Upon designing my music magazine I looked back at my research of student magazines and noticed generic conventions with each magazine. These included a youthful model for the central image, often smiling. I used this knowledge as the basis for my own front cover, hence why I chose a young model and got her to smile in the photograph. The image was a medium close up as was what was set out in the brief. Other conventions showed light, vibrant colours which relate to the target audience as they connote fresh youth. These colours would often be mixed with more neutral colours to give the magazine a more elegant, adult touch. This is why I decided to mainly use the colours of baby blue and pink which contrasted with the use of cream, black and white. The mode of address was chatty and informal to relate to the teenage audience. The labelmaker font was meant to make the magazine look a bit like a fanzine, which usually use a large, bold masthead. I decided to add a price, with included barcode, to make my magazine look that little bit more professional, some but not all of the magazines that I researched had a price and barcode. The front cover has a link to a website, which I believed to be a good idea seeing as most students nowadays look to the internet for information. This was a convention that not all magazines included. My magazine had continuity in house style as I used the same font for the contents text and page numbers as the masthead. I also continued with my colour scheme on the contents page, outlining the circular frames of the images with either baby blue or pink. The house style for my magazine was supposed to have a sort of organised chaos feel to it, this was attained through the use of circular images, which created a free feel to the magazine as they were seemingly unattached. The decision to have the masthead, contents page title and page numbers at an angle, was made to fit in with this idea that the structure wasn't fixed but it was clear enough to read. As if I had stuck on the label font myself as an afterthought, giving the magazine a more casual style. I chose to have a puff on the front cover as most of the magazines I researched had one. Choosing free Nozstock tickets as the puff was a decision I made based on the fact that Noz is a local festival which many students would know of. The tickets for Noz are fairly inexpensive and so this prize is reasonable for a college magazine, especially as I'd be charging and getting money for the magazine. I included secondary images on my front cover, and contents page. These were relevant to the articles they were illustrating and I tried to make them as brightly coloured and interesting to my student audience as possible. I decided to use a strapline on my front over as most magazines I researched included one. I believed that this would catch the readers attention as it makes the magazine seem more professional and unique. For the splash, I thought to use a different font and make it bold, so that it stood out from the rest of the next, showing that the article about Brighton was an important feature of the magazine. Going against conventions, I opted to not go with a student based title, instead goin with "Teen Spirit".This would appeal to all adolescents, thus widening my audience from just "students" to "teens", and therefore giving myself more chance for profit.
How does your student magazine represent particular social groups?
My student magazine represents a college age group, this typically ranging from 16 to 19. I fall into this age category, and I feel that I have represented this particular social group through the use of images, fonts and colour. Firstly, my central image is of a girl my age, thus representing the female part of the college audience. My thoughts on the colour scheme choice were an attempt to target both genders in my audience, but on reflection my magazine style is seemingly more feminine than masculine, which would be something I'd need to reconsider. I did include both stereotypically feminine and masculine colours, with the blue and pink used, however there are less male colours used. From my audience research I understood that students wouldn't want to spend loads of money on a student magazine, with the ideal price ranging from free to £5. This is why I decided to have the price of magazine set at £1.99. I chose the outfit for my model, as I believed a light pink top would not only fit in with my house style but the simplicity of it would connote comfort and relaxation. Also the central image itself is quite carefree and relaxed, as the subject is smiling and her hair seemingly falls in a graceful disheveled manner. This may be relevant, as a student is most often free spirited, subsequently linking to the title of the magazine; Teen Spirit.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The media institution which would be best to distribute my student magazine would probably be a college. This is due to the fact that it's aimed at college students mainly from the age of 16-19. It includes college news (sports fixtures, student scholarships), as well as local attractions (clubs in Shropshire, places of interest in Ludlow) and up to date teen entertainment (Music and film). The prizes to be won, as shown on the puff, are relevant to students as Noz is a local festival and many students enjoy going to music festivals with their friends.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
My audience would mainly be students, male and female, with ages ranging from 16-19. I say mainly because the magazine is called "Teen Spirit" and therefore could potentially relate to most teens. Some parents may also want to read parts of the magazine to get a better understanding of what is going on at the college. My audience will also include those who are interested in all aspects of college life, local news and teen entertainment.
How did you attract/address your audience?
To attract my audience I, firstly, used youthful cover girl on my magazine. This would relate to my audience as she is roughly the same age as them. I used sweets on the central image to connote playfulness, and as it's coming up to Halloween I thought this would be quite apt. The colours used throughout the front cover and contents page were also there to attract the audience as I believed that blue and pink would attract both male and female students. These colours also gave a calm and comfortable style to the magazine, which would appeal to the audience. Another way I addressed my audience was by having my subject look away on the central image. This creates a sense that she is looking at something outside the shot, thus intriguing the audience as to what it is. This captures their attention and makes the audience want to know more about the magazine. I used an informal chatty style of writing and this makes the text easier to read as the students would feel happy that they don't have to strain themselves. There is also continuity in my house style as I've used the same fonts and colours throughout. This adds a feeling of consistency and stability which the audience can trust, making the magazine seem more official. I decided on the title; "Teen Spirit" due to the fact that it was aimed at teens. It's in large bold font so it's clear and easy to read. The content of the magazine also revolves around teenage information and so the title is relevant to the magazine on the whole. The title "Teen Spirit" is also the lyrics of a Nirvana song, which would attract those of the audience who are more alternative, or those who get the reference. I also included a website on the front cover of the magazine, which just shows that the magazine is accessible and this would attract the audience as most students prefer to access information online. The price is also relatively inexpensive, and so would appeal to students who most likely wouldn't be able to afford an expensive magazine.
To attract my audience I, firstly, used youthful cover girl on my magazine. This would relate to my audience as she is roughly the same age as them. I used sweets on the central image to connote playfulness, and as it's coming up to Halloween I thought this would be quite apt. The colours used throughout the front cover and contents page were also there to attract the audience as I believed that blue and pink would attract both male and female students. These colours also gave a calm and comfortable style to the magazine, which would appeal to the audience. Another way I addressed my audience was by having my subject look away on the central image. This creates a sense that she is looking at something outside the shot, thus intriguing the audience as to what it is. This captures their attention and makes the audience want to know more about the magazine. I used an informal chatty style of writing and this makes the text easier to read as the students would feel happy that they don't have to strain themselves. There is also continuity in my house style as I've used the same fonts and colours throughout. This adds a feeling of consistency and stability which the audience can trust, making the magazine seem more official. I decided on the title; "Teen Spirit" due to the fact that it was aimed at teens. It's in large bold font so it's clear and easy to read. The content of the magazine also revolves around teenage information and so the title is relevant to the magazine on the whole. The title "Teen Spirit" is also the lyrics of a Nirvana song, which would attract those of the audience who are more alternative, or those who get the reference. I also included a website on the front cover of the magazine, which just shows that the magazine is accessible and this would attract the audience as most students prefer to access information online. The price is also relatively inexpensive, and so would appeal to students who most likely wouldn't be able to afford an expensive magazine.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I found that using inDesign was much easier than I expected. There were some tasks which were a bit awkward, like changing the colour of text. I'm not familiar with the shortcuts, so I wasn't particularly efficient when working with inDesign, however I have learnt some shortcuts when using the programme for my magazine development. The other tasks were very simple, like adding text and images. Using layers was a breeze as I've used Photoshop before, which also uses layers. Photoshop was also fairly easy to use, I only know the basics but that's all I needed to know.
I found that using inDesign was much easier than I expected. There were some tasks which were a bit awkward, like changing the colour of text. I'm not familiar with the shortcuts, so I wasn't particularly efficient when working with inDesign, however I have learnt some shortcuts when using the programme for my magazine development. The other tasks were very simple, like adding text and images. Using layers was a breeze as I've used Photoshop before, which also uses layers. Photoshop was also fairly easy to use, I only know the basics but that's all I needed to know.
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