Evaluation part 7: looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learn't in the progression from it to the full product?

When I first started the magazine project I research different media terminology that I could apply to my own magazine. Terminology such as: format, formula, frame, function anything that would involve the appearance of my magazine and could improve it. Learning the terminology mean't that I could have a better understanding of what is involved in the professional magazines, and what effects could I have upon the audience, whether they are positive or negative. Then it give me a chance to see what techniques I could use for my magazine that would benefit it the most. 
My first attempt of a magazine cover was below the normal standard of what a magazine should look like, but it did give me a blue print of what I didn't want my official magazine to look like and how I can change it to make it look better. 
As you can see my first attempt for making a magazine did not go very well; half the picture is cut out, 2 out of the 3 pictures are edited and you cant even see the masthead or bottom sell line. But I have learnt from my mistakes and to adapt to how I can achieve a more professionally look compared to my first try.
I have learn't a lot through this project specifically about the technology involved like hardware and software, or the photo editing and embedding software for my blog posts, I have learn't to be more confident with my posts and over time generated my own opinions about theories or past magazines and the effects they have use. I feel as though have progressed over the project by experimenting with different techniques and posting everything I have learn't about the publishing industry. So I definitely do feel that this project has helped maximize my ability of confidence and technology.
One technique I have grown significantly confident is, is the masthead, after experimenting with Prezi I was able to duplicate images and turn them into layers, this enabled me to put the masthead behind the model, just like a professional magazine does. This gave me more confidence in my magazine to start off with when i started my second draft. 
The second way I progressed through this project is learning how the "male gaze" theory can affect the way my magazine is viewed, if the model is a certain age, a certain culture or even in a certain style of position wearing provocative clothing, if can effect how seriously the magazine is taken and how many readers the cover alone will attract. Men will buy a magazine if there is a female on the front wearing little clothing looking perfect, and women would buy the magazine because they want to learn how to look the way the model does. However I progressed this theory using the "hypodermic needle" theory, by injecting them with the idea that you don't need to be super skinny and have an airbrushed face to be on the front cover of a magazine. By using this I could engage my audience to read the magazine, without using a perfect skinny model on the front.
I also acknowledged that my first attempt of the magazine was far too cluttered with sell lines, and had to downsize on the amount I used for final cover so all the attention was directed onto the main image in my front cover. So me noticing the changes I had to make did also help me progress if ever in the future I decide to make another magazine or poster.  
In addition I have lean't how society today is affected by the social groups they support themselves with, by if a large group of people dislike one thing, then the whole group will dislike it. I had to learn how to adapt to the situation and engage at least one person form a group of audience and the rest will follow into a set trend. This was difficult but I managed it by linking it to the "Hypodermic needle" theory and encouraging each person to be unique with their own signature style, just like my music magazine.
Finally; other than engaging the audience I have also learn't how to influence them no matter what age group that particular person is apart of and how I can keep their interest sustained for the length of the magazine. My first step was to include all different topics that would apply to different groups of people such as; fashion, interviews and concert dates. Using all these subjects I was able to appeal to a range of people who all have a common interest on Country Western music. 
In conclusion this project has helped me become for confident with experimenting in different software on both a regular PC and an IMAC, but has also helped me learn different techniques that would apply to every magazine in every genre and developed my understanding of what overall effects it has had on the audience.  

Evaluation part 6: what have you learn't about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Evaluation part 5: how to did you attract/address your audience?

Firstly for my front cover I used a young model of 17, that way my magazine appealed to the younger audience and they would feel included in the magazine, because they would feel the magazine is directed at them. Also I made my model play a guitar while I shot the photos, this was not only to ensure the genre of the music magazine, but to also appeal to any readers who also play guitar. Making them feel included as well.

As you may have noticed I used a quote directly from Emily Jayne Smith on my front cover; this was to inspire my audience not only to read the magazine, but to influence their own lives, in addition this quote may feel the audience feel involved in the magazine, almost as if the magazine is directly including them. Any readers who are having a hard time in their lives, may see this quote and want to read the magazine, to have some advice from a girl who has a hard time as well. Once again I took another physiological stand point when involving the appearance of my magazine front cover and how it can influence the consumers lives.

Furthermore; I limited the effects I involved for my front cover, I didn't include any airbrush, wrinkle crease, make up fillers, or any effects that are generally used to make the models look fake and perfect. This was another way to appeal to my audience, to show that you don't have to look falsely perfect when taking a picture, to inspire them to not be afraid of who you are, and to not give up just like Emily said. My magazine was not to advertise what you should look like or what you should do, it was to inspire the audience to do what they feel they should do.

Another way I attracted my audience was mentioning concert dates for 2014 through my sell line, this was to attract any readers who are only interested in the music, rather than the interview or influence words by a local artist. The same goes for the sell line mentioning quotes and fashion, for any of audience who had no care for the concerts or music, but rather the fashion stereotyped for the Country Western.

I used quite themed colours for my magazine themed around the wild west, so rustic reds, oranges and yellows but as well as blacks. All with bold fonts making sure that it would immediately attract the audience, blacks and reds instinctively mean danger, drawing the audience straight to the colours. I thought that the bolder and darker the font, the more likely the audience is to look straight to the source of the colours and wonder what the magazine is about.

I named the magazine "Detached Strings" because it would confuse the audience, and humans as a race are very curious, so I decided that if I named my magazine something that would make them suspect it's a music magazine, but make them curious as the what genre it is portraying. This is just another way I attracted my audience to read the music magazine.

Finally I attracted and addressed my audience through involving all subjects from different genres of magazines and influencing them all onto one front cover, and giving the audience an image they can relate to.

Evaluation part 4: who would be the audience for your media product?

Evaluation part 3: What kind of media institution might describe your media product and why?

Bauer is one of the most well known publishers in Europe, they sell different genres of magazines whether they are music or fashion magazines. They reach their target audience without any doubt, and through my research between Bauer and IPC media this choice seems better as Bauer sells more music magazines than IPC media.

Every month Bauer publish 745,000 copies of their best selling magazines, making a huge profit compared to IPC, this I think would give me a huge advantage when selling my magazine off to be published as I know I would have a great chance of selling more than one copy of my magazine. However barely any publishing company's selling Country Western music magazines, Bauer and IPC certainly don't and when I researched publishers in America who publish Country magazines, it didn't come up with any clear answers to my question, so I had to choose between two publishing houses with higher records. 
Another reason I picked Bauer over IPC is because; IPC sell more magazines concerning fashion, guns and sport equipment, whereas Bauer produces magazines about style and music from different genres. Picking Bauer seems as the clear choice for publishing my magazine.
As for who would sell my magazine this became a difficult choice because it was either supermarkets like Tesco or Morrison's, as people go food shopping they might also look at buying their weekly magazines or selling in a book store such as WHSmith so that the audience can directly look for a specific music magazine. However I decided to sell my magazine by subscription, they way I won't be losing copies that arn't being sold to the public, but instead being sold directly to my exact target audience with positive feedback
  

Evaluation part 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

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

My Final Designs