7.) Looking back at your preliminay task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

If the page does not appear click the link below:
http://prezi.com/oqgzdptbjrir/7-looking-back-at-your-preliminary-task-what-do-you-feel/

6.) What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of constructing this product?

If this doesn't work click the link below:
http://issuu.com/theresakuhn/docs/q6-_technologys_from_constructing_p

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

For this question i created a video discussing the development of my music magazine, looking at designing it to attract my audience and how feedback from focus groups made my product address my audience even more. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 If the video dosent work click the link below:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pfHYke68g8



4)Who would be the audience for your media product?

If the page dosent load click the link below:
http://prezi.com/rnm3hpfsmb2y/4-who-would-be-the-audience-for-your-media-product/#

3.) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

2.) How does you media product represent particular social groups?

2)how does your media product represent particular social from theresakuhn4

1.) In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

If the page dosent load click the link below:
http://prezi.com/xtygtbbnjrrw/1-in-what-way-does-your-media-product-use-develop-or-chal/

Critcal Evaluation of my final draft of my double page spread

 

This is my final draft of my double page spread. I didn't create many different drafts of this page as it worked so well the first time, my target audience didn't say much needed improving. on this version I amended the harsh edge of the writing so it looked better on the page and just amended a few other things to make my final product. I am extremely happy with these pages as I think this double page spread really looks professional and organised, as well as clearly addressing my target audience. also the fact that I used one single image really makes it simple yet affective in collaboration with the text and logo on the page. this is my favourite piece out of the three pages and are happy to have had such a good outcome of work.

Critical evaluation of final draft of Front cover

This is my final design for the front cover of my music magazine. after editing areas from feedback of my focus group I think I finally have a product that collectively represents, addresses and attracts my audience of indie music lovers of the age 15- 20. I am happy with the way it has finally turned out and think my focus group feedback was the best way to collect information to improve a product.

Changing my Front cover after feedback

After collecting feedback off my focus group I went back into Photoshop and acted upon the improvements they suggested to me. when i gave them the front cover to look at the main things they said to improve on was the positioning of the cover lines, the quality of the font and the colour scheme. Therefore I experimented with the positioning of the cover lines, improved the TONIC logo so it wasn't so pixeated and rearranged some areas and the colour font they showed. one specific criticism I mainly thought about was that one person said they didn't like the main cover line of 'Florescent Violet' and suggested I use the logo I created for my article on her onto the front page. I didn't know how and if this would work on the front cover but I experimented to see how it went. by adding this logo I had to rearrange some of the other cover lines and bar code to make sure the photo was still visible. This is what i ended up creating :

I thought this design gave more view of the main model which gave better interaction with the audience. also i liked how the 'Florescent Violet' logo used the same colour drop shadow as some of the text on the page. Moreover the positioning of the pull quote above the main cover line makes it more visible and then fits in with the cover lines mainly positioned to the left side that follows magazine conventions. Overall I quite like the appearance of this version of my magazine but it was still up to my target audience to decide. Therefore i held another brief focus group to ask people if they preferred the layout of my new design.

Unfortunately after editing this my feedback was that they still preferred the original. They said the arrangement of each of the cover lines was disproportional to the cover and made it appear wonky. They did say the drop shadow of the main cover line was good, but the actual colour of the text wasn't eye catching enough from afar. Therefore from this i went back to my original design and just made improvements on that.

This was my final edited outcome. I improved the smoothness on the masthead so it wasn't as pixelated as before. I also slightly cantered the pull quote to make it less formal and be more visible for its difference against the other cover lines. moreover I moved the puff in closer so it was more dominant on the page. finally, I kept the original design of the main cover line but added an outline to it with a colour burn affect so it would only be visible on the darker areas. This made it more visible from afar and related more to the font of the masthead. I also slightly reduced it so the image of the model was visible from behind.

 

Overall I like the outcome of my final design. I think it will still attract my target audience as it still maintains all the cover lines of their interest. Also the colours still reflect the fresh feel of the magazine and relate to both the main artist involved, as well as give a different appearance to any other magazine. By doing my second focus group, it also showed me the importance of constantly referring to my target audience as what i thought would appear suitable wasn't exactly to their liking. Therefore in the future I will hold as many focus groups as they are the best way to get feedback for my designs.

My focus group feedback

Holding my focus group from theresakuhn4

Critical evaluation of final Draft of my Contents page

 

This is my final version of my contents page for my indie music magazine. I think my audience feedback gave me the slight improvements that would make my contents page very useful and easy to operate when finding articles in a magazine. I am happy how well this page leads on from the front cover and how a clear house design is shown throughout. overall I am pleased with the way it has turned out and hope my audience appreciate the work that goes into one simple page.

Critical evaluation of my First Draft of my Double Page Spread

I think my first draft of my double page spread including my exclusive interview with Florescent Violet will attract and relate to my target audience. again i have used a model that is of a similar age to the target audience so they should be instantly attracted.the image also uses colours that relate to the band and connotate relation to social media sites such as Instagram. i have followed all the conventions of a magazines double page spread so it easy and clear for them to understand, as well as keeping up a constant house design that is visible over the three pages. the image also reflects the personality of the artist and shoews a more natural side to her that the audience can then relate to rather than just a posing celeb seen on mainstream magazines. Overall my double page spread offers an intersting article that discusses the interests of the audience, and  has relating image that alltogether clearly show the real personality of Florescent Violet, which is what my audience wanted.

Creating my Double Page Spread

To start  creating my double page spread about my exclusive interview with  Florescent Violet , I wanted to create a logo of her name as a iconic feature that will be recognised and will feature on other things such as her album or tour poster. going on Photoshop, I created a symbol that linked the F and the V of her name, with two purple stripes that ties in with her image. using various line tools I created a simple yet solid design that was bold and attractive.

I then decided to add the rest next to it with a smaller sized text. I used a similar font as I had used already within the magazine and left the word 'florescent' at usual distance. I stretched 'violet' out so it was proportional to the top word.

 

I then discovered that both words ended with a T, and so I could creatively reconnect the word at the end.

 

Making a large t that stretched over both lines, I aligned it so it was proportional and thought this kept the name compact and interesting. I had now completed this and would place this on the double page spread as it is eye catching and relating to the artist. I think it works well for an indie music magazine as it includes the pastel colours popular at the moment in indie fashions, as well as being laid out in an original style. 

It then came to editing my main image for the page. i wanted to keep it quite simple in editing but relate it to the article and colours of the page. like the front cover image, in Photoshop i gave it a magenta hue to make it more purple, that also defined the colours in her outfit. This style of editing can almost relate to the filers used on instagram, another popular social media site for sharing photos, commonly used by my target audience which relates my image to them and their interests. I also used the burn tool in the corner of the image to give more shadow and definition to the model. moreover I used the blur tool for the background alleyway to emphasise her importance and dominance over the rest of the image. then when putting it onto InDesign, I made the image cover more than half of the two pages and aligned it next to a black box to write over, just as I had planned on my flat plans.

I then inserted my Florescent Violet interview I had previously written up. I divided it into 4 columns over the two pages. I also left space for the pull quote so it would stand out against the rest of the text.

To then continue the house design of the contents page, I added the white bars at the top and bottom of the page.

I then placed the Florescent Violet logo next to the main image. I added a purple drop shadow too so it stood out from the solid text.

Finally i added a stand first to introduce the article. i used another font for this which kept in my house design and added some variation to my page.

So far i think my double page spread was something very plausable to see in an indie music magazine. the colours reflect the name of the artist, the interests of the reader and work well on the page. the text is displayed clearly and is written in an interesting way so its not just questions and answers. Moreover the logo works with the artist and ties the use of black on the page.

Choosing an image for my article

after doing my photoshoot for my magazines front cover, contents page and dps I had a selection of photos that I could use, visible on the contact sheet:




From these I was particularly fond of putting these three images together and interacting with one another like my previous flat plan.

Yet by putting them together in Photoshop it became clear this wasn't a very a strong image and so I should use something else. instead I decided to just use this image. it was much sronger as the girl was in rule of thirds, making her more significant to the photo, there were also strong lead in lines and  range of interesting textures and patterns that made this image more visually appealing. moreover I particularly liked this image as it was very natural and honest compared to the front cover, and so I thought reflected her personality that was then backed up with info in my article.
by using this image I was also going against the usual conventions of a magazine, as indie trends including the use of Instagram mainly shows the common feature of posing for the image. with my model acting naturally, my image would then be more daring and noticeable within the magazine.
My chosen image:

Florescent Violet Interview: Composing an interesting article

After meeting Florescent Violet in a café for her interview I collected the answers I got off my questions I had previously planned and decided to write them up. instead of just plainly putting in answers and questions repreatedly which was rather dull, I incorporated them into proper text so It was more fluid and engaging for the audience to read. therefore I collected my answers and wrote the following article:

Florescent Violet Interview by Theresa Kuhn

Critical Evaluation of Second Draft of Contents Page

 

After collecting valid feedback off my first draft i have changed it so it is more appealing and fits in with my genre of music. I have kept the same layout of text which is clear and easy to read, and that follow the conventions of a professional magazine.

One of the first things i changed was the colouring of the text, including the same purple as the front cover, creating a obvious house design to my work. I also used the same masthead font for the 'Contents' heading which again linked the pages well together and reinforced the idea this was an indie magazine because of its Aztec design. Moreover I increased the size of the page numbers to make them easier to view when finding specific articles. also increasing the white boxes improved this as well.

In general I have added more features to again protray this as a professional contents page. Including links to multiple platforms at the top of the page makes the magazine more interactive and based along what the target audiences preferences are. Also, visually adding more pictures relating to the articles makes he page more appealing and relative to the indie bands within the magazine.

 

Overall i think my improvement of the page has increased recognition and response to being an indie magazine for my target audience. The use of bright contrasting colours and images of artists chosen  defiantly represent the age group and likes my target audience told me. I think it is a very informative page that is useful in looking for magazine contents.

 

Critical Evaluation of the Second Draft of Front Cover

After changing certain features of the front cover I think my front cover responds even better to my criteria of creating an indie music magazine. Choosing to change the colour of some of the cover lines was a good idea, as they now stand out more and relate even more to the colour scheme that fits in with the current trends of pastel colours being the in thing. the yellow also works with the photo and the colours of her skirt.

Reducing the size of the barcode has increased the professionalism of the cover, as well as keep with the normal conventions of a magazine. This way it is still easier for the audience to check the pricing of the magazine and the website.

Overall I think my front cover still portrays a interesting indie music magazine. The colours reflect the mood of the music genre and the image and cover lines work well with this.

Improving my contents page and front cover after feedback

After I collected feedback on what to improve, I started to act on my front cover. The first thing I did was changed some of the colouring of the cover lines to make them more eye-catching. looking at a colour wheel to get inspiration, I settled with a pale yellow that contrasted well with the purple. this made the pull quote stand out better, as well as the other cover lines. I also changed the font and size of the cover line 'Gig Lists' that worked better with the image.

I was then told to reduce the size of the barcode to make it look more professional and less dominant to the front cover. Doing this gave more focus to the main cover line and pull quote.

 I then moved on to improving my contents page. One of the things I thought would work particularly well to demonstrate it was a contents page was to use the font I created for my masthead in the heading for the contents page. Rearranging and adding a few more letters, I created the word on Photoshop all from scratch that would keep up the house design of the front covers masthead. I thought this would still keep up my indie music image with the Aztec font included.

Whilst creating this, I started to change the basis of my first draft of my contents page. As people commented saying to show a consistent house design I changed the text colour to the same purple as the front cover to make it follow through better. Also, the main image of the page is Nate Russ from FUN singing, so I thought id include a pull quote next to him to reference the article. Moreover within the image there is someone holding a phone. I thought this would be the perfect icon to relate with downloading the magazine on multiple platform's that would again tie in the idea of young people reading this on their latest gadgets, and is then more convenient for them.

Adding to the idea of getting this magazine shared on other multiple platforms, I included symbols such as the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Email with related links where readers can then connect with the magazine and comment on recent articles and events. I especially included Instagram links as there is a relating article, as well as a main indie trend is to post new outfits and everyday life on there in an interesting way, so directly links with the genre of my magazine.

going back to my masthead font, I finally assembled the letters together to spell out 'contents'. originally I was going to the use the c and o within the word, yet the circle already within the c acted as an o in this case, which made it more interesting. I added a drop shadow to the heading to make it stand off the page too. also with the lens flairs within the image, this worked even better and they stood out more prominently this way.

Finally I wanted to add some more images that gave an idea as to the other artists and articles within the magazine. Within Photoshop, I edited them so they each had an overlaying colour gradient of violet(again tying the colour scheme of the house design) and added a drop shadow to each to make them more prominent. also in terms of page numbers, I created a small airbrush circle to highlight the page number and make them more noticeable. This tied everything together nicely and again fitted in with the colour scheme.

 

Feedback From First Draft Contents and Front Cover

 

Critical Evaluation of First Draft of Contents page

 

After creating numerous versions of my contents page this version seems the most professional and relating to my genre of music. It’s easy to read and shows a selection of articles that the audience can easily use to turn to certain features. It follows the conventions of professional magazines and so ties in well with my front cover.

Each article of the page was inspired directly from my audience research, with interviews from artists they had specifically mentioned. it also includes regular features of published magazines such as TONIC mail and gig lists that directly involved the audience with the magazine and music they are interested in. therefore I think my chosen articles directly address my target audience and will be something they will want to read.

The colours I chose to go well with the picture I inserted (that relates to one of the articles interviewing FUN). They also consist of pastel colours that follow my house design. however when placing it next to my front cover I realised there is no relation in colour scheme between the two, so I will later go and amend this so a house design is more visible. Also I don't like the 'This week in TONIC' heading as it seems too awkward against the rest of the page, so I will change this to.

Otherwise I feel this contents page relates and attracts my target audience. By following the codes and conventions in a creative way I have designed a clear and professional contents page that will be useful in article searching and gives you a feel for the indie style of the magazine as the first page of the magazine.

 

Creating my Contents Page in InDesign

 

After changing the appearance of my contents page for a third time, I finally created my flat plan that was practical and professional. Therefore sticking to this I started by adding in my photo. I only edited this photo slightly so that the top was completely black and that the main figure stood out. I placed the image the top half of the page so it divided the page evenly in two. 

To then make an area for the columned writing of articles, I used a black box that nicely blended in with the photo.

 It then came to adding in my articles. I made sure I divided the regulars and features into sections within the columns so it was formal and fitted the conventions. I used all three fonts of my house design to differ in article name, page number and description. This kept it in order yet made it look more creative. Also I made sure the page number was positioned to the right of the cover line article name to make it easy to read, and that the description text was right orientated. I coloured the text as the same blue in the image so it tied in well together.

 I liked the layout of the text so far yet the article names didn't really stand out particularly. Putting the white boxes behind the article names made it clear as to what was important and organised the text better. I also made the editorial with black text on a white solid background to separate it from the articles and make it clear to what it is. 

Although it is a contents page, I wanted the exclusive interview with Florescent Violet to stand out amongst the different articles. I also wanted it to be slightly creative and individual (which would work with my indie themed magazine). Therefore in Photoshop I created a white smudge that looked as if it was sprayed on. This made the page more creative and the article more noticeable. Meanwhile, I also created a signature for my editorial as it is one of the conventions of a magazines editorial. Finally I added the TONIC title in impact writing to show it was the contents for this week’s issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was then the beginning first draft of my contents page that I would collect feedback on first before making it my final design. With my previous experimenting in InDesign this became easier to create as I already had a feel for the different tools I could use to make my contents page creative yet follow the conventions of a professional magazine.

MAJOR CHANGES: Contents page and double page spread

After creating original flat plans earlier in my research and planning I have decided to change them. Although I liked their design when creating them, relaying them into Photoshop made me realise they looked unprofessional and didn't work with the rest of my magazine. Therefore I have decided to keep the same layout for my front cover, but after experimenting my contents page and double page spread will have a different appearance. The image I was going to use of my model leaning against the wall on my contents page will now be used on my double page spread, as the image is stronger than the one I edited. Also, I will use images from a FUN gig as the one for the contents page as in published magazines; they never use the same artist in the contents page as for the main article. Therefore the one of him central to the photo will work particularly well, both image and colours. The images below show the changed flat plans that I will now base my pages on:

Practicing in InDesign

To start creating my contents page and double page spread in InDesign I thought I would experiment first with all the tools available so it was easier for me to create my final design when it came to it. I started with choosing three pages when opening a document, choosing margins that were 12mm long and adding a bleed to the page in case I made an image the whole size of the page. For each page, I thought I would create three columns so the text would be organised and efficiently include all the text I would place clearly. This gave me three pages equally divided into three columns.

 I then started by adding a headline to the page. I could either incorporate this when putting a headline on my main article, or as the contents indicator. Using a text box I made the headline fit across the whole top of page, so it 'snapped' to the margins. I also created a 'standsfirst' which using the guides, made smaller but align proportionally above the text.

Then it came to adding text. Selecting the text box tool I created a big enough text box for my writing in the first column. Then going on the Placeholder text button, I was able to get an idea as to what the text would look like when I inserted it. I could also drag it across the two columns so it would reveal any text I hadn't already included. This layout was then formal and professional.

 

I then experimented with inserting images within the text. After 'placing' an example image onto the page into a cross box, I was able to differ its size and layout within its own box. Once that was done, I could also sort out text wrap. I could either have the image placed behind the text or in-between. I decided to go for the text to shape round the image, with a 3mm banner each side. When I placed it within the text, the text automatically shaped around the object so it was still clear, readable and easy to follow. This again made the writing look professional and interesting instead of conventionally next to the text.

 

Once id got an idea of the basic tools to make the contents and double page I experimented with some of the images I planned to use and see how they worked round the page. 

I also tried out shaping my text which I could later use for pull quotes on the double page spread. Using the shape tool, I could create a circle and then insert text to keep it arranged within that shape. I also drew a curved line that I could also write text along. Experimenting with these different techniques gave me ideas as to ways I could improve the presentation of my double page spread.

Overall experiencing InDesign and learning more about its different functions was very useful towards the creating of my own pages. Having a rough idea of how to use elements of design and how to make them look the best was something that was really interesting to discover

Critical Evaluation of first draft of front cover

 

After creating my first draft of my front cover I am very happy with the outcome. I feel it represents my target audience of people aged 11 – 20 as it displays someone on the front cover within the same age range, and has cover lines with articles relating to their interests directly from my target audience research.

I chose a few cover lines to go on around the image, and backed them up with a drop shadow so they stood out. They are all coloured with a purple font colour which I wish to change because it’s not visible enough. I especially like the stamp appearance of the puff with buzz words inside, as I think this looks really professional and attention grabbing. I think by sticking with 3 main fonts my front cover looks professional and organised.

The main image worked really well in editing and I think the redy colour gives it a dramatic style to the photo, yet when printing it out it became really dark and not clearly visible.

My masthead worked surprisingly well, despite creating it from scratch. However the curved letters the shapes I used had pixelated and so it looks unprofessional. On later stages of editing I intend to resolve this, either blending the black line into the colour or defining it better.

I have decided to display the barcode with issue number and price at the bottom left corner. This way it is visible but doesn’t draw attention away from the main image and cover lines.

Overall I think my magazine is appropriate for my intended target audience as the articles reflect their interests.  I have followed all the codes and conventions of a normal magazines layout so it looks professional and interesting. I have worked very close to my flat plan which means I have worked well to my intended planned design, and I am very pleased with my outcome.

Creating my Front cover

After taking a selections of possibility's for images for my front cover I finally decided to choose this image. I like how the model was positioned off centre and the alleyway still visible in the background. also her importance is highlighted with all focus on her and the background fuzzy to demonstrate this. even thought there is not much contrast in light and shadow on her I like her glow at the front of the photo that in itself contrasts with the dark alleyway. moreover her position is relaxed but professional, with her face expression serious and yet interesting and eye catching.

To start the edit on my photo, I decided to use the burn tool. Due to my image being taken in dull lighting conditions I wanted to add light and shadow into my picture to create a contrast. Therefore I started concentrating on darkening the left side of her face,as the background gave clear indication as to the light path coming from the right. I wanted to make it shaded but not overly edited so I used the burn tool on a low opacity to create an even shadow. I also used t the blur tool to control the thickness of the shadow too that also gave an even glow.

I continued doing this along the left side of her body defining the shadow beneath her cardigan and along her shirt. 

I also decided to use the blemish tool that removed any red spots or areas from her skin, that made the image and skin complexion more professional. 

I then decided to edit the hair too. I wanted to create a shine to the top of the head to show the light direction and to emphasise the contrast in hair colour. Using the dodge tool gave a highlight to the top of  her head and made the shadow work in the eight places.

Not only did I use the dodge tool on the hair, but on the shoulder of the model. I wanted to define the shadow even more so by making it lighter on the opposite side,  it gave more definition to the photo.

Finally I went over again with the burn tool, darkening shadowed skin and her cardigan so she had an overall shadow that was even, looked professional and worked with the photo. 

Using the variation tool I was able to colour the whole image a magenta colour that I thought really defined the image. Not only did it bring out the contrast that really gave the photo depth but it worked well with the intended band name of the model. Therefore the artist  was now not only being portrayed through the image  but the colour scheme as well,so ' florescent violet' would stand out even more.

Once I edited the photo, it lead me to the adding of the normal magazine conventions. Following my flat plan, I arranged the different cover lines in the basic area they would be so I got an idea as to how they would work round each other. At this stage I was happy with the main cover line, masthead, bar code and strap line positioning, yet I thought I could improve the structuring of the other cover lines and features.

Instead of writing the buzz word advertising tickets i thought i would include that in a puff. when i put in a circle to start with it looked very unprofessional and stuck out awkwardly. after briefly researching some other music magazine covers i observed that they used a outline of a circle which looked as if it had been stamped. therefore from this i used the custom shape tool to get an outline and put the text within it. when grouping them together in layers, i could then create a drop shadow for the whole thing that made it looked like it had actually just been stamped on. also using the rubber tool on a brush setting, i could create the speckled rough look that made it more creative. i also changed the cover line tag to the main cover line. instead of just a summary of the article i used a pull quote, it standing out with a drop shadow that made it jump out of the page. overall i am happy with the draft appearance of my front cover. it relates to my target audience and keeps a house design, therefore making it look professional and acceptable as an actual magazine.