Reader feedback

Cover
Readers responded well to the cover saying this looks like a magazine with attitude. Generally they thought the expression on the Rapper's face and the punchy directness of the magazine articles reflect the style of the rapping world the magazine represents, and the readers it wants to attract. The title page is very eye catching as it is primarily black and white and has a striking graffiti style, which is synonymous with rap. It’s colour scheme would make it stand out in a newsagents amongst other more conventional photographic covers. The rapper's image is effectively placed and merges well with the ‘G’. The red names at the top contrast well with the monotone colour scheme. The overall image is engaging and the eye is drawn naturally around the various titles of articles contained in the magazine. Some felt  that the large black G isn't obvious enough, others felt this could also be considered a bonus. Obscure advertising that doesn't patronise customers and requires some thought is popular with the public. It might take you a couple of observations to see it, but once you know it is there it jumps out at you. Generally this was considered a good attention grabbing front cover, which is what is needed in the competitive magazine market.

Contents Page
The off angle layout of the contents page was popular and the blurred camouflage background was considered very effective. Some people thought that subject of the photo should have taken up a larger area, but the larger scale font used for the star rapper drew people's attention to the main article. The contents list and page numbering was considered good with not too much information but enough to make you want to read on, some said the font could have been a little larger. Some people were confused by the over sized page number 3 in the corner, but this is the kind of imagery and style that readers would become used to once they had bought the magazine a few times. Generally it was considered that the overall style of the page, the limited colour scheme, and graphic imagery, all fits well with the title page and continues the tone of the magazine.

 Double Page Spread
People thought the double page spread worked well and liked the way the image and words flowed across the page. The use of black and white imagery with coloured highlights fits well with the general theme of the magazine and the zebra animal print is striking and is in keeping with the cover and titles page imagery. The text intro with a key phrase in red works well for the reader to quickly scan what the article is about. Readers thought that the tone gradation on the rappers face and the angle of his head worked very well with the rest of the page and drew your eye across the page. The bold font and scale of the title really stands out. One negative was that there are a lot of images and not a lot of text, but this is a visual culture where image is as important as music.  The overall look of the page was considered eye catching and in keeping with the style of rest of the magazine.

General Review

I am pleased with the outcome of the magazine project. The choice of subject, to base the magazine on, is a strong one. The music scene is constantly changing; there are always new acts, personalities, albums, gigs, and new trends to report on. By linking the magazine to a website the readers feel they have a more interactive experience with the magazine which is a large part of their culture. The subject matter gives me enormous scope to create a varied and interesting magazine each month. The logo I designed for the front cover, of the large graphic ‘G’, is very powerful and will give the magazine a good visual presence on the shop shelves when competing with other magazines. The visual style of the magazine is strong and successful, using a black and white theme and linking the style of the visuals to graffiti makes the magazine accessible to the target audience. By making a good impact and sticking to a theme the first magazine sets the tone for all the rest to follow. The first issue is like a template for others to follow with monthly adjustments to the colour schemes of titles and layouts.

Creative Risks

To give my magazine an edge over the compitition I had to take creative risks that would make my magazine stand out.

I took a creative risk with the design of the cover. The G on the cover is not immediately obvious but the ambiguity is part of the design. You have to be in the know to get that the shape on the front is the G in question, once you know you see it every time. This technique invites the buyers into a kind of club who know what the shape on the front is. Obscure advertising that doesn't patronise customers and requires some thought is popular with the public. It might take you a couple of observations to see it, but once you know it is there it jumps out at you.

On the front cover I decided to make the main figure monochrome. This could backfire because people wouldn't be able to recognize the star and usually magazines have a vibrant colourful image to sell the magazine. However the black and white allows the rapper to blend in with the G.

Another creative risk is the use of large scale images, such as on the contents page. Traditionally the contents would be printed over the image, however I have chosen to respect the image and give it most of the page, the contents are important but the reader will appreciate the image’s dominance as this is an important rapper they are interested in. 

Another risk with a magazine like this is to focus too much on the style and forget the content. The content should be as important and well balanced with the imagery.

 

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

From creating my preliminary task of a school magazine I have made a vast amount of improvement in multiple areas. 

I have learnt to use more advanced editing software  such as photoshop and paint shop pro, along with understanding how important the effective use oflayers and tools are when designing a magazine.

I have also learnt about the construction of a magazine and the considerations necessary to make that magazine appeal to a certain audience, such as imagery, colour, style and content and the balance necessary to make the flow of a magazine work. 

I have learnt how to consider the representation that my magazine will create of an audience and how to manage that responsibly. 

I have also learnt how case studies on other magazines can greatly help me to design my own. My inspiration for this magazine has come from my research. Looking at other magazines helped me to understand what the purpose of each page was and what was required on them.

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

I have learnt how to use paint shop pro and some other image editing software. I have developed a better appreciation of the use of the various tools involved by doing this music magazine. Also I now understand the importance of using multiple layers when designing work like this. My ability to import and edit photos and images has greatly improved from this project.

The possibilities are vast with the technology available today offering a multitude of options. I have found it is tempting to overcomplicate pages but restraint and judgement is needed to design a well balanced page. 

Before this work I had little experience using photo editing skills and page layout tools, this was a new learning experience for me and one that I found very rewarding and I am sure I will use these skills again.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I set out to design an eye catching front cover that would stand out from other magazines on the shelf. Having researched the Rap world through other magazines, videos of famous rappers and interviews with rappers I felt I gained an insight into the rap style which is linked with graffiti. I wanted to incorporate this into the magazine's style and use strong imagery of iconic rappers on the front page to catch the attention of my audience. I did not want to use an overcomplicated distracting style but stuck to a strong graphic style which would become synonymous with the magazine. I developed this brand style using minimal colour and an image that would be repeated every month, the large G, combined with a different star rapper. This would become easily identifiable to customers, yet still exciting. The large scale G that is the magazine logo would become a brand in itself, perhaps branching into clothing and a music label in time. The articles listed on the front cover are easy to identify at a glance and appeal my target audience.

I ran interesting and varied articles that addressed my audience as knowledgeable of the rap scene. I made sure there was a mix of accessible articles as well as introducing new ideas and concepts to my audience so that their appreciation of rap could grow without them feeling overwhelmed. I  featured prominent rapper stories as well as news of up and coming artists that the magazine was encouraging and launching, this way the readers could feel they have played a part in the artists career via the magazine.
 
Recognising my audiences increasing use of the Internet I  included  a code with the issue to use on the website. This could unlock things like podcasts of the interviews and maybe taster snippets of music as well as a digital version of the magazine, with an opportunity for readers to give online feedback and interact with other magazine readers about events reported in the magazine. This style of communication is second nature to my target audience and by incorporating it into the magazine I am protecting the magazine from being surpassed by other online publications aimed at my audience.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My audience will be mainly males around the age of 13-30 who are interested in rap and hip hop. Teenagers and young adults are those most likely to be interested in rap. Generally the rap industry is male dominated and so is the fan base for the culture, although there are women who would buy the magazine generally it would be men as the industry is aimed at the young men. I could encourage a female audience by featuring a female rapper on the front cover and having articles that reflect women in the rap world. This would be a way of expanding the audience for the magazine and increasing sales and revenue.

What kind of media institutions might distribute your media and why

For distribution I would start with the most obvious way, of putting physical copies of the magazines in various popular retail shops for example WHSmiths and newsagents. This would allow the magazine to be available to my audience as they can go into a shop and buy it which is still the most popular way of getting a magazine. I would also sell the magazine in music stores such as HMV because people are already thinking of buying music in these shops. HMV would want to sell music magazines as it promotes their products.

I would also get my magazine distributed to supermarkets and garages such as Tesco as these places are becoming a good place to sell as it is convenient for the consumer to pick up the magazine whilst shopping rather than going to a specialist store which some people may not bother to do.

I would offer a slightly reduced rate for an annual subscription to the magazine which could be delivered by post. This way you would have guaranteed money for 12 months from customers. I could also advertise the subscription in other magazines and shops as a gift.




Lastly would put my magazine online with a subscription fee as increasingly more and more magazine companies are doing this as it makes it more convenient for the consumer as they don’t have to leave their house. Also young people are spending more and more time online so it would appeal to my target audience.

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

I looked at several other magazines for ideas and inspiration for how I should go about designing mine. I wanted a magazine with strong visual impact that would appeal to an audience interested in rapping, familiar with the strong identity of the rap world. I looked at how rappers use imagery on their cds and promotional material and in videos. I looked at what rappers wear as they have a strong sense of identity conveyed through fashion. I wanted to convey the same imagery associated with rap, such as graffiti, in the magazine.

My product uses some traditional forms of communication such as large scale photographs of celebrities on the front cover to attract potential buyers. I have developed the use of celebrity imagery to be a more stylized black and white graphic image, imitating that of graffiti with a paint splattered background. The features in contrast are highlighted in a vibrant red to catch the eye of the buyer. The limited colours work well to give the cover a strong identity which will be continued each throughout the year. The contents page challenges more traditional magazine layout. The emphasis is on one image. The contents appear in a small diagonal section at the right bottom corner of the page, but are still clear and informative. The double page article on Iron Stu again reflects the striking but simple palette of the cover, mainly black and white with a strong emotive image of Stu sweeping the page, brought to life with graffiti style coloured highlights.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

This product represents rappers by focussing on rappers interests and influences. The magazine is a series of articles on rap stars, their music, rap events, and the culture of rap in general. It uses the ‘language’ of rap both visual and written to communicate to its audience

The magazine creates a fairly stereotypical view of rap culture, focusing around rappers and their actions. My magazine, like most other magazines of the same genre, ideolizes rappers and rap culture. Rappers are presented as icons and role models be they positive or negative.The images of rappers often present a sterotypical view of rappers, they all use classic rapper hand gestures and stances
which some may find rude or offensize but hip hop culture has historically been misunderstood.
Often rappers are represented as violent thugs but my magazines presents the rappers as artists, they are presented as passionate individuals who really care about their music