Magazine Evaluation
Question 1: In what way does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products.
When you look at a magazine shelf, the first thing that stands out is the magazine name, the image and perhaps the colours used. You will often see magazines using colours that runs on theme such as colours of the season that magazine is published, or ones that match well with the image used on the front. However for Complex magazine, i ran my choice of colours on the target audience (young adults+). As you can see on the front cover of Complex, the chosen colours are pastel pink, deep grey and light blue. Although pastel pinks and blues may not be considered as colours that would appeal to my target audience, I find that contrasted with the grey it look professional and co-ordinates well with each other. Also the grey background means that the lighting will stand out and be easy to use. The title 'Complex' is in a font similar to existing magazines however i don't think this make it stand out any less, the font is still bold and a good quality, meaning it will appeal to the target audience I want it to. It also gives the impression that the rest of the magazine will be professional and follow the theme Im aiming for. The image on the front is another element that stands out well, I took inspiration from Elle magazine who the majority of the time will use only the upper body of the model, I think this look professional and clean and more put together, than other magazines. Finally, the sub-headings and descriptions are something that are distinctive against other magazines, most will just use a larger font as the sub heading with a small font in the description, something that I made different about mine is the 'pattern' surrounding the tittles. I believe this draws in the audience and also makes it easier to read. The reader can see which story belongs to which description and it makes the layout interesting and captivating. The contents page of my magazine is similar to existing, on this page, and ones that run throughout the rest of the magazine keep with the theme of the dark grey and pastel colours, with only two stories, it was hard to make the page stand out and look interesting enough to read however I used this to my advantage. I could make the two headlines of the stories bold and take up a lot of the page each, this would make the reader immediately be intrigued and want to read the descriptions and continue to the article, With plenty of room I could also make the descriptions to the two stories quite detailed but not giving to much away, again meaning that the reader will want to read on and find out more on the full articles. I could include big images which bring colour and make the page look appealing. Finally, I found that I still had a lot of spare room on the page, so i decided to again fill this up with patterns and make simple arrows 'swirly' so the page is not bland and looking all the same. Finally on my two story pages I made these look simpistic and simple and only including a title that would stand out and an image that will be striking. For the double page spread I wanted to make the background a light colour so i could Use dark colours for the headings, I done this so that the magazine wouldn't look to repetitive, I also thought with as much writing as there was, to have dark writing on the light background would mean i was easier to read. Most magazines include images however these would usually be found in set boxes, I did this with two of my images but the large image on the right i think is intriguing and different, it stands out amongst the writing and the rest of the page and I think this looks appealing.
Question 2: A- How do the images you have used in your magazine represent particular social groups? Powerpoint:
http://www.slideshare.net/EleanorWilliams2/magevaluation-question-2-presantation
Question 3: Who would be the audience for your magazine? And how have you sought to attract them?- Mood Board
Question 4: A- Describe how you used secondary research to complete this project.
C- Describe the different types of primary research used to complete this project
Prezi-
http://prezi.com/txczmakdfzsy/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
Question 5: How has your written content attempted to engage your audience?
A- What was the purpose of your interview
B- Think about your other articles too and consider their style
A- The purpose of my interview was to inform the reader of Complex magazine on current life of a young adult who is interested in working in the Fashion industry. I wanted to let the reader know about what it takes to become a part of the fashion industry, to do this i chose to interview a student at a college studying Fashion and Textiles A Levels. With Complex magazine aimed at young adults plus and who would have an interest into Fashion, I thought this would be a good interview to do, as it would help reader and give them an idea of what they could do to be able to reach into the Fashion industry and how other people are finding the experience. My interview techniques went well, I decided to ask simpler questions at the begin, such as 'What college do you attend' or 'Why did you choose the courses Fashion and Textiles' this was so basic information could be retrieved, this would help me and the reader get an idea of who the interviewee is and what there interested, I then proceeded to ask deeper question, such as 'What do you plan for the future' and 'Your idea of Fashion' this allowed me to get more in-depth answers and giving the reader an I a broader insight to the Fashion world. To prepare for the interview I chose to research into a few things, I started but finding out information for myself on the college the interviewee attended and the courses she took, I did this so that I could get a brief idea on background information so it was easier for me to understand. I also researched into how other people would get into the Fashion industry, and all the ranges of jobs that could be achieved and how you would achieve them. I think this helped a lot as it again gave me brief information on the whole of the Fashion industry, it also helped when it came to contrasting the different ways to get into the Fashion industry, and if it really what it is says on the internet.
B- My other article, the column piece which I did on 'The Airbrush Debate' gave reader my opinion on the use of photoshop and airbrushing within the Fashion Industry. Some column pieces can often be found to serious, as they are an opinion piece and people what to get there point across. Although I wanted to get my point across I chose not to do it as 'serious' as It could of been, I felt like having a more relaxed approach to my opinion would make it easier to read and wouldn't turn readers down. The language I used was suitable for the reader and the age range I used, I kept it formal where I could but also added in a informal language that readers could relate to. I also think the final font kept the double page spread mature and appealing to the target audience as it looked clean and fresh and followed on the theme of Complex magazine over all.
Question 6: How do you feel your website design conforms to the conventions of your chosen genre and brand identity?
Powerpoint-
http://www.slideshare.net/EleanorWilliams2/question-6-evaluation-33146678
Question 7: What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Prezi-
http://prezi.com/ozwoor5dhiuf/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
