College magazine, follows the designs and conventions of a media based magazine. On the front cover, I used sell lines linked to the articles inside the magazine, which also fitted with the genre and purpose of the magazine. I used mass head's as the name of my magazine, 'Choice' which I decided upon in order to offer guidance and help through-out their choices and understand the impact that their own choices have on their lives. For the front cover, I used a medium close up image of a student that attends the college. The shot was framed so that the subject was positioned into the right bottom corner.
In order to evaluate my pre-lim correctly, I am going to compare my magazine with a professional college magazine.
This magazine front cover image was taken from www.google.com/images and is similar to my own created magazine in many ways. Both magazines contain a bold Mast Head which is the magazine's name. For this magazine, a colour pallet of red and green has been used which contrasts together and makes the magazine eye catching and stand out to it's target audience. I have used a similar colour pallet to this, but also used a bold purple for my mass head. Like my own, this magazine contains main sell lines and sell lines, which are positioned around the medium close up image. Unlike my magazine, the image is a location shot, rather than a studio shot. By doing this, it limits the amount of lighting and edited that could be done to the image in order for it to still look professional and to not alter the location setting's to much.
With my magazine, image adjustment and brightening could be done in order to maintain a professional structure and layout on the front cover. For example, I was able to adjust the background colour to a lighter white rather than a duller grey-scaled background at what the photograph was originally took. On my magazine, I used a bold 'Headliner' font, which stood out on the page and intended to look like a tabloid magazine or newspaper.
The professional magazine also covers this technique, but uses different colours and a more simple font of 'Arial'. For my main feature article, which is associated with my image, I used a quote from the student. By doing this, it acts as a persuasion to the target audience to read the article and gain information and guidance from it.
Both magazines contain an issue number, barcode, cost and dates as to when this issue is valid. This add's to professional layout and structure both magazines aim to achieve and maintain. These are both positioned in the bottom corners and underneath the mass head, on the right. This is done as a genetic way so that the reader observes the content first, on the left top and then reads into the details concerning purchasing the magazine, on the left.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups? (Here you should discuss how you've represented the student body....have you used stereotypes and if so which ones and why (you may want to include videos about particular tribes from YouTube or images from the web), have you tried to challenge or reinforce perceptions about students?
In my magazine, I choose not to use a certain stereotypical social group for the image presented on the cover.The model isn't plastered in make up, wearing 'nerd' glasses with eccentric hair cut and style. Instead, she is dressed in her normal day to day style. I avoided using a stereotypical socialised group image, as it doesn't represent the average college student, but instead, a student of a social group that has achieved this amazing achievement that is in the feature article. To a reader, this could suggest that only those of this social group are capable of reaching this achievement, and not anybody in the college.
The clothing on the model is a plain and simple black and white designed stripe top, which blends well into the background white colour. As a reader, the costume looks a part of the magazine, which I have aimed to achieve. Along with this, it signifies the student is a part of the magazine, along with the college. This is a great example of how students of the college should see themselves, as part of a jigsaw of the college put together.
In conclusion, my media product represents the whole student body, rather than just one social group. In this way, it represents the idea of everybody being able to achieve what is achievable for them. When reading the feature, some students may find the grades the model achieved were below what they are capable of. Therefore, it is important to reinforce this idea of having our own rules and expectations within the college.
3.Who would be the audience for your media product? (To answer this question you could create a montage of images that clearly shows who the target audience is)
Tell me about their age, sex, interests, music consumption, fashion choices, fav food and drink (you could do this visually)
My target audience for my media product is students who attend the college, who have strong motivation and commitment in gaining the qualifications and skills to their highest ability. Preferably, the magazine would be aimed first years, who bring fresh new ideas and skills to their new subjects when starting earlier in the year. The age range will be 16-17 year old's, an age when teenagers become more passionate about the things they admire and follow and most rebellious to the things they don't. Sex is a factor that covers both genders, as I want my magazine to be targeted at both genders, rather than individually just at males or just at females. Therefore, this will avoid stereotypes or discrimination.
For my audience, interest's can vary, from music to television, to fashion to the internet.
This immediately creates a vast target audience, in which all area's and interests should be covered in order to attract different types of students. In order to satisfy the target audience, it is important to include a range of topics and interests that apply to all the different types of social and peer groups at the college. Instead of just highlighting pop music in the music section, covering many different genres will grab hold of the interest of the audience. By providing interesting information and guidance on matters that involve and concern the audience will be satisfying and also persuasive in purchasing the product.
It is impossible to pin-point exactly what teenagers of the 21st century will enjoy the most, although it is possible to predict by conducting a survey about what they enjoy doing the most.
At this age, many strive to enjoy and listen to music that is also the interest of their peer groups, rather than adventuring out into the industry and finding new acts that nobody's quite heard of. The music consumption of my target audience will range from; pop, punk, alternative/indie, rock, rap and many more genres. It will be important to include this when covering the music consumption area in my product.
The image to the left represents and illustrates the different type of social groups that can be expected at the college. Through the way they have customised their school uniform, to the amount of make up they are wearing and how they've styles their hair can determine their own individual interests. Concerning fashion, stereotypical social groups can determine what my target audience is likely to present themselves like. For those who going under the name of 'scene kids, emo's, indie kids' are likely enjoy pop/rock music with a twist of punk, many would choose the eccentric haircuts, coloured skinny jeans, print tops and statement jewellery. Contrasting with those who prefer fashion influenced by the media and celebrities, the high-street brands and trends are what could be seen flooding through-out the college student population.
Food and drink wise, most students benefit from food and drink that comes at the cheaper end of the scale. Many companies target students with vibrantly coloured milkshakes or smoothies with a wide range of flavours, food containing additives by the hundreds and give them the boost they need. Fast food places such as Greggs, McDonald's, Subway and KFC serve quick easy food that satisfies the younger generation in the form of sandwiches, wraps, pasties or fries.
In addition to just reinforcing and engaging the students into be motivated to learning, it is important to include these other topics such as; music, fashion and leisurely activities.
4.How did you attract/ address your audience? (Think about design and language features you used in order to identify with your target audience)
How does knowing who, specifically, your audience is make it easier to design a product for them? How were you influenced by knowing your intended audience? (think about costume, content, language, layout, props, colours etc.)
What did you do to attract them and what do your audience think? What do they like/dislike?
When designing my media product, it was important to think carefully about who it was targeted at. I decided to use a font that stands out and looks appealing, eye catching and bold. As a teenager, many strive the idea of statements and explinations being stood right infront of them, rather than illusions and puns that require figuring out the meaning. I used simple sell lines without puns, so that the audience can clearly understand what is feature in the magazine, and this is what they will recieve. To sell the main feature, I used 'Success Story Student', many words which have become repetitive and the main goal for many students at the college.
It was also important to include leisurable sell lines on the front cover, so student's don't feel intimidated or feel that the magazine is fully about education and learning. 'College Fashion Tips' suggests the magazine has a more friendly vibe, with a more easy pased medium, that many will enjoy reading. Regarding money concerns, many students would find sell lines like this intregining and interesting in how to spend little but purchase a lot.
It was an important factor knowing who my target audience was when creating my media product. I had to plan carefully how would I graps their attention, include selll lines that would pursuade sudents to buy the magazine, how would the model image reflect the student body and how would it represent the magazine.
I intended to keep the model's costume very plain and suggested she wore her everyday style. By doing this, it represents her, rather than any stereotype of a student at college. Therefore, it allows the readers to understand that any student is capable of her achievments, no matter what they wear, how they look or what music they listen to.
From the comments given, I can conclude that using the purple font for the mass head wasn't a suitable decision. Although, when I created my flat-plans, my model had brown chestnut hair which would of combined the two colours together well. Although, changing the model at a later date has shown to be a bad idea, as both the model's hair colour and mass head colour make it difficult to read the mass headline and the issue number. Although, regarding this factor, it would of been necessary to change the whole colour pallet to my original flat plan design so that the combination of colours was fluent and a recognisable feature of the magazine.
From this, I have learned that planning the model's appearance and colour pallet for my media product is a vital stage of creating a media product, which is a contributing factor in making my product look professional.
Some other comments mention that the simplistic features of the magazine make it easy to read, and the sell lines stand out against the white background. This is a factor I aimed for when creating my flat plans for my media product. Although, some suggest a different use of colours, yet again would of been more appropriative to match the colour of my model's hair. Yet again, this is an issue which could easily be changed and planned before creating the final design of my product.
5. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? (You could include the logos of all of the software you've used - Photoshop and blogger alongside the scanner, apple macs and photography equipment. Discuss what you've learnt about each and how you feel your product benefited.
To create the magazine cover, I had to use Photoshop. This was my first time using Photoshop to create a product like this, rather than just editing photographs or images. This was a challenge as I had to learn which tools needed to be used in order to perfect the best effects for my product. Using effects such photo adjustment, brightening tools and using layers to insert images and text was new to me, and were skills I developed during this process. 
When I created my contents page, I had to use Indesign. I had never used this software before and was completely different to any editing software I had used before. Therefore, I had to quickly acquire skills that allowed me to produce a contents page for my media project. By using this software, it allowed me to al-line my page features in a list and insert my model images to the side. It also allowed me to experience in technology that was new to me and I will be able to use these skills in the future if I want to develop and continue making media products.
To add, I had to also use the new Apple Mac computers. I haven't used an Apple Mac computers before, with the keyboard buttons in different places and different names for everyday window's software it was a challenge in order to comfortably produce my media product. Although, I have learned the basic's and am still learning new things about these computers and I am eager to use them in the future and be able to learn and use them more. From using these new computers, I have learned about new software and developing technology within different computer manufactures. It has engaged me into learning more about what computer programs are used for within the media industry, how they are used and why are they important in creating the perfect media product.
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