Evaluation: Question Seven Response

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

 

I feel that I have improved quiet a lot and am impressed with the amount of knowledge I have gained when it comes to using different types of technology. 

I used two different art programs to get a range of different technological skills. With the preliminary task I used Adobe Ind. It was good working out all the different layout tools and finding out what I could use to align and get a professional look. On the final magazine I used GIMP 2.0 a free downloadable manipulation software, similar to Adobe Photoshop.

On the preliminary task there is a clear difference in alignment and the issues with them. Uke's mast head is behind the head of the model Lucy but still can be read. Downsouth's mast head prints right over the top of my model Chloe's hair which takes the attention off her and isnt very good. My alignment of the mast head is so much better on my final outcome as both the mast head and the model are clear and defined both draw in attention.

The third left is something I have improved on greatly as well. The preliminary task has words all over the model which looks messy and takes the audiences gaze away from her. On the cover of Uke the left third is neatly arranged around Lucy, this makes it look more professional and tidy.

I am pleased with both of my main cover lines as they are both placed neatly, on the Uke cover I explored more with different filtres which allowed me to get the text two colours instead of one. 

I have learnt many lessons on producing a product professionally and modern. I learnt the importance on not overcrowing the front cover to arange neatly and keep the audiences focus on all of the points of the front cover not just the words. The models selling power is just as great as the contents.

I have improved the most when looking at different filters and effects.

I feel that my final magazine would sell well if it went into production as it can stand out when alongside other magazines yet still have the proffesional feel and vibe. Wheras my first preliminary is rusty and wouldn't be something I would concider putting into print.

Evaluation: Question Six Response

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

I have used a prezi to respond to this question:

Question Six: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? on Prezi

Evaluation: Question Four Response and Question Five Responce

Question Four: Who would be the audience for your media product?
Question Five: How did you attract/address your audience?

The audience for my media product is the Ukulele playing community.

The Ukulele has always been culturally popular in Hawaii as it is it's birth place. It then spread across to the States and is making a name for itself in the music world.

The Ukulele is a small underground movement which is gaining respect and the fasination of the main stream music wave. It has taken a long time for the Ukulele to gain respect as a professional instrument globally.
 
This is why I chose the audience for my media product to be the Ukulele community as they are fresh, exciting and unique. I moulded my magazine around bringing the Ukulele into a professional modern light.
I specifically wanted to challenge media coventions when making the magazine just as the Ukulele players are challenging the rest of the 'modern' music scene.

I had to include several attracting features about my magazine which could hail back to the origins of the Ukulele yet still modernize it and specifically design the issue I picked for women.

Looking at the 'Generic' or 'Stereotyped' female:
Women are all different and can be anything or anyone that they decide. When looking at what society conciders to be a 'generic' or 'stereotype' of a woman it's exactly what you would expect, sooft features long hair and holding a relaxed posture. They always usually are portrayed happy and with a wide smile.

Here is a quick scrapbook of some women:


Looking at female Uke players:

When looking at the modern female Uke players they look pretty much the same as the average woman. Most sub-cultures of music have different looks that define them clearly. This is one of the most desirable aspects of playing the Ukulele anyone and everyone of all ages can pick up a Uke and play.


Here is a quick scrapbook of some female Uke players:


Uke Moodboard:


Readers of Uke Magazine and attracting them:

I had to take in all of what I had looked up and then be able to create a profession magazine for this wonderful community of musicians, while still focusing on a female specific magazine.

To explain each of the attracting features I have posted the image of my magazine front cover:

Hawaii influence: I wanted to stay true to the origins of the Ukulele, this should also draw in the more traditional Uke players. The influence was the use of vines surrounding my model Lucy and the rest of the magazine.

Female influence: As I designed a female specific magazine issue I changed the colour scheme to pink and featured a female model conveying what I had found about the female Ukulele player.

Proffesional influence: I used Q magazine's layout and models to base mine around, this brings the modern aspect which attracts a wider demographic.

Below I have images to show a young female reading this edition of Uke in her own enviroment and an image of Uke being displayed on a bus stop advertisement. This shows Uke being able to fit right into the demographic that I have chosen. It can be shown on a wide advertsing scale and blend right in yet stand out at the same time.

Evaluation: Question Three Response

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

I chose to answer this question via a video here is the responce to this question:

 I have decided to market my magazine UKE to IPC Media

IPC produces over 60 iconic magazine brands. Two thirds of women in the United Kingdom and 42% of men in the United Kingdom are included within IPC's branding. That is almost 26 million adults within the United Kingdom! IPC also have several online websites linked to their magazine media, these websites collectively reach roughly over 20 million users every single month.

Although I have gone more towards the style of Q magazine published by Bauer Media Group

I decided IPC have a wide enough market and a strong sence of background when it comes to a musical and female audience.

Playing a Ukulele is a hobby talent as well as a carreer path and IPC cater for the hobbiests and the workers of the magazine world.

The gap that Uke could fill for IPC would be the merging of their female and musical magazine readers. Also the only music magazine that IPC currently produce is NME so it would widen their musical based products.

The stylish look and feel to my magazine would draw the audience in for IPC as I have designed it speicifally with the readers gaze in mind.

IPC are very professional in what they do and have been around for 150 roughly and this huge background knowledge in working in the media industry will provide justice for my magazine and the company itself when marketing Uke.

Evaluation: Question Two Response

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

For question two I have used www.scribd.com to upload a powerpoint responce:

ukeevaltwo

Evaluation: Question One Response

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

For this evaluation task I have produced a prezi which goes into detail on my magazine's construction and Q magazine. I looked specifically at the construction of the two front covers and the way they use different magazine conventions.

Copy of Uke vs. Q on Prezi

Ending and Begining.

I have completed the three main elements of my magazine creation and now I am moving onto my evaluation.

There are seven main questions to tackle, which I will answer using different types of media tools.

Music Magazine, Completed Double Page Spread.

Music Magazine, Completed Contents.

Music Magazine, Completed Front Cover.

Creating a Music Magazine, Part Four.

After the completion of the contents page my next task was to create a double page spead. I asked Lucy to sit down and create a mock up interveiw with me, here is a snippet of how it went:

"Uke magazine first met Lucy Hurst 3 years agowhen she was just starting out.
Now she has three singles and a brand new debut album due out in a few weeks.
We caught up with her to talk about the new album and where she plans to take it from here."

"Casually sitting on the beach looking out to the vivid blue waves, Lucy sits holding her prized Ukulele joined by Uke's very own Kevin Heinz"

"Uke: So Lucy how are you?
Lucy: I am doing alright, got a lot going on with the new album"

The Framework:
I created my basic double page spread framework in GIMP 2.0 the free downloadable art program.
First I created an A4 sheet, then I increased the size of the canvas to A3 and copied the A4 so that I would have a clear page divide.

Choosing a Photo:
The next important task was to pick the correct photograph for one side of the double page spead. 
I really love the relaxed posture of Lucy in this one and the lighting is perfect, the added reverse direction of the dog is an extra artistic feature which works really well.

The Background:
Again I wanted to keep the re-occuring theme of pink with the double page spread. Instead of such a heavy pink I went for a softer and darker variation. This darker variation gave a whole different feel to the interveiw it made it warmer and gave it a more personal feel.

I wanted to use an older look so I combined the pink with a sepia tone and a crumpled paper look, the brushes I used for these effects came from www.deviantart.com

 

 PAPER: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=paper+gimp+brush#/d38c83r
TORN: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=paper+gimp+brush#/djduq1

The Name:

Having Lucy's name on her double page spread is important as it catches the attention of the reader.
I wanted to use the same font on the double page spread as the title, I got the font from www.dafont.com its name is 'Jellyka - Nathaniel a Mystery.'

The Album:
As an added extra I created a mock album cover and here I chose to advertise it along with the interveiw.

Finished Framwork:

I am really pleased on how the finished framework looks all I have to do now is add my interveiw with Lucy in and it will be completed.



Creating a Music Magazine, Part Three.

Next thing to create was the contents page. I kept the colour theme running throughout the contents as well as the magazine front cover. This is due to the special edition release of the 'pink edition'. Using 'Adobe Illustrator' I laid out the basic frame work for the text.
 

The Framework:

Creating a Music Magazine, Part Two.

I wasn't very happy with my first magazine front cover so I decided to re-open the file and tweak several features and make general improvements.

First magazine cover.

I felt that the fur ruff of her hood wasn't neatly defined, I revisited the hood and used a smudge tool to create more of a natural flow of the fur. I had her name advertised in the badge but it felt too small, her name was being over shadowed by the names in the coverlines which didn't work. I changed the coverlines so that they were smaller and then shifted the badge up slightly and put her name across her image, using a multiply effect so that it overlaps but doesn't completely cover her coat. Once I had changed font sizes and shifted several features round I added more vines and lowered the shade of pink.

The Completed Cover: (with edits)

CD Cover:

As an extra in preparation of the double page spread I have created a mock CD album cover to feature in the article with her. I looked over my photographs and picked one which doesn't reveal too much of her, this is due to if she was a famous celebrity her name would be enough to sell her products.

The Chosen Photo:

I cropped the image down and then began editing the image, I grabbed an image of the night time stars and laid it over the sky, changing the effect so that they were very subtle, yet added that mysterious feel to the front cover. I asked Lucy what she would call her CD and she replied with 'That's a difficult question' so it stuck, I literately used that as the name of her CD cover.

The Finished Cover:

Creating a Music Magazine, Part One.

My task requires me to create a magazine for a music magazine, I had to begin with ideas for naming and layout. In this blog entry I will discuss my steps for creating the front cover.

The Layout: 

To get the desired layout size I used the program 'GIMP 2.0' on my laptop at home. It gives you the exact page size of an A4 sheet of paper.

The Name:

I wanted the name to be easy to say and one that would fit the Ukulele theme. A Ukulele is often shortened to Uke so I have used this as the name.

Photographing:

Using my digital camera my friend, Lucy who is featured as the model in my magazine and I went to a beach scene and took several photographs to be used on the front cover, contents and double page spread. Here are the key photos:

The Creation of the Cover

Once I had my A4 canvas laid out I had to pick one of my images and paste it in. I chose this one:

Out of all the images I took this is the best one to get a three quarter shot out of, I cropped it down near her waste and then erased all of the background. The image looked professional as it echoed the magazine Q which I was studying for magazine conventions. One of Q's conventions was the iconic red box which features the Q masthead. I wanted to use the same iconic box but replace it with my title of Uke.

Adding the box behind model.

Once I added the box I needed to create my title within this space and work out a colour scheme that would suit the clothing the model is wearing and would also be suitable for the theme of a special pink edition.

Adding a badge and working out colour.

I considered grey at one point as it matched her clothing, however it wouldn't fit the conventions of a female orientated magazine. After I had settled on a eye catching pink shade I added a badge to the front of the cover advertising the '6 Page Exclusive' part of which I would feature later on in the magazine as part of the double page spread. After I had completed the basic layout and badge design I worked with my tagline and coverlines. Underneath the masthead I added 'The Finest Ukulele Magazine in the UK' and put on several coverlines mentioning other Ukulele artists and a chance to win a trip to Hawaii. Along with the basic information I wanted to add extra eye catching flair to the front of the magazine. This is where the vine tool in GIMP came in handy. I changed it to the colour of the masthead background and added several vines across the page. I carried the vines through to the design of the masthead background as well. With the vines I wanted a little something extra on the masthead so I went on google images and found a clipart of a Uke which was free to use.

Here is the original clipart:

http://www.clker.com/cliparts/T/H/R/g/B/i/ukulele.svg

Even after I had finished with the vines something was missing, I had mentioned all of the information yet I hadn't informed the reader much about the actual edition of the magazine itself. I added a pink banner across the bottom of the magazine and added the information of the special edition release.

The First Final

Brief, Music Magazine.

A series of questions explaining about my magazine:

Who are you aiming your magazine at specifically?

My magazine will be aimed at people with the interest in Ukuleles and the musical interests surrounding them in the United Kingdom.

What will your magazine be about?

It will be about an artist called Lucy Hurst (my friend and co-worker) who plays the Ukulele and is a member of the 'Pompey Pluckers' http://pompeypluckers.webs.com/

What are your ideas for cover lines?

The coverlines that I want to feature will be the names of other Ukulele players:
. Julia Nunes
. Sam Brown
. Alicia Grant
. Luthea Salom

Will advertise a trip to win to Hawaii and have a topic of Ukulele's in Hollywood.
Several of the magazine covers that I looked at had opportunities to win trips or other goodies.

What title have you decided on and why?

I wanted to keep the layout very much like Q magazine as it looks professional yet I wanted to add a twist of Ukulele flair to it. I named it Uke as I could have the large eye catching letter to draw the audience in. Adding 'ue' in small letters next to it helped bring closer attention to the title. 

What fonts do you want to use?

There are three fonts in particular I really wanted to work with:

Coverline font:  

General & Masthead font: 

What are your ideas for tag-lines?

On most music magazines they have 'the best' or the 'most popular' so I included 'The Finest Ukulele Magazine in the UK'

When in the year will it be published?

It will be published in 2012 Summer, due to colours and themes.

What kind of image do you expect to put on the front cover and how will you about getting these images?
All the images used on the front of my magazine and within to create the contents will be taken with my own digital camera. I have a SONY Cybershot. 

How frequently would it be published?

It would be published each month so that it could keep readers up to date on what the artists are doing each month.

What are the dimensions of the cover?

The cover is an A4 sheet of paper, with the standard A4 dimensions.

What images/colour would you use on the contents page and double page spread?
I will use the same colour scheme on both the contents and the double page spread. This is due to it being a special pink edition.

Music Magazine Research, Questionaire Results.

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Question One:

Do you purchase a music magazine? (Circle the answer) If yes continue to Question Two if no continue to Question Three.

10/14 REPLIED YES 
4/14 REPLIED NO

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Question Two:

Which music magazine do you purchase from the choice below? (Circle the answer)

6/14 REPLIED Q
4/14 REPLIED KERRANG
3/14 REPLIED NME
1/14 REPLIED METAL HAMMER

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Question Three:
  What attracts you to a magazine? (Circle the answer)


8/14 REPLIED CONTENT
0/14 REPLIED FREE GIFT

1/14 REPLIED COLOUR SCEME
0/14 REPLIED STYLE

5/14 REPLIED GENRE

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Question Four:
What makes you avoid a magazine? (Circle the answer)


10/14 REPLIED GENRE
4/14 REPLIED CONTENT
0/14 REPLIED COLOUR SCHEME
0/14 REPLIED STYLE

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Question Five:
Would you purchase Uke magazine? (Circle the answer)

6/14 REPLIED YES 
8/14 REPLIED NO

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Question Six:
Please write below why you would or wouldn't purchase Uke:

HERE ARE A FEW RESPONCES:


. I would buy Uke because of the Ukuleles!
. I would but Uke because I really like the way in which it is designed.
. I think that the way you are making Uke is really cool.
. I don't really know much about Ukulele's but it looks cool, I wouldn't buy it though, sorry :(
. I wouldn't buy it as its a magazine for girls by the looks of things and I am not a girl sorry
. I don't like the design very much but I love Ukuleles, maybe try something more traditional?

Music Magazine Research, Questionaire.

I have carried out a brief questionnaire on the students in my AS Media class, there are fourteen members of my class. These are the questions I asked them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question One:

Do you purchase a music magazine? (Circle the answer) If yes continue to Question Two if no continue to Question Three.

YES

NO

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Question Two:

Which music magazine do you purchase from the choice below? (Circle the answer)

NME

Q

Kerrang

Classic Rock

Metal Hammer

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Question Three:
  What attracts you to a magazine? (Circle the answer)


Content
 Free Gift
Colour Scheme
Style
Genre

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question Four:
What makes you avoid a magazine? (Circle the answer)


Content
Colour Scheme
Style
Genre

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question Five:
Would you purchase Uke magazine? (Circle the answer)

YES
NO

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Question Six:
Please write below why you would or wouldn't purchase Uke:

Research Anaylisis Music Magazine, Using Prezi.

To help with my research into the conventions of a music magazine I have created an account with a website called Prezi.

Prezi home page

Creating an account and logging in

Creating my own Prezi

This website allows you to create your own powerpoint esq. creation. It is a simple to use creative interface. I found the tools easy to use and understand. I wanted to use it to created a breakdown analysis of the three music magazines I was going to look at to help create my own music magazine. In this prezi I look at NME, Q and Kerrang to see which media conventions apply to a front cover.

My Prezi

Format of the analysis breakdown

Copy of Copy of Conventions of a Music Magazine on Prezi

Final College Magazine, Cover & Contents.

Creating a College Magazine, Part Two.

Once the front cover was completed I had to create the contents page. In the contents I had to pick more topics to do with the Autumnal theme and also include the taglines from the front cover. 

Picking the Photo

Much like the front cover I had to pick a suitable photograph to use, I wanted to show the name of the college somewhere in the shot. I narrowed it down to these two photos from the shots I took. When picking the final one I chose the one with most of the college name and location in. The reason I didn't use the shot of the air cabin is I had no articles with the air cabin in and it had less of the college in the shot.

Creation of the Contents

Once I had my image I wanted to keep the image of the leaves throughout the magazine so I added these along with the title of 'contents'. Using the same effects as I did on the masthead I added the orange strip to draw attention and highlight the heading of the page. With adding the text on the contents page I needed the text to stand out yet not blur out the background too much. I created orange filled boxes then played around with the transparency of the boxes.