is the sort of thing that they would look for, on mine I have used a simple black and white font. I havn't overcrowded the front cover which makes it look more appealing to the audience as well as more intriguing as the cover lines and quotations are quite subtly attractive. 

CONTENTS: 

The contents attracts the audience as it is simple yet has features that would interest the target audience. 

The choice of just using one photo attracts the audience to that particular point and does not look over crowded and unprofessional. the image used is an attractive image of Kog, which is aesthetically pleasing to the reader.

The artists and other features that are listed in the contents are attractive to the reader as the features listed all relate to the audiences preferences and music tastes. 

Evaluation Four.

Target audience.

My target audience for my magazine are adults between 16-24. Specifically, my audience will be the broad label of 'Indie/alternative'. 

Things that my audience may have are a specific music taste, such as a more unique taste that can fit into the alternative music scene. They will be interested in new and upcoming music that they would find in magazines such as this one, and also want to go to gigs regularly which is something that magazines such as this one promote. The typical clothing worn will be from vintage shops and high street places such as Topshop, as these shops are stereotypically associated with this style of music. 

The look I have gone for within my magazine targets my age range as it has quite a mature image with writing that includes swearing within it, this is why I have gone for an older audience that would be interested in it. 

Evaluation Three.

Media institutions that may distribute my media product.

Companies that would distribute my style of magazine would be similar to NME and SPIN as these both have a very similar genre of music throughout the magazine,  and also have a very similar target audience. I think that the similarities between other magazines I did my research on, such as VICE who fund themselves through advertisement in their magazine. My magazine could also get a lot of its funding through advertisement throughout its pages. The distributor of my magazine will want to distribute it as it is an unusual style of magazine that will interest a large audience and introduce new bands and have a unique style. 

Evaluation Two.

Representations of a particular social group. 

The type of social group my magazine is targeting is quite clear as overall the magazine has quite a simplistic yet strong look to it which makes it seem quite professional, this type of look only interests a certain type of social group as some people may find it too 'serious' looking. i.e. no bright colours and the pages not completely rammed like magazines such as Metal Hammer magazine which target other social groups. 

In relation to other bands I think that Kog can be compared to artists such as Alice Glass for her 'different' kind of style, alternative attitude and interest in a unique style of music. Kog has a similar style which is portrayed through my magazine, this would entice a certain social group as they want to keep updated on the latest interesting styles of music and looks. ALthough there are many differences in their image in this particular picture you can see quite a laid back look of both artists and even the backgrounds are similar which i think make the similarities of the target social group obvious. 

Another artist Kog is similar to is Lykke Li, her music is quite origional and in this particular image the clothing worn is quite similar which can target a certain audience and social grouping. The choice of making Kog seem more laid back and interesting is a way of getting this particular social group interested, as they want to read about her because of her image and attitude towards music. 

Evaluation One.

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of music magazines)

Title of your magazine.

1. When thinking about the title of my magazine, I took into account the genre and style of magazine I was trying to achieve. I looked at other magazines that targeted a similar audience and tried to come up with a 'catchy' name that was simple and musically related. The name 'FOLK' could be perceived in many different aspects, for example not only the genre of music but also the association with people, folk is used as a word that refers to a group of people. This was one of the reasons why I really liked the title, as not only was it short and catchy but it could also be seen as a 'peoples magazine' designed for people who enjoy music. Also, in the two magazines I did research on (NME & SPIN) I really liked the simplicity of the colour scheme of their titles, and wanted to do a similar sort of colour palette so that the image on the front wasn't overlooked completely by the title. However, with the title being quite large and simple on the front, it is still very attention grabbing to an audience.

Graphology and page layouts.

2. The choice of layout for my magazine stayed the same from my draft to my final product, I liked the way I layed mine out as it was slightly different from the typical conventions of 'white background with the person on'. The image I chose filled up the page and the choice of setting unuasally works for the genre of magazine I have produced, the choice of the countryside background and the clothing worn, I think fits in really well with the title 'FOLK' as this is commonly associated with countryside etc. The choice of colouring and editing through the photograph really makes it stand out and appeal to an audience.I wanted my magazine to have a similar look to it as magazines such as 'VICE'. I layed out the page using conventions I had learnt from researching other magazines for example the use of a cover line a the top to get the audiences attention when on the shelf, I also included other advertising techniques such as a circle on the page reading "special guests and features". I didn't want to put too much text onto the cover as I didn't want to over crown the page with it already having an image that has alot of detail in it,so instead chose a few main subheadings and placed them down the left hand side so they didn't overlap the 'star of the page'. Although my main image had a lot of colours in it, the writing all stuck to the three colour palette rule so it would look more professional.

costumes, props, iconography used to reflect genre.

3. The choice of clothing that I put on my model was slightly alternative and this links in with the genre of my magazine and also the title of it, as the word folk is commonly associated with a countryside/farmer stereotype, which is why I think that the use of the checkered shirt works well to add to this style and look. I didn't really use any props in the final product as I thought that the simplicity of her look and the use of the chosen back ground would be enough to keep the image interesting without over complicating it. This style of image

Camera work and images.

4.  When I took the images for my magazine, I took a variety of styles but mainly focussed on the model and the background chosen (countryside) I really like how detailed the images were but also how they made the model stand out in comparrison with the rest of the page. The contrasts in colours after I edited the photos make the page look very striking I thought in comparrison with the origional shots, this would be something that would interest the audience when browsing in a shop. When I was taking the images I tried to make some seem very natural however, some I wanted to be posed so that I could edit them later. I also chose a simple image with just a plain background for the double page spread and overlapped it with itself to create a blurred effect on the image. 

Article, header etc font and style. 

5. The chosen style of fonts i went for were very simplistic and bold, i used these to create quite a strong image for my magazine. I also used a very 'scribbly' sort of font for the subheadings on my cover this was so that my magazine cover didn't seem too serious and broke up the boring use of one font. When writing my article I thought about the genre of magazine I had aimed for and decided on the style of speech 'Kog' would have, I chose to go for a quite informal and unserious frame of mind in the article. 

 How the magazine Cover, Contents and Double Page Spread represents my genre.

6. throughout these 4 genres there is a constant theme of things that not only links them all together but ties in well with my genre of magazine. There is a constant use of fonts throughout it along with a specific colour palette that suits the style of magazine. The fonts I have chosen are all pretty simple which is why they link in, because the research I did on this style of magazine tend to stick with simplistic fonts and colours to create a strong image. The choices of photos throughout them all, tie in all the pages and create quite a simplistic and alternative/indie style of magazine which is what my magazine genre is. The chosen items of clothing worn throughout, are all clothes that may represent the more alternative/indie look which is the style I was going for. 

How the artist is represented.

7. Throughout my magazine I have represented my artist as quite a trend setting, laid back character which is how I wanted the artist to seem even through the photos. Her clothing is slightly unusual and different which to the eye makes her seem more 'alternative'. Kog's attitude is very strong yet also very laid back, for example on the cover there is a lot of swearing to stress her opinion, yet her thoughts are of how she doesn't care what people think of her music are there and are obvious. This is exactly the character I was going for as it could be seen to be quite 'rebellious' and it's quite similar to artists around now such as Alice Glass who are pretty iconic to the sort of target audience.

Colour scheme. 

8. Going from my draft to my final magazine my colour scheme has not altered too much, it has wavered slightly and mainly sticks to two colours, black and white to give a simplistic, bold and strong look to the magazine as well as making it look more professional. However, the magazine also includes a third colour throughout some bits, which is a deep red and is used on some of the writing in the magazine.

Final Magazine