Evaluation notes

Finished Work: BeatBox Magazine

Front Cover: 

 Contents Page:

 Poster:

 DPS:

tomorrows work shop

in tomorrows workshop i need to finish off by making minor improvements to my dps and contents page. on my contents page there is a bit of blank space so i need to add something to remove that and my dps is nearly done i just need to get feedback from a second person and see how i can improve it in order to make it look as professional as possible.

5/11/14

created an additional item for my magazine: a poster

4/11/14

started and finished my dps

28/11/14

last lesson i began creating my magazine front cover, after a lesson worth of work, i have managed to complete my front cover. 

i have completed the main features name and added it to the front cover along with the features, skyline, price, issue and barcode

24/11/14

started on my front cover by adding text 

also began my main features name in illustrator

21/11/14

finished contents page

20/11/14

further development of my contents page.

18/11/14

I began my creating my contents page an this is how far i have progressed.

call sheets

magazine proposal pitch & feedback.

adobe illustrator notes

• Illustrator is vector based and is not pixel based. it is better for graphics as it is more flexible and does not distort the image. 
• it uses layers just like photoshop but make sure to lock it when you are not using it. 
• selection and direct selection tools are key
• fill to fill an object
• stroke to add an outline
• opacity makes it solid/ see through 
• selection tool allows you to e.g rotate (just like photoshop) 
• direct selection creates anchor points and anchor
• shapes tool too are very useful 
• effects e.g blur or 3D
• you can import JPEGs and convert to vector using live trace for a stylized look 
• text tool is used for selection to move, resize or rotate
• window- type- character- experiment (manipulate e.g tracking and spacing) 
• right click text to create outline. this creates anchor points which allows you to isolate and edit smaller parts of text. 
• pen tool allows you to add to anchor points 
• to export: file- export- PNG file- select high resolution. make colour transparent. 

magazine proposal

studio pictures of model (2)

Models picture before photoshop 

Models picture after photoshop

This picture may be used as my cover because i believe it suits the genre of the magazine well. this s due to 3 main things: 

1. Costume: Hip hop is a genre in which artist often use clothing to portray a certain image. Hip Hop is a very 'rough' and 'edgy' genre and that is exactly what the clothing is portraying. We often look at colours and think of connotations that could go with that colour. Most hip hop artist wear black and one could say the connotations for this are: dark, death, rough, edge, violence etc. so just by wearing black, the model is putting forward the one thing i want to bring out which is : The Dark Side of Hip Hop.  

2. Filter: Having the picture in black and white contributes to the message i'm trying to send out to the audience (the dark side of hip hop). This is because there is a repetition of darkness in the actual image (dark clothing, filter etc.) putting a real emphasis on the fact that hip hop is a 'rough' and 'edgy' genre. 

3. Pose: The way my model is posing is very edgy and rough and from my view that is what i believe hip hop is based on. Hip hop is a very patriarchal genre where nearly all of the men are seen a 'rough' and 'edgy' (this could be due to their physical appearance or it could be based on the lyrics their songs include) and by posing with his hands clenched into a fist, it brings out the 'rough', 'edgy' and 'dark' side of hip hop showing that he is willing to take on anything a person or society throws at him. 

studio pictures of model (1)

Studio Notes

Backdrop: 

- White back drop which can be made look darker or lighter 

- Never have the model stand right at the back of the drop as they will bleach in. Have your model 5-6 feet from the back drop (distance from the subject). 

Lighting: 

- Lights should be off while photographing as the room lights will effect the picture. 

- Flash Head- it is a flash unit giving elements of contrast. 

- 3 point lighting for portrait pictures 

- Model lights are used for portrait as it adds light to any area above the hip. 

- 3 types of lights: model, fill & hair light. 

- Doing a 3:1 lighting ratio helps add contrast and creates a better effect. 

Back of the light: 

You have a few buttons such as: 

- On & Off

- Test (everything works together) 

- Music note which beeps informing us that the light is ready to go again. 

- + and - for light setting (how bright you want the light to be. 1 is the lowest and 6 is the highest) 

- Godox which is a remote control and is the transmitter. 

Camera: 

- Camera  that are used normally are DSLR 

- DSLR's have a 2 card memory slot 

- To add an effect to the picture, e.g black and white you must go to menu then press ok and choose monochrome. 

- Always look at the play back to view any shots you've taken which can be done by pressing the play button. 

- Settings you should use: A&S (Aperture and Shutter) aperture is for focus of the camera and shutter is for movement. 

- Reflectors: used for a warm tone or cool tone. 

  

 

Distribution of magazines

For this task, I visited WHSmith to view the way they display music magazine. In the past, when displaying magazines they would use a ruler to evenly space out magazines (the space between was about 12cm). However when I asked the store manager if this method was still in use, he explained this method is no longer in use and new methods have been brought in. These methods are known as 'Merchandising best sellers" & 'Beacon Brand'. Merchandising bestsellers is a method in which WHSmith position bestsellers in the front teir of the category. Beacon brand is a method they use in which a particular magazine could contact them regarding where the magazine will be positioned at pay extra to have a box like holder which sticks out in which magazines are place. Both method work well in catching the audiences attention and promoting sales.

When I took a look at the magazines, I noticed two magazine stood out in particular (Mojo & Rock). I went ahead and asked the store manager how well it was doing in sales and he confirmed that Mojo & Rock were their best seller which is why they were positioned right at the front; He also mentioned that some magazines pay extra to ensure that they are the face of every teir. If you look, the way Mojo & Rock are positioned, no other magazine is in front of it. There is a clear space left between Mojo & Rock and the other magazines displayed on it's left and right. What is more to add is, we can see the whole cover page of the magazine and we can clearly see the free CD they are giving away (sale promotion). We can also see that both magazines are covering other magazines which are just about shown in the display. One thing both magazines have in common is their main cover picture. There has been a use of dark images with bold and bright complimentary colours. Another thing is both are giving away a free CD as stated before promoting sales. People would see this and be more attracted towards the magazine and will be more likely to buy the magazine. 

XXL Distribution methods: 

http://m.xxlmag.com

https://mobile.twitter.com/XXL

https://m.facebook.com/Xxl13?refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2F&_rdr

http://m.ustream.tv/xxlmagazine

NME distribution: 

http://www.nme.com/magazine

https://mobile.twitter.com/NME

https://m.facebook.com/nmemagazine?refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2F&_rdr

college magazine evaluation

What went well:

Peers who commented on my college magazine cover and contents have said that, my cover page was 'great'. I have used a 'consistent house style' which makes my cover very 'unique'. It was easy for them to identify the mast head and cover line. There wasn't a clutter of information on the cover which made it more 'interesting'. Also my choice of image was greatly preferred by them as the image wasn't plain and in fact was 'relevant to the genre'. 

What do I need to improve on: 

One thing I need to improve on is using the space more. I agree with this as the right side of my magazine was very heavily informative and the left side was a bit empty. 

Three key points: 

- Use space more

- Have a good selection of images

- Get more used to photoshop

college magazine contents page

college magazine cover

Preliminary Task: Lsc Magazine (Planning)

Cover: 

Contents:

XXL & NME Press Pack

XXL is published by Harris Publications. It is said they publish over 75 other magazines including juicy & dog news. Harris Publications was founded in 1985 by Stanley R. Harris. 

Press pack: 

Here we see basic information about the magazine and a bit about the reader. It is shown to us that the magazine is based mainly for men as 78% of their readers are male. They would use images of female artist in this case (which they do often) to attract sale. 

The chart shows rival magazines and how well XXL is doing against them. Having something like this in a press pack can promote sale too because when an artist or anyone wanting to advertise see this, they would be easily convinced as the chart shows XXL is doing far better than any other magazine on that chart so they are more likely to advertise in XXL. 

XXL have here told us in dept information about their readers. They have divided up the readers into 3 columns: Gender, Ethnicity & Age. This area of the press pack tells me clearly which age, race and gender is buying the most and which is buying the least. Having this helps because if I had never come across an actual hard copy of XXL and I saw this, I would immediately get an idea of what kind of content is included with in the magazine. 

Finally in this bit of the press pack, sections of the magazine both hard copy and online are explained to us. This is a great area of the press pack as, it gives everyone an in depth explanation of how XXL works. 

NME is published by Jo Smalley who was before the publishing director of Nuts and Mousebreaker but was appointed to NME in November of 2013 when sales started to fall. 

Comparing NME to XXL, NME's press pack (as you'll see) has less in depth information. 

Here we have the readers profile. We see that 63% of the readers are men and this does reflect on what they publish as the magazine has a lot of content which is aimed at men. What they have included is reader opinions which is an interesting twist to the press pack as this helps those who are interested in advertising in the magazine get a clearer view of what the magazine has to offer. 

NME have focused their press pack more on advertising rather than giving information about their magazine. As you can see here that they are listing prices and how to get in contact with them. Where as XXL have provided a in depth press pack with sections focusing on different aspects such as reader profile, rivals, demographics etc. 

- We have the master head at the top of the magazine: "college" 

- The main cover line is "Mike Posner..." However not many people would know this as it's the same size as most of the teasers on the front page. 

- The main feature/ Model is in the centre of the picture with a eyeline that matches ours, going on to directly addressing the audience. 

- We have the bar code, date, price and issue listed at the far bottom right of the cover. 

- There is a mix of fonts however as mentioned above, the titles of the teaser is the same as the main cover line. 

- There is a consistent colour scheme of blue and yellow. 

- The main cover line links to the person as the model is what the cover line is based on. 

- Divided up into 7 columns 

- The contents page links to the cover because the models picture is also on the contents page at the far top right of the page with the page number in the picture telling the reader exactly where to find the article. 

- The information has been listed very symmetrically. 

- There are other pictures on the contents page which relate to the articles included within the magazine. 

- The colour scheme from the cover page is still included on the contents page as the writing is blue. 

- They have used a range of fonts. 

- A range of different size images. 

- Formal Language. 

Magazine analysis: XXL

When we first look at the magazine, we notice the model (Lil Wayne) who is in the centre. The picture is a close up shot and his eyelines meets ours which goes on to directly address the audience. He is also positioned in front of the master head. We have the main cover line listed directly under the master head "Lil Wayne Nothing Left To Prove". This acts as an anchorage as it's a short statement which makes the audience wonder what the article with in may be about. We have teaser at the fat right of the magazine which are a list of artist names who are also included in the magazine. There is a very consistent colour scheme of black, white and red on the cover of the magazine keeping it very plain but eye catching. To compliment the colour scheme the magazine have used a range of fonts. There is no skyline or pull quote. The magazine is very symmetrical. Lastly the barcode, branding, date, issue and price are all listed at the far bottom left corner of the magazine. The denotation we can see is a very sort of "no worries" facial expression. How ever behind this, the connotation links with the main cover line. "Nothing left to prove" this matches with his facial expression, almost suggesting he has no worries about what people may think. The contents page is made up of two separate pages. The first page is called "the A-side" and is mostly focused on Lil Wayne. There is only one column in the far right of the page with 5 columns. This contents page links mostly to the cover page as mention before the main focus on this page is also Lil Wayne. The colour scheme on this page is also alike to the colour scheme on the front page and also like wise to the cover page there are a range of formal fonts. The second contents page, called the B-side has a very strange format. It's divided it up into 4 columns, 3 of which have a mix of pictures and text while one only has a picture. This contents page mainly focuses on the teasers mentioned at the front of the magazine. This contents page has a mix of different size images and fonts. The colour scheme on this page alike to the first contents page and cover page is very simple. This shows they have kept a consistency with the colour scheme. The DPS i read and analysed is based on the main feature of the magazine Lil Wayne. It is an interview in which colloquial language is used. The tone is very relaxed however the structure is very formal with 3 columns and at the bottom, there is a pull quote out of the interview I'm a large and eye catching font. This acts as an anchorage because if you're going through the magazine and that is the first thing you see you instantly become very interested.