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The following is a record of all of my progress on my Media Studies Coursework.

Magazine Survey

The first step in deciding how to develop an effective magazine that would appeal to my target audience, was to carry out a series of surveys/questionnaires that would help me gather the required information on what the features of a good magazine are.
Below is an image of the questionnaire that I created for my research.

Despite the fact that the survey was quite intricate, the respondents managed to understand and allow me to get reliable and practical results.

Post-Survey Evaluation

After I had successfully carried out my sample, I filled out a Post-Survey Evaluation. This summarised all of the main aspects of the information I obtained from the questionnaires. As I filled the evaluation out, I began to see the importance of this tedious task and realised that in order for me to create a truly effective magazine, I had to apprehend the characteristics of a efficacious magazine.
Below is an image of the Post-Survey Evaluation

All of my answers to the questions on the Post-Survey Evaluation are in red.

The last section of the Post-Survey Evaluation required me to develop a pie chart for a particular aspect of the information that I collected from the questionnaire that I carried out. The aspect that I chose to investigate and create a pie chart for the amount of people that have and have never bought a magazine.
Below is an image of the pie chart.

Experimenting with Photoshop

As the aim of this project is to construct an effective magazine, it was obvious that I was was going to need to utilise my dexterity within the field of digital designing. As a professional amateur Photoshop user, I knew I needed to hone my proficiency in order to conceive the best possible magazine. To achieve a greater level of ability with Photoshop, I decided to perform an experiment on the design software. I ended up venturing down the path of applying digital make up to a female face.

Below is a before and after image of the test. (Note: This is only halfway through the entire process)

As you can see, I simply made the face smoother and removed the wrinkles and any other lines that were visible. I did this by using the brush tool and activating the quick mask tool to highlight and paint over the areas of the face that were rough and had wrinkles or lines. Once I had used the brush to highlight these aspects, I deactivated the quick mask tool which then turned the paint into a selection. I then had to invert the selection to allow the filters I were going to apply would only target the face. Once the selection was inverted, I used the Gaussian Blur filter to make the face look smoother. This was one of the most difficult actions during this procedure as it was imperative that the selection was not blurred too much or too little.

The image below is the end result of the experiment.

My Inspiration

I started using Photoshop consistently about a year ago. At first I was only make mere 5 minute logos and changing the colour of eyes. As I continued using Photoshop, I began to gain more skill and become better at manipulating different photos. Of course, I wouldn't have even considered adopting Photoshop if I hadn't been inspired by a particular person. It all started when I had the intention of starting a YouTube channel, and to do that, I need an ingratiating logo. I queried to someone who goes by the name of VisionArtsMatty and he said that he would design a logo for me free of charge. A few days later I noticed that he had uploaded Photoshop time lapse of the creation of the logo. I thought that the whole concept of being able to use a designing software in such ways was amazing, and I felt compelled to try Photoshop for myself. I found that I had a natural talent for Photoshop and continued to use it up to this day.

That is the story behind my inspiration and skill in Photoshop.

Below is the a video that VisionArtsMatty has uploaded on his channel.

Challenging Stereotypes

There are various stereotypes concerning technology - mainly computers - and I am going to challenge these stereotypes through my magazine production. The key stereotypes that target technology are subjects such as: only males study and practice technology or all people who have interests revolving around technology wear glasses and smart clothes or even comments about their sexuality which is unacceptable. One of the major actions that I will take to oppose the previously mentioned stereotypes is including pictures and evidence that proves these opinions wrong. For instance, I would have my magazine consist of an image showing a male without glasses, wearing casual clothing.

Magazine Research

 To understand the concepts of a productive magazine, it was imperative that I researched some magazines to see how official companies attract people with their magazines and with what techniques. To start, I examined 3 contemporary magazines. These are magazines that are currently being published and sold.
 The first magazine of this type that I analysed is called "OK!". This magazine focuses most of its content on celebrity news. It uses articles that are about high profile issues revolving famous people to gain custom.
 The next modern magazine that I explored is called "new!". I found that this magazine's focal point also regards the lives of celebrities. Alike the "OK!" magazine it uses intriguing articles about the life of a celebrity.
The final contemporary magazine that I investigated is called "Hip Hop Weekly". I predicted that this magazine would also base its articles on celebrities and used similar methods to attract customers. My hunch was confirmed once I had probed into the magazine.
The links to the official websites for these magazines are listed below:
OK! - http://www.ok.co.uk/home/
New - http://www.new-magazine.co.uk/home/
Hip Hop Weekly - http://www.hiphopweekly.com
After I had finished looking into the contemporary magazines I decided to search for more magazines, however, this time I was attempting to find more archaic magazines. As a result of my investigation, I discovered that the older magazines promoted more personal related topics or included information about hobbies and DIY. This suggests that as time has passed by, fame has become the pinnacle for journalists and also everyday people. To elaborate, as stardom became more popular, people became more interested in knowing about how these famous people live.
Below are a few pictures of senior magazines:

In terms of my magazine, the results of my research have determined that it is a possibility that I may have to include images or information in regards to celebrities in order to attain custom and produce an effective magazine.

Forms and Conventions: Annotating Magazine Covers and Contents Pages

As knowing what an effective magazine cover and contents page is essential, I felt as though it was compulsory that I annotated two magazine covers and two magazine contents pages in order to increase my comprehension of how to produce my own magazine that would be unique and efficient.
Below are images of the annotations that I carried out for this process:

The first image is the annotation I did for the first magazine cover I decided to approach:

The second image is the annotation I carried out for the second magazine cover that I found:

The third image is the annotation I completed for the first magazine contents page that I decided to examine:

The fourth and final image is the annotation I consummated for the second magazine contents page I decided to inspect:

Developing a Title

One of the most significant assets of a magazine is the title. This is mainly due to the fact that this is the most conspicuous feature of a magazine as it is on the cover; it represents and connotes what the magazine is about and also attracts the reader/consumer. Taking this detail into account, I decided to thoroughly think about what would be the best name for my magazine. After some time contemplating on the concept, I finally came to the conclusion that my magazine would be called ‘The Matrix’. I selected this name because it was a very fitting name for the genre of my magazine – Computers and Technology – as the magazine covers topics that are computer related and the word “Matrix” generally connotes this subject. I came up with this title while playing around with Command Prompt, also known by its executable name: cmd.exe, and Notepad. Command Prompt is the Microsoft-supplied command-line interpreter which can be used in almost limitless ways. During a specific session, I discovered that I could use Notepad to create lines of code that could be saved and executed to produce various effects in Command Prompt. After this espial, I then attempted to make a code that would create a Matrix-like code falling effect. Once I had succeeded, I figured out that the word “Matrix” would add considerable meaning to my magazine as a whole. As for the house style and font of this title, I chose to stay neutral with the design and have it be plain and simple. For the font of the title, I settled on a bold, rounded font called ‘FIFA Welcome’ (this can be found on sites such as Dafont.com) and for the colour, I chose a gradient colour which was white fading to grey (from the edge, towards the middle) and I also added a Pillow Emboss style to give it a more outstanding shape and appearance.

Below is an image of the title, with all the effects added to it, to test how it would appear on the actual design of the cover of my magazine.

 

Finding a Target Audience

Before beginning to take any action towards developing my magazine, it was imperative that I contemplated on who my target audience would be. The main way in which I decided to choose my target audience was by firstly researching what group of people are generally considered as the typical people who practice or are interested in technology, as this is the genre my magazine is included in. After completing this step, I then went on to think about whether these were the exact people that I want to aim my magazine at. As a result, I ended up with a suitable target audience for the magazine; people of any ethnicity, aged 14 to 34 who are either students or unemployed, within the middle class. In addition to these demographics, I concluded that the psychographic group that I would target would be “The Explorer”. This is because people inside this psychographic group are driven by a need for discovery, challenge and new frontiers; they are usually young in nature, if not in reality and Explorers are often the first to try out new ideas and experiences. Explorers respond to brands that offer new sensations, indulgence and instant effects. In brief terms, difference and variation is what they desire and their core need in life is for discovery.

To briefly conclude, the outstanding reason for my choosing this target audience is because typically, younger people are the ones who are usually utilizing and are curious about technology and as they are young, they will most likely be a student or unemployed with more free time compared to employed people.

House Style

Another extremely valuable feature of a magazine is its house style, which is also known as its colour scheme. This is a plan of the colours mainly occur in the magazine and what they will connote to the readers. As for the house style of my magazine, I decided to select varied colours, yet, not a wide range of colours. To elaborate, in total, there are four colours that are currently going to be part of the colour scheme; grey, blue, white and black. I have chosen these colours because they are the ones that are usually associated with technology and I thought that they would be befitting for the magazine which would cause it to look more appealing.
As for the effect that these colours have on the reader, I desired to investigate the colours I chose separately and make note of what mood is presented by each one. Below is a fairly simple list – in no particular order –  of all the colours, along with what mood and effects are created for the reader, their connotations and my reasoning behind select these specific colours.

·         Grey – In terms of my magazine, the colour Grey creates a calm mood yet it causes the reader to feel as though the information they are consuming is of some importance. In addition to this, this colour connotes simplicity but also sophistication at the same time. This is because Grey is not a harsh colour nor is it complicated as it is merely the difference between Black and White.

·         Blue – Moving on to the next colour; Blue is a very popular colour and it produces a mood of tranquil and peacefulness and motivates the consumers to feel relaxed.  Furthermore, Blue often connotes loyalty; however, it can also signify coldness and depression in certain conditions. This I because Blue is a primary colour and it is soft, alike the ocean and sky.

·         White – The third colour, White, builds up a somewhat innocent and pure mood and implies to the reader that the details they are reading are reliable and helpful; even perhaps modest in a way. Additionally, this pigment suggests neutrality and can partner with any other colour. This is because White is a colour that is frequently referred to as “blank” and has the ability to compliment all colours.

·         Black – This is the colour that creates a relatively powerful mood and causes the consumer to infer that the information is authoritative, making it seem somewhat of high importance. Moreover, Black is seen as stylish and can insinuate submission or even evil. This is because similar to White; Black is also sometimes referred to as “blank” despite it being much darker.

Magazine Cover Productions (Digital)

One of the most important features of a magazine is its cover. In most cases, the cover is eye catching – consisting of bright colours, large images, big headlines, etc. – and is ultimately appealing to the audience that it is targeted at. Because of this fact, I have decided to use a range of techniques to attempt to design an effective and attractive magazine mainly for my target audience, but also for others as well, despite the fact that I will not base my decisions on what they wish to see in this magazine. Below are two images of my digital draft production, showing how I have progressed to reach a final result of what my magazine cover may look like.

1st Production

 Final Production