Evaluation 7: Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?

Evaluation 6: What have you learnt from technologies in the process of making this product?

Evaluation 4 and 5: Who would be the audience & how did you attract your audience?

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

Evaluation 2: How does your media represent particular social groups?

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

Final DPS

Final Contents Page

Final Front Cover

Adding On To My DPS

Prior to the audience feedback that I have received, I have decided to add more on to the article side of my DPS, with shapes and banners, as I feel that any extra images or content will make the page look too crowded and busy, whereas the shapes will maintain a sense of simplicity, but will make the page stand out even further. 

So, for behind the text, I have chosen to add ellipses, with low opacity, so that they look subtle but effective. 

Besides this, I have chosen to add a banner across the three images at the bottom, but with low opacity as well. This means that the gaps beside the images do not make the page look too blank, but the page again does not look too busy either. 
Also, because the background still looked somewhat plain, I placed an image I took of a brick wall into the background of the article, and gave it a very low opacity, again making the overall effect very subtle. 

[SCREENSHOT OF DPS BRICK WALL AND OPACITY]

Finally, in terms of the large gap after writing the article, I decided to fill this in by mentioning Ashleigh being on a British TV show in the coming week, which emphasises that this magazine is mainly exclusive to British adolescents, rather than a more mass demographic.

I also added the faint red lines, so that this small snippet of text has been differentiated from the actual article.

Audience Feedback - DPS

I presented my Double Page Spread to 7 members of my target audience, with their ages ranging from 14-16. When I showed them my DPS as it was, they said they liked the way that the images stand out and the way that the model is presented through mise-en-scene and location. Although, they said that the background still remains blank and unexciting, and show have something to emphasise the article. Also, some females pointed out the huge gap between the images at the bottom and the article space left over at the end, and how this looks very unprofessional and the gap should be filled. 
In addition, the three images at the bottom look too close together, in the sense that there are still wide gaps at either side of the images, which again looks unprofessional.

More elements will need to be added to this DPS before it is finished. The article side of the page needs to stand out more, as it looks plain and boring and too basic for a dynamic music magazine aimed at my target audience.

Making My DPS

I used 3 columns to create a template for the way that my DPS would be made, to give it a more aligned and more accurate look once it is all completed. Using this Photoshop template, I was able to create a brief layout of how my DPS would look, and use it as a guideline through the production of this double page. 

I decided to decrease the opacity of the blue banner because it looks more professional as a music magazine, and does not block the colours of the graffiti wall, which is the main highlight of the image.

After this, I began to separately edit my other photoshoot images, to place them at the bottom of the page and give them borders. 

Once this was done, I added my logo and page number onto the page. I decided to keep the page numbers as Futura font, with the effects being exactly the same as that of the FUSE. logo, because it shows consistency and emphasises the fact that my magazine is adhering to a specific house-style.

I have intended to keep most of my text as Futura and Impact, to emphasise that these are the theme fonts that define my magazine as a brand. Therefore, when I typed up my double page article in InDesign, it was in Futura font, and the subheading was in Impact. This way, the house style is being kept intact, and the conventions are being conformed to.

I made my heading "London Lights" because it is the name of the artist's album, and the article is being written a short while before the time of its release. By doing this, I have managed to present that my magazine is all about new and currents music in British Pop/Rock, and I have hit this target accurately with such a feature. 

Once everything was put together, I took what I had and chose to present it to members of my target audience, to receive feedback and make my magazine better.

Tweaking My Contents Page

When changing my Contents title, I decided to make it stretch out all the way across, leaving the FUSE. logo on the side in the corner of the page, as members of my audience commented on how it was too big for the Contents Page, and almost looked irrelevant. 
I did not choose to make my rectangle diagonal in the end, after audience members finding it inconsistent with the look being presented. 
I then changed the text colour to be blue to match my banners, because I felt that purple was too dark on the black, and I feel that this was a much better decision.
My FUSE. logo was then tilted to the side and put to the corner, so that it was not in the way of the rest of the contents page.

My audience members also mentioned the font under the Features, and how it looks too cramped and the thickness of the Impact font makes the writing barely visible. In a nutshell, it does not stand out the way that the Features list should. Therefore, I changed the font of the text to Futura, so that it still sticks with the theme, but also looks visible to the audience. Also, as an additional touch to making the text stand out, I changed some of the text to purple, which I feel was a good decision. Then, I spaced out the text, and made room to write underneath one of them, and use rectangles to make the list of features more decorative.

As well as this, in terms of my images, I chose to remove the image of the performer, to give the page more space, and I placed my other two images into rectangles, edited their hue and saturation, to give it a Polaroid picture look, which would be appealing to my audience, and would make the page look much tidier overall. 

Audience Feedback - Contents Page

Once I had created my rough Contents Page, I showed it to a group of female adolescents, who fall into my target audience braket. I needed constructive criticism, and because these girls were not aware of the project taking place, I know that the feedback that is given will not be biased, and will directly represent the interests of my target audience.
They pointed out some aspects of my contents page that could be changed or altered so that it would be more suitable and look more like a music magazine.

Feedback given:

• The capital Impact font in the Features side of the contents page makes the contents page look too crowded and the text is barely visible.
• The Contents logo does not make the page look consistent and it doesn't seem as though it fits with the look being presented. Therefore, this will have to be reconsidered and reconstructed.
• The FUSE. logo in the corner looks too big, which draws attention away from the Contents title.

With this feedback, I shall reconstruct my Contents Page again, so that it looks consistent and shows the house-style that I am trying to present, and also looks appropriate for my audience.

Making My Contents Page

Before adding any text to the contents page, I needed to establish a layout, and also a background colour. When I had first started constructing this layout, I had left the background plain white, but I felt that this had made my contents page look plain, which is why I chose to add a gradient colour into the contents page instead. I also felt that this suited my genre and appealed to my audience better. 

I also needed to create a Contents title that stood out.

In order to make my images stand out, I have adjusted their brightness, contrast and vibrance, so that they look fresh, fun and dynamic against the text and background on the page.

After adding and editing my images accordingly in Photoshop, I started adding text and other details in InDesign.

Now that this rough contents page has been created, I will present this to members of my target audience, and gain feedback to try and tweak this so that it looks most appropriate when it is fully completed. 

Front Cover - Changing and Adding Specific Details

Now that my cover page has been created and edited according to my audience, I need to tweak a few last things and add extra parts to finish the overall product.

Firstly, I am planning on changing the bubble in the middle into a banner with images, because I feel that it is overcrowding the page and it doesn't really look appealing for my target audience. 

As well as this, I have added a barcode and the website links have been moved to the bottom, as they do not look appealing right beside the masthead, and most magazines do not do this. The price has also been added beside these links. Prior to our questionnaire done right at the start by members of our target audience, our group came to the decision that the magazine should cost £2.50 as this is how much most young females are willing to pay for a magazine. 

Also, I need to create the headline for the main feature on the model that is on the cover. I have decided to do this by incorporating a different texture. I have scanned handwriting into Photoshop and edited it to put it on this cover, to give my magazine that extra edge which my audience will find appealing. I have decided to make it blue so that it will stand out from the purple text, and because the use of blue is extremely limited, it will attract the audience because it is a small pop of colour that contrasts with the red and purple. 

Then, I added my subheading for my main feature, and finished everything off. 

Audience Feedback - Front Cover Design

With my decided colour scheme and my chosen image, I decided to proceed forward with constructing the cover page of my magazine. After creating a brief look of the cover, I presented this to a small group of girls who were a part of my target audience. 
They liked the layout of the cover, but commented ont the fact that the red, the blue and the purple makes the cover seem too colourful, and they wanted more simplicity, which is why they suggested to cut out the blue altogether.
In addition to this, the audience members did not like the use of the brick wall banner at the bottom, as they felt like it was cramping the rest of the page. My target audience said they wanted more space on the cover page, to allow equal emphasis on the image and the content.
There was also some criticism of the image, and how the image would look better in black and white, with the text creating a good pop in making the cover stand out.

Therefore, I have begun editing my cover even further, which has resulted in this new look for my magazine, which I prefer to what I had originally planned, as it suits my target audience more. I have cut out most of the blue, which makes the magazine look more conventional, with only two main colours being used on the cover, so that the page does not look too busy.

Audience members also commented on the content that was already present on the cover page, saying that if my magazine is aimed at a British audience, then it should make that apparent by doing features on British artists, rather than the American artist Lady Gaga, that is already on the cover. Therefore, I changed this to Rita Ora instead.

Making My Front Cover

 

With Photoshop, I managed to create a rough layout of my magazine, in which I have used effects to make the logo and the bubble in the corner stand out, and suit the colour scheme and genre. After this, I decided to move the image, and proceed with editing it and making it look appropriate for the cover. 

 

Now that a rough front cover has been made, I will present this to a group of members of my target audience, to gain constructive feedback and criticism, to improve my cover further, according to their tastes.

Audience Feedback - Chosen Southbank Images

From the Southbank photoshoot, I have chosen two images that I will consider using in my DPS. I feel that these two pictures really create an edgy atmosphere and effectively present the Pop/Rock genre in an appealing and exciting manner. The graffiti does not take the audience away from the model, and contributes towards presenting her style, to some extent. 

I presented these images to a group of young people, both males and females, to get a general idea of how the images and the mise-en-scene appeal to their age group and their interests. Most people said that the graffiti creates an urban feel to the magazine, which is effective as it nails the intention of emphasising a sense of Britishness in the magazine. 


As well as this, some girls commented on the way that the model's clothing creates an urban style which may appeal to females reading the magazine that take an interest in style along with music.


Although this is so, audience members felt that these two images and this one location alone would not be enough for a DPS, which is why I ensured that other locations were used. Therefore, I went outdoors and took a series of pictures as well, to ensure that I had used a variety of locations to present more excitement to the audience.

 

Choosing Outdoor Images For The DPS

Besides the backdrop photoshoot and the Southbank photoshoot, I also took pictures in another outdoor location, to add as extra images on my DPS, as it shows that I have used a variety of locations, which is conventional for my magazine genre. 

I took many pictures outdoors, but I had to narrow the images down to 3 for my DPS page, and these are the ones that I decided to use. I chose to use these 3 images because they show good consistency and would look good in contrast to the main Southbank image on the DPS.

Although this is so, there were two other favourites, but they had to be discarded.

The first image was rejected because I would like to make the smaller pictures 3 images that are of the same location, but the model is in a different area and in different clothes, which would have made the DPS look too busy and would not be as effective. I rejected the second image, as I felt that the pose was not the best for the DPS, as it did not match with my other chosen pictures.

My chosen 3 images are good because they create the perfect contrast, and they are 3 different poses in the same location, which creates a sense of consistency, and makes the overall effect much more professional.

Extra Outdoor DPS Photoshoot

To show that I have used various locations, I decided to do another extra photoshoot for my DPS, so that I can add extra images of my model in other places and in other costumes, to make my overall content seem more professional and make it appeal to the audience. 

Because the Southbank Graffiti Skatepark is already such a bright and dynamic location, I chose to contrast this with a more natural setting, so that there is a fair balance, and also so that the content does not show the magazine to be leaning away from its intended genre. 

The model is going to be presented as an edgy new star through the Southbank images, but the images that will be taken in this photoshoot will feel more intimate for the audience, and the natural location may create a more personal connection, and will engage the audience with the feature.

As well as this, the jumper below is what my model will be wearing, which again contributes towards the contrast that I am creating with the bright, colourful Southbank image, and the mellow, more natural outdoor images I will be taking during this photoshoot.