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

The institution company that would preferably distribute my magazine will be IPC media. The reason why I have chosen this hugely famed company over other companies such as Bauer Media Group which is also successful, is based on the fact that it already distributes a number of music magazines such as Q and Kerrang, thus they are less likely to provide the attention my magazine deserves and I would not like my magazine to be constantly compared to the other music magazines they have distributed.

Moreover, the success rate for IPC media is high; it is one of the four most popular distribution companies as well as being the UK's leading consumer magazine publisher. Therefore, I think that it is appropriate for my magazine in terms of determining the magazine's success. Additionally, another added benefit would be the company's reputation; the audience would be attracted to the magazine for the company's well known status which would make my magazine look established as it is associated with the celebrated company.

Also, the company already distributes the famed magazine 'NME', highlighting the matter that they can produce a magazine well. I think that it is important for the company to manage a successful magazine already as it builds on the company's reputation and enhances their experience and stability of accomplishments onto your magazine. They distribute a range of more successful magazines from Marie Clare and InStyle that covers the fashion and beauty category. As a result, I have no second thoughts on the company that I have decided on.

Moreover, IPC media would be able to promote my magazine through the utilization of print, online and mobile. I know this because NME can be held as an example for the company’s promotional skills which was a huge triumph. NME also has a radio station and their own award ceremony which I hope to achieve for my magazine too in the near future. This emphasizes the fact that my magazine will contribute similar opportunities for it to gain the recognition it deserves from people across the world.

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

Front Cover
The house colours I used of dark blue, black, dark purple and white is conventional as professional magazines only use 3-4 colours in their colour scheme otherwise the magazine would look disorganised and childish. The colours are neutral in terms of appealing to the male and female audience.

The masthead that is emphasized by it's drop shadow and size on my front cover is conventional as makes it the first matter the reader would see on the magazine - revealing the identity of the magazine's brand. The basic, bold font is appealing to both target audiences due to its simplicity. The colour white stands out from the dark background. Also, my magazine is multi-genre, thus my masthead cannot be particularly made to look in support of a particular genre otherwise it would isolate audiences and music that is contributed in the magazine.

The full-bleed image of the main artist is usually plastered on the front cover, which allows the audience to have a clear indication of who the magazine is featuring.  The image will typically support the artist's genre. For my magazine the artist 'Cecile Rose' supports the genre of elctra-pop. This genre is unique and not common, thus the full-bleed image is unique with the unusual make-up and pose. This would make the magazine stand out from others as it is different and made to appear interesting.

The sell lines surround the full-bleed image of the artist allowing the readers to differentiate both matters rather than them overlapping, making it looks messy. I separated the sell lines in a neat fashion where the main headings are in a size larger than the little descriptive text below it. This is conventional as magazines would put a sell line which they consider to be appealing to the audience. Also, I used the shape tool to create a circle that consists of the plug - this would highlight the free gift the reader would receive if buying this magazine. This is conventional as it influences the consumer to buy the magazine or not.

Other conventional matters on the front cover of the magazine is the bar-code, price, date and issue number. This is small information that may be useful for the reader and are typically on the front cover of every magazine.

Contents Page
The layout of my contents page is conventional as it is organised in columns. This is evoked in numerous magazines as it is a well formatted way to present the content to the reader and it is easier for the reader to read. The different subheadings I contributed were 'editor's note', 'features', 'regulars' and 'exclusives'. I used these subheadings as it is common to be on most contents pages in magazines. The audience would be familiar with these particular subheadings.

I placed the page numbers next to the images and headings that related to the article located on that page. Making it easier for the reader to locate where each matter is in the magazine. Also, above the title 'Contents' is the name of my magazine as a reminder of the brand - most magazines do this.

Furthermore, I provided a multi-media section where it included popular networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This is conventional as it is important to keep up-to-date with new media which makes the magazine appear technologically advanced. The growth of social media has led to the promotion of magazines.

The website for my magazine is consisted on every page for those who prefer online to print and perhaps find it more easily accessible rather than going to a shop to buy the magazine.

Double Page Spread 1
The majority of articles take up two pages due to the amount of content they have written about the featured artist and also the images of the artist takes up a lot of space. A conventional double page spread is for one image of the artist to take up a whole page and the next page would be filled with text. However, I decided to contribute two images of the artist on one page (medium sized) and three on the next page (small sized) with the text. I thought I would go for something different to a basic layout, to make it more appealing.

Draft #3

Locations

Audience Feedback

                                 

                         

Production Diary #14