Evaluation of my School Magazine

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms or conventions of real media products?

My magazine follows many of the key conventions that are used in real magazines and therefore I think my magazine is a good representation of a real magazine.  Some of the typical conventions of a magazine that I have used are things such as including the date and price of the magazine and also including a barcode. Many magazines only use a few colours on the cover and try to keep on consistent style so it doesn’t look too busy or unclear. I have also included this technique on my magazine cover; I have used the colours black and pink. A selection of fonts is usually used in a magazine making the different coverlines and copy texts stand out and the use of bold fonts have the same purpose. Therefore I have made some of my texts bold and used a range of fonts, but keeping a consistent and professional style. 

2.      How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine represents the social group of female teenagers/young adults. My magazine doesn’t represent a specific social group inside of the group of teenagers as I would try to explore a range of styles throughout the magazine.

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The type of media institution that might distribute my product would be Chew Valley School as I made this magazine specifically for the 6^th form of this school as some information included in the magazine is specific to the school and 6^th form. The magazine might be able to be ordered from the school website or brought through the 6^th form representatives. This would then help to raise money for the school and therefore the money could go towards something specifically chosen by the 6^th formers that would be beneficial to them.

4.      Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience of my media product would be 6^th formers that attend Chew Valley School. My magazine is aimed at a female audience as females are more interested in fashion and are more cautious about what they wear and how they look even though this is becoming more of a trend for males as well.

5.      How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted the audience of female 6^thformers by firstly choosing an image that would appeal to them. I took a picture of a 6^th former that was dressed in casual but fashionable clothes. This means that other 6^th formers can relate to the image. I also used a pink and black colour style. Pink is a stereotypical ‘girly’ colour, so I used this colour to specifically attract the target audience but I chose a more modern and professional colour pink that would appeal to older females, rather than a baby pink that is stereotypically aimed at young children. Also using a contrasting colour like black as the second colour gives the magazine a more professional and edgy look. 

6.      What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

From constructing the font cover and contents page of a magazine I have become familiar with the correct names for magazine terminology. For example labelling the different sections of my magazine with the correct terminology when making my flat plans and being able to easily identify different parts. Also I know the key conventions that the majority of magazines follow including things like the publishing information such as date and price. I have also learnt the basics of how to use Photoshop and I am becoming more fluent and confident when using this programme.

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

Looking back at my magazine I think I have learnt a lot about magazines and how they are made. I am now familiar with Photoshop and this is a useful programme to be able to use. I tried to stick to the flat plans that I made the best that I could but I did include some elements on my cover and contents page that were not included in my flat plans. I think that my preliminary task of making a school magazine was very helpful and has gave me an insight of what is expected for the main task. In the end I was happy with the front cover and contents page I produced for the final product but I still think there is room for improvement when planning the main task.