Through research, I found that all student magazines generally consist of the same structures and conventions. Most of the magazines I researched tended to have one central image on the front cover which took up the majority (or all of) the page. This image was in most cases of a student (or a few students) from the college/university looking directly at the camera whilst smiling. I adapted this idea for my magazine cover by taking the concept of using students from the college, but engaging them in an activity that linked to the main headline of the magazine. In my research I also noticed that not a lot of student magazines like to crowd their front page with distracting headlines, coverlines, puffs or over-the-top mastheads. I tried to incorporate this into my own work by just putting in the necessary elements. These consisted of 1 puff, 4 coverlines and 1 bold masthead. I also took on board the idea of using the text font to connote the magazines tone. I used fonts more associated with sans-serif to show that my mode of address was not formal.
In some ways, I have pushed away from some other student magazines. Mine is a lot more simplistic, with a less energetic and more relaxed tone. I stuck to a rather basic brand identity, with a colour pallet of just red, black and wite (excluding the central image). This goes along with the conventions of a real magazine, because it uses these colours to distinguish itself from the rest of the magazine on offer.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My magazine was designed to appeal to an audience between the ages of 16-20. It helped that I am in that age range, so I was on a level of understanding of what would be wanted in a magazine, but I went through audience research with others in this age group to see how I could better angle the magazine at the target audience. By doing this, I found out many things that I wouldn't have considered putting in the magazine. For the central image I used regular students, which provided a connection for the reader that would attract them to the magazine. The clothing was not flash, and the whole atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming- something students look for.
The price of the magazine was £1. I decided on this because since my target audience is students, they most likely will be very short on money. They won't want to spend out a lot of money on a student magazine, but during my audience research I found that they would be willing to pay £1.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The magazine would most likely be sold in the college, as it is about the college itself. The magazine would contain a lot of useful articles etc. about college, so that would be where you would most likely be able to sell the issue. Since the magazine isn't expensive, students would most likely buy it as something interesting to read between classes/homework. Also, if they see others around college reading it, the students are more likely to decide to buy it to see what the fuss is about- peer influence.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
My magazine is generally aimed at 16-20 year old students- so in the E demographic. It is aimed at both genders- there aren't that many gender-exclusive articles. They wouldn't have to pay out for bills etc. like other demographics, so they would have enough money to be able to spend out the £1 on this magazine. Teenagers tend to be quite loyal in their buying habits, so that added with their access to money means they would be reliable to buy the magazine. Really, the target audience belongs to the 'mainstreamers' psychographic.
How did you attract/address your audience?
The front cover of my magazine is quite bold. The red and black stand out above the image which attracts the readers attention to it first. This boldness reflects on the reader, as students tend to think of themselves as quite individual and unique. When they see this idea presented to them like so, they have an unconscious link which makes them feel that this magazine is for them.
The central image is a lot less eye catching. It consists of cold colours like whites and blues, which reflects the fact that it is meant to be a winter edition. The colours match those stereotypical for that season.
I used the same font for the front page of magazine. This creates consistency and doesn't distract the audience from what I want them to see. The text is all in black, which catches the readers eye, and when put against the red makes reading easy for the reader, so they can scan the page with ease.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
For the process of creating this product, I have used multiple technologies. For the planning process of this product, I used Blogger. I already had prior experience in blogging, so there wasn't much to learn there. However, when it came producing the final product, I used many more examples of technology. I created the magazine with Indesign. This was a completely new program, so I had to learn how to use it as I went along the process. Once I got used to the layering system, the program was rather easy to use, however I did find creating the puff on my front cover quite tricky.
I also used a camera, and the program; 'photobooth' during the design of my magazine. These were both incredibly easy pieces of technology to use, however while working with the camera I learnt about the different shot types- like the medium-close up required for my central image, and how camera angles can effect the meaning behind an image.
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