Gabriela Moreira

AS Media

Evaluation Questions
1. In what ways does your music magazine use, develop
or challenge forms and conventions of existing music
magazines?
One of the principal ways in which the music magazine I have
created uses and develops typical conventions of existing music
magazines is the colour scheme used throughout the included texts,
images, and title block. Through my research of alternative rock
magazines, it became evident that most of the magazines colours
consisted mainly of red, black, and white I decided to follow this
convention as I believe these 3 colours can be both minimalistic yet
bold at the same time. Red and black is typically associated with
rock, and these colours are striking to the eye, which was my exact
intention, to captivate the audiences attention. My title block
consists of a central black colour, with red and blue outlines and a
bold font; it looks very conspicuous and dramatic. I included a dark,
electric blue in the title block in order to emphasize the magazines
title, and as it goes well with the red. Also, I noticed that in a wide
range of music magazines, the central image for the front cover is
either a close up, mid-shot, or a long shot I decided to go with a
mid-shot as it allows us to see both the artists face and outfit. I
used conventions of rock magazine front covers as my artist is seen
wearing a black leather jacket and dark red lipstick, following quite a
stereotypical look for alternative rock artists. In spite of this, my
front cover also challenges forms and conventions of existing music
magazines as I used photoshop to edit and distort the image in an
interesting, captivating manner, also adding a vintage TV monitor
affect to it. I chose to do this in order to break out of the expected
appearance of a magazine and add a unique touch to the front
cover, also giving the feature artist an edgy look, and the vintage
feel of the TV monitor depicts how my artists style can adapt. I
think this distorted look compliments the anchorage text for my
artist the maddest baddest diva in rock the word maddest
gives a sense of craziness to my artist, and madness can often be
associated with your mind being distorted. A way in which my
magazine challenges conventions of a cover page is the lack of puffs
and promotional stickers. This decision was made as even though I
want the magazine to stand out, I wanted a minimalistic approach. I
noticed through my research that it is mainly magazine for younger
teenagers that include a lot of puffs; I wanted to approach a more
mature audience, who are actually interested in the contents of the
magazine rather than needing bright coloured puffs to capture their
attention. By choosing to not include many puffs, I believe it gives
my magazine a more serious look and implies that the magazine
can sell on its own, without needing puffs. I used a buzz word
promoting a chance to win tickets to a rock festival this would
surely intrigue my chosen target audience as this would probably

Gabriela Moreira
AS Media

grasp their attention. Other conventions that I included in my own

front cover are informative pieces such as the release date and
price, issue number, barcode,
After researching various types of contents pages, I realised there
were many ways in which mine could be presented, with the
examples I looked at varying between a single or double page.
Choosing a double page seemed more convenient as it means I can
have a clearer presentation and more space for the things I choose
to include, meaning my audience can process the information easily.
After viewing contents pages for Q and Rolling Stones, I noticed that
it is common for magazines to have different sections thus I made
three focal sections: features, reviews, and extras. Following this
convention, I used a variety of font sizes and types to establish
different sections of the magazines, also differentiated by the
divides. This makes the readers navigating experience more
convenient. I included social networking icons in order to relate to
my young target audience and keep it modern; this also allows the
magazine to reach larger amounts of people and gain more
audience if readers interact with the social networking profiles. In
the first page I have a very large image of the feature artist the
size ensures that it is the first thing that would appeal to readers,
and makes her importance to this particular issue evident. On top of
the picture of my artist I also added a red sticker, it is fitting to the
colour scheme, mentioning my artists name and the page her
article is on. Although I have already included this information in the
features section, adding a sticker brings more attention to her
article. On the second page I included three pictures relating to
other articles in the magazine, again with the intention of enticing
readers to view their articles, implying their articles are important
however their images are all scaled down to be smaller than the
feature artist. Adding on page numbers to the pictures enables the
readers to identify who it is theyre looking at. All these features
contribute into making the readers experience more convenient.
Through my research, I found that all double page articles include
drop capitals, pull quotes, stand firsts and images of the features
artist. In order to follow through with a desired realistic appearance
to the magazine, I followed all of these conventions. As many
magazines I looked at varied in the layout of the articles, I didnt feel
restricted into choosing how to present the double page. The most
noticeable features of the first double pages are the overpowering
picture of my artist and the dominant size of her name. My focal
group informed me that they would be interested in having things
such as posters so including a large image of the artist would appeal
to them, whilst the large text of her name emphasizes her brand
and image. I used a drop capital in my stand first, bringing
importance to it and indicating to the reader that they should read
that part for context. Moreover, though I used the drop capital to

Gabriela Moreira
AS Media

make it stand out, in the stand first I made the rest of the text small
capitals in order to differentiate it from the actual article. The black
and white image for the first double page article contrasts with a
black section on one of the pages, where the article is placed on top
of with white and red text. This follows the colour scheme and
makes the article clear.
2. How does your music magazine represent particular
social groups?
During my initial planning for my magazine, I settled on making my
main artist identify with the indie scenesters social group. One
way in which I represent that social group is through naming my
magazine Scene, referring to both the social group and the music
scene. My main artist is evidently young which is suiting to the
target audience of the magazine, meaning the audience would be
able to relate to the artist. My target audience is mostly females,
which is reinforced by the female main artist, as they will be able to
relate to the lyrics more and as it is known that females read
magazines more than males. However, my artist isnt exactly
noticeably feminine therefore she can be relatable for both genders.
Through my main artist, my magazine has represented a rebellious
social group that rock is often associated with. This links to my
target audience falling into the lifestyle category of rebels. As my
artist is someone who advises her fans to embrace who they are, I
chose not to categorize her with any one specific ethnicity; this also
allows her audience to be widened. There are many ways in which I
have constructed my feature artists portrayal throughout my
magazine. On the front cover, my artist is presented through a mid
shot I chose this as it allows the audience to have a view of her
face and the outfit. Using a mid shot also allows us to see both her
facial expression and body language. My artist is using a direct
mode of address to the audience which makes her come off as very
confident and mature. Also, her body language brings attention to
her costume which I believe is vastly significant to her portrayal of
an alternative artist, as the use of a leather jacket would lead people
to easily figure out her genre as leather is something that is widely
associated with rock, and her white shirt with crosses is also
something associated with alternative genre nowadays. Its also
quite trendy with teenagers now which would appeal my female
target audience. The use of black eyeliner and red lipstick is another
typical convention of rock artists that I chose to follow. The red
lipstick contrasts the simplicity of her black and white outfit, and
connotes that she is confident and powerful, unafraid to stand out.
I edited the front cover by adding various different coloured layers,
changing its blending options and moving it around, then cutting
parts of the image and also moving them around. I then added a TV
scan line effect over the image. All of these editing techniques
contribute in making the artists picture look distorted, suiting to the
subheading under her name with the word describing her as

Gabriela Moreira
AS Media

maddest. This distorted look is fitting to an alternative approach

to the magazine due to its uniqueness, whilst the vintage looking TV
scan lines depicting that my artist is able to create music that feels
reminiscent to old school rock. The visuals would be appealing and
intriguing to my target audience.
My secondary images also includes a mid shot and close up of two
different artists. The costume of the male artist is a black jacket with
a barely visible blue shirt under. The overpowering black jacket is
again, reinforcing a typical convention of a rock artist due to the
colour blacks association with rock. The artist is tilting his head
effortlessly to look at the camera suggesting that hes more laidback and not so invested in his image. His facial expression is closed
off giving him a look of a more serious artist, suiting to the target
audience of young adults. Another secondary image of another
artist is a female presented through a mid shot her body language
looks slightly more feminine and sophisticated. Her outfit consists of
a blue jean shirt, black shades and red lipstick. The black shades
and red lipstick contribute to the look of a typical rock artist, with
the red making her seem bold and confident, whilst the black
shades imply shes more closed off and private. She also seems
more serious and mature. I also included an image of a concert for
the reviews section of the magazine which would appeal to the
audience. I darkened all the secondary images and added a dark,
rusty texture over the pictures so that they could blend in well
together. This texture also adds on to the alternative, vintage
appearance.
Ive reinforced the stereotypes of my chosen social group through
the outfits and facial expressions of the artists. I have challenged
the stereotypes merely through the editing of the images giving
them a unique feel.
3. Who would be the audience for your music magazine?
The audience for my music magazine will follow the ideologies that
encourage them to be individualistic characters who are free to go
against societys conformity. Most alternative/indie rock artists
present the ideology of being a free character who can be fearless
and unafraid to express their true feelings, thus this is what my
magazine will represent and what my audience would relate to.
Contrary to some of societys beliefs of rock and its subgenres solely
being representative of violence and drugs, the majority of
alternative/indie rock artists promote the idea of music uniting
people in a congruous manner. This is the main idea that my readers
will follow; music uniting people. The category that my audience
falls into is Indie Scenesters, hence why I will be naming my
magazine Scene this relates to the target audience and to the
music scene. Indie Scenesters are dedicated to finding the newest

Gabriela Moreira
AS Media

music, exploring all avenues to get there such as online, print,

record shops, club nights and word of mouth. Staying ahead of the
curve is a must, but its born out of a genuine love for music. For
Indie Scenesters, theres nothing better than discovering new artists
and spreading the love. The ideal target audience is both males and
females aged between 15-23 as it will focus on current artists that
are more appealing towards a younger audience and whose lyrics
will have relatable content about teenage experiences. The lifestyle
categories that the audience falls is rebels as the magazine
promotes being individualistic and being free to go against
societys expectations, which the audience members will be like.
4. How did you attract/address your target audience?
With the intention of attracting my audience, I included a
promotional freebie giving them the chance to win tickets to
Reading Festival a festival known to be mainly associated with
subgenres of rock. The main attendants of the festival are usually
rock fans who are young adults, thus having the opportunity to win
a free ticket would be exhilarating for the readers and cause them to
look through the magazine. I also used graphic effects and editing to
make my images much more captivating which would interest the
audience. I used words such as excusive interviews with
prestigious music artists to further captivate the audience and imply
that these have high importance, the word exclusive causing a
buzz. To address the audience, my main artist is making a direct
mode of address on the front cover, giving it a more welcoming and
intimate approach between the artist and the fans. It implies that
she is unafraid to share things with an audience and let them in,
forming a bond.
5. What kind of media institution might distribute your
music magazine and why?
After researching different institutions, I decided that Bauer Media
would be the most fitting to distribute the print version of my music
magazine, having more market leading brands across a wider
breadth of markets than any other media owner. They manage
magazines, TV and radio stations, and many digital products. This
tells me that theyre very familiar with media marketing. I found that
Bauer Media reaches over 22 million UK consumers every week,
meaning it could successfully allow me to reach a wide audience for
my magazine and it would gain a lot of media attention. This
institution has produced successful high-quality magazines such as
Q, Empire, and Closer these are all magazines that have a sense of
professionalism to them. Q Magazine was one of the primal
inspirations for my own magazine, I related to its layout, contents
and writing technique thus I want my magazine to be affiliated with
it. Bauers target audience of 18 40 year olds ensures that I can

Gabriela Moreira
AS Media

reach most of my target audience, whilst possibly reaching an even

larger audience due to their range of audiences.
Due to Bauer Medias wide online market, features of my magazine
could also be published and distributed online. As my target
audience starts at 18, I know that in the current day online media
has become the most populous way of viewing things amongst
teenagers/young adults. Having a platform on social media would
really help spread my magazine around, hence why I would have
social media profiles on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, etc. and the
magazine would have its own website readers can choose which
method they rather use to interact with the magazine and be
notified with new information. Also, it is known that people of my
target audiences age bring great importance to being able to
access things through their mobile phones, thus my magazine will
have an application available for iPhones and Androids, which they
can download in order to view contents of my magazine, exclusive
videos, news, send in their own questions and much more. This
would all subsequently increase the attention my magazine receives
and widen its audience.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the
process of constructing your music magazine?
Throughout the process of constructing my music magazine, Ive
had to use many types of technologies, such as Photoshop,
InDesign, Blogger and an SLR camera. I had never used Blogger
prior to this course, but it was pleasantly easy to get familiar with,
and it worked as a platform that I uploaded all my work on to,
adding small descriptions of each work. I could go back and edit the
posts even after posting them which was useful to ensure no
mistakes were made. I leant how to edit the template and layout of my
blog so it could have a clear presentation, and how to embed
videos, presentations and pictures this was very useful. It also
works interactively, as I could add a poll which allowed viewers of
my blog to vote on which title block best suited my magazine cover.
I have already used an SLR camera successfully before but this time
I learnt the amazing difference a tripod can make in the quality of
the picture. I have always been familiar with Photoshop, but during
this process I became more familiar with adding PSDs or Actions to
my pictures in order to edit the colouring and adding filters. With
these actions, I changed things such as the curve, colour balance,
gradient fill etc. which all contributed in the creation of a final edited
picture that looked much more aesthetically pleasing. I also learnt
how to add different coloured layers of an image and set their
blending option to lighten, then using the rectangular marquee tool
I selected certain parts of the image and moved them around so
that I could create a distorted look. I finalized this by taking a
picture of TV scan lines and adding it on top of the picture, changing

Gabriela Moreira
AS Media

the blending mode to soft light causing it to blend in nicely with

the image instead of being too dominant. I did these things so that
my magazine could have a unique touch to it, and as I think it would
look interesting to the target audience. The technology I learnt most
from during this process is InDesign, as I have never used it before.
With InDesign, I learnt many things that were crucial to the layout of
my magazine. I learnt how to add margins and grids to my
templates, and get the right dimensions of a magazine, which was
very beneficial as it ensured I layout things out clearly and the texts
were aligned for a sleeker look. I also learnt how to add drop
capitals, pull quotes and stand firsts through editing the paragraph
and text settings. One of the ways in which I edited the text in my
context page was by using a drop shadow, inner/outer glow which
caused the text to drawn attention to as it stood out against the
background. This program really assisted me in creating an
appropriately laid out double page spread as I could also move the
images around knowing where the pages are split.
7. What do you feel you have learnt in the progression
from creating the school magazine (preliminary task),
to creating your final music magazine?
As I look back at my initial creation of a school magazine for my preliminary
task, it is significantly evident that I have made immense progress with my
designing and editing skills. The magazine for the preliminary task is all too
simplistic and dull, it lacks variation. It solely includes a central picture, the
magazines title and logo, and a barcode. Although these are all relevant
components of a magazine, there are many things I didnt include, such as
anchorage texts and cover lines, the issue and price, etc. The cover looks
extremely uninformative and wouldnt capture anyones attention. Also, the
contents page for the preliminary task simply includes 3 pictures, a heading,
and very simple page descriptions again, it is uninformative. It is all featured
against only a white backdrop, with all the font just being black. This all
contributes into causing the page to look bland and unorganized. Even so,
with the pictures included for the task I managed to add a drop shadow in
order to make the pictures stand out; this is a skill that I have further
developed and improved for my final music magazine. It is clear with my final
magazine that my editing skills have improved, as I learnt to alter the
colouring of the pictures and distort it as I wished. I also learnt to make use of
more colours within the fonts which subsequently causes the title block and
headings on the cover stand out. Furthermore, Ive learnt how to get the
proper dimensions for the pages, and how to align the contents properly. I
believe I have successfully learned the codes and conventions required to
make a realistic music magazine, and how to make it appeal to my audience.