The use of the newspaper style lettering for the name of my magazine shows that my magazine is not gender specific and it is suitable for both genders.
The use of the cover lines are there to attract my target audience as they feature bands that my target audience are likely to be interested in, this also alerts them that the magazine is specifically aimed at them and therefore they would like more of the content in the magazine. I have tried to make the magazine non gender dependant by making sure that i am including cover lines that would attract both genders. I have used bright red love hearts as the colour red is for love so it was appropriate to use this colour for them particular signs.
The main picture of the front cover is very unique to this magazine which would attract my audience as it is something that other mainstream magazines do not do with their photos. I have made sure that the image does not lean towards one specific gender by trying to add a style to the image that will also attract the female audience along with the male audience.
I have merged my featured artists in with the main image which shows that this is a very creative magazine. The colours black and white are mainly used on the front cover in order to stick to the style of the magazine which is why the artist’s names have merged into the image very well. This is also something different for the target audience as you find that in other mainstream magazines that the images tend to be overlapped by the cover lines.

The colours that i have used for certain parts of the contents page are used for different reasons. The yellow star beneath the image of the contents was used as the colour yellow would symbolise something special that would shine to the reader. Also the band list is in the colour red which makes them stand out from the rest of the page which is denoted with a blue background in order that the audience are attracted to this particular part.
I decided to divide the contents into features and so forth as this will make it easier for readers who may be new to the magazine but people who may of read it before.
The advertisements that are used in the contents page are all aimed at the target audience who would read the magazine as it would be inappropriate to advertise for the wrong type of audience. Also the competitions of the magazine are aimed at the mainstream which is why the competition features something that the target audience will like.

The full page picture breaks the conventions of mainstream magazines as they often use alot of smaller pictures with alot of text.
The style of the interview and what questions were asked would make the audience want to read the content.
The master head is exactly relevant to my artist so this adds to the content of the article and how it attracts them.
The colour scheme that is used in the photos and with the font are all relevant to how i am attracting the audience to the magazine. I ensured that the colour scheme would be black and white as this diversifies from other mainstream magazines.
I haven’t used a pull quote in the main body of text even though it is a convention of mainstream magazine articles. I have placed the pull quote next to a smaller picture as this would attract the audience to the smaller pictures as well as the main photo.
The main body of text is important in order to attract the audience as they would be interested in reading about an artist they know about. Also the text style that has been used is a very unique way in which it attracts the reader as they are attracted to both the text and images.

In the preliminary task my magazine had to be aimed at a more specific target audience than in my main task. I chose very carefully what I included in the preliminary task as I did not want to discriminate any particular psychographic groups. For my main task magazine I got to aim it at an audience that I was able to choose. This meant that the style, font, colours, photos and format could have more identity and relate to the target audience.

For the main task I did much more research than with the preliminary task as there was a lot more information available. Some of the things that I chose to research were existing magazines and publishers that are aimed at a similar audience. This helped me to gain a few ideas on what content should be included in the magazine and the general layout/design of the magazines.

In the preliminary task I was experiencing with certain aspects of Photoshop that I could use in my magazine. The purpose for me of doing the preliminary task was to experience using Photoshop and choosing all different types of shot types and camera angles that could be used. The style of the college magazine was very basic as I had no real inspiration for creating it as I felt it was something that I couldn’t relate to. This is shown with the basic style of font on the front cover which is very alpha male and would only attract the male audience. The colours that I have used on the front cover of the magazine are mainly aimed at men as these are popular colours with them. The layout of the front cover is very basic looking as the cover headlines are set out on either side with no real thought in the placement of them. So this was one thing that I had to plan with my main task to make the magazine look professional. The preliminary task helped me progress with the use of Photoshop in many ways that would help me with my main task.

In the main task I had to plan my magazine thoroughly in order to gain all the techniques that I would need to make it look professional. This meant that attention to detail was the key to making this magazine. I found that the main issue of creating the magazine was the layout and how I could integrate all the layers. With the images on the front covers of both magazines I have changed the image in my main magazine to change the background of the image and the style. This shows the thought that I have put into my images in the main task in comparison to the preliminary task. I felt that I would need to change the background of the image in order to make the image more relevant to my target audience.

Google

I have used Google to research the conventions and format of existing magazines. I also used Google to research institutions to find out if there were institutions to suit my magazine. Google images also helped me find the right images to develop a mood board.

Blogger

I have used blogger to display my whole project, from my research, my initial ideas, development and planning to my finished products and evaluation. It has allowed me to constantly update my work easily and display it in a good format.

Adobe Photoshop CS4

I used Photoshop to create all 3 parts of my magazine. I had a basic knowledge of Photoshop when I first started to do my preliminary task. The main task helped me to develop my Photoshop skills by doing things that I have been unable to do before through different functions that Photoshop has. I made use of the image adjustments features which allowed me to add all different effects to my magazine. The most important part was getting the layers right to ensure that all text and images slotted together in a way that I felt was good. This was essential to ensure that editing parts of the magazine would be at its easiest. There is many different effects that I could of used in my magazine but getting them to fit in with what I wanted the magazine to look like would have been very hard to do. I feel that my skills of Photoshop have improved and the features that were available I could use more if I had the chance to.

Photography

As a stereotypical male I have no interest in photography. Due to my lack of interest I felt that I would be unable to get the required photos that I would need for the magazine. However after I had taken my photos which I have very little experience in doing so, I felt that I had taken a good selection of images to fit my magazine. Before the project had even started I had attended at music gig in which I had taken a few photos from and I was able to use these in my magazine also. With the use of Photoshop I was able to make basic images look interesting with different visual effects.

Shops: Fred Perry, House of Fraser, Hollister, Other designer clothing shops

Hobbies: Very hard to tell what hobbies they would have as it is very mainstream

Music: Mainstream artists

TV: music channels, family guy, inbetweeners, a wide variety of comedy and sit coms

Other interests: festivals, partying, special events (sports)

My target audience is specified by demographics as the magazine targets specific classes and age ranges BC1C2D, however this magazine may attract people out of the target range as it is a mainstream magazine. My target audience are very main stream as the magazine is specifically aimed at them with the artists that are included in the magazine. The magazine incorporates all the music taste of my audience as it features a wide range of artists. I have tried to keep a balance to try and not favour one particular side of music. The front cover is specifically aimed at my target audience as it shows that the magazine is aimed at a wide variety of my target audience. The imagery that I have used and the style of font would attract all of the target audience as this would appeal to them.

As my magazine is a mass market magazine I would look to the big magazine companies who have experience in this type of market. Someone who has not had experience may not be selling the magazine in the correct way. The magazine may start of slow as it will be competing with the likes of NME which has been established for many years. The magazine could have a subscription service in which you are able to save money and this would also see the magazine delivered to the customers. As it is a monthly magazine the cost of this would not be as a high as it would if it was a weekly magazine. Online viewing may be another way in which you can update the magazine without having to create another magazine for that month. This would be suitable as the target audience would have access to the internet at home. My magazine would be sold in the mass shops such as WHSmith which would allow the magazine to be featured in the correct space to target the audience that it is aimed at. My magazine would be advertised on mainstream radio stations. This can be expensive but in the long run may be beneficial. This would also attract the audience that I am aiming at as they would listen to these stations.

Distribution is key to a magazine's success as it attracts the target audience. The right sort of advertising and marketing in the right place raises awareness of the magazine and enables people to decide what is right for them. The magazine needs to be distributed in the right outlets for its budget so it is displayed to its target audience. To gain maximum shelf space magazine companies use distribution companies such as Marketforce (UK) ltd, this only applies to magazines which are likely to be instantly commercially successful.