Slide 1.

Hello, my name is Kris Franks, and this is my Media Studies Foundation Portfolio
Evaluation.
Slide 2.
Our tasks were to produce the front cover, contents page and a double page artic
le for a new music magazine, but the preliminary exercise was to make a cover an
d mock-up of a contents page for a student magazine. The purpose of this exercis
e was to experiment with the software available to us, and to actually understan
d what is needed to make a magazine.
Slide 3.
I started the preliminary production by analysing the front covers of profession
al magazines; this enabled me to understand certain forms and conventions which
is needed within the magazine industry. I then created several sketches, one of
which is shown here. This is the sketch which I developed further, experimenting
on the photo editing programmes of Photoshop CS4, and Photoshop elements. The m
ock-up contents page was completed with the aid of the programme In Design, as s
hown on the screen.
Slide 4.
It was now time to start the main task, and to do this, I needed a name for my m
usic magazine. The name would need to be bold, something which is iconic of old
skool hip-hop beats, and then I thought... BeatBox? This is symbolic of the musi
c genre I wish to use, the word automatically creates an image in the viewers mi
nd, and this is what I wanted from my magazines title.
Slide 5.
So who will my magazine target? What colour scheme will I use? What features wil
l my cover contain? These questions could only be answered with the aid of a que
stionnaire. The results from my questionnaire informed me that the targeted age
for my magazine will be between 16 and 26 years old, of mixed gender. The colour
scheme preferred was one based on blues and greens, as this gives a naturalisti
c and vibrant appearance to the magazine, which is aesthetic towards my targeted
audience. My magazine will be published monthly, and will be sold at the budget
price of £2.99 to compete with the current market. The typography choices for
the title of my magazine can be seen here. (Click) These were chosen from the fo
nt website of 1001 free fonts. This is the one which was most preferred by my au
dience. (Click) which is called "Hoary Gaut"
Slide 6.
The audience for any music magazine is very important, for it is these people wh
ich will be purchasing the magazine. There are two key groups which need to be c
onsidered, the primary audience and the secondary audience. The primary audience
is the main audience which the magazine will be aimed at, where as the secondar
y audience is a wider group which will also be attracted towards the magazine, t
hrough certain features which it contains.
Slide 7.
My Music magazine will address its Primary audience through several ways: These
include a price which denotes quality, yet affordability, a genre which compiles
a breakthrough mixture from the market, Exclusive features such as first interv
iews and amazing offers. The secondary audience will be catered for through the
reduction of pricing for future issues. This will build brand loyalty and future
prosperity for the magazine.
Slide 8.
Before I start to produce my music magazine, I must first go through several sta
ges of production. Research must be carried out towards the forms and convention
s found with professional music magazines, Sketches must be made to develop my i
deas and to experiment with the composition of text and images. I will also need
to conduct a photo shoot to gather relevant images which will suitable for me t
o develop, and the editing of these images must be taken in order for me to achi
eve the finish which is expected.
Slide 9.
The forms and conventions of existing magazines will be beneficial towards my pr
oject, they show me that bold print is used to stand out from the rest of the pa
ge, mainly through the use of a "hook" to draw the audience in and get them to r
espond as desired. Vibrant colours are used to denote simplicity and magnitude t
o the cover of the magazine. The gaze of the subjects are used to appeal directl
y towards the audience, to draw them into the magazine, and to potentially purch
ase the product. A variety of fonts are used and the images are also suitable fo
r each magazine, they correspond towards the articles and features which the pub
lication contains.
Slide 10.
As you can see, there are the three sketches which I used to develop my magazine
s front cover. The central image was my favourite design, but after some audienc
e feedback, I concluded that it appears too "rocky" for the cover of my magazine
. But however, I did like the use of a single image, dominating the page, being
the central focus of the cover, and this would be considered through my photo sh
oot.
Slide 11.
These are some photos from my photo shoot. I experimented with the composition o
f each image, and decided that the guitar look wouldnâ t fit in with my magazine fo
r the cover, but that it would definitely be suitable for my contents page, as t
his would appeal towards its secondary audience. These photos were taken outside
, which enabled me to use natural light, so that a flash was not required. This
gives the image a more crisp finish, with naturalistic shadows.
Slide 12.
The next stage was editing. I chose an image which I would be happy to work with
, due to the composition and potential which it contained with relevant space fo
r text and manipulation. These are several snap shots into my development of my
image. The background had to be edited in multiple attempts. I wanted the backgr
ound to look bright and vibrant, as shown in real magazines through my research,
but I also didnâ t want my magazine to look to childish, so the background colour
was edited further.
Slide 13.
This is the final version of my magazine cover. It shares many forms and convent
ions with the magazine covers researched earlier, such as the bold title of "Bea
tBox" situated above the fold, so it would be clearly visible on a shops shelf.
The iconic positioning of a single central image is signifying importance and in
dividuality. The vibrant colour scheme is used to convey the energy and style of
the magazine, and the variety of fonts used represent the mixture of genres my
magazine appeals towards.
Slide 14.
Here are the development sketches and my final contents page. They are simplisti
c, but they show the viewer everything they need to know about what the magazine
contains. Aspects from each sketch was taken further and evolved into the final
production seen here. A variety of shots have been used on this page, from clos
e ups to full body shots, this shows the audience the diversity of BeatBox. The
text colour used on this page is simply black, this is bold, easy to read, and s
tand out from the bright, vibrant background.
Slide 15.
The forms and conventions of my contents page are similar to that of a professio
nal music magazine; they both contain a contrasting title, which stands out from
the background, an editor welcome note, to introduce the issue. Callouts are us
ed to inform the reader of inside articles, and also to hook them into purchasin
g the magazine. There is also a column of contents on each page, as this is simp
le and easy to understand. Square text boxes are used to collate other images an
d text on the page, which may be continued on further pages in the publication.
Slide 16.
This shows the development sketches and my final double page article. The develo
pment of each sketch led towards the final composition of my double page. The ba
ckground of this page is actually an image itself, in which other images have be
en editing and layered using the programmes of Photoshop and In Design. Photosho
p was used first in each case, to edit the images further, and In Design was use
d with the formatting of the page, with margins and spacing.
Slide 17.
There are forms and conventions which my double page spread shares with real mag
azines, such as the page numbers being situated at the bottom corner of each pag
e, as a fixed location which remains constant from issue to issue. Varied typogr
aphy is used to keep the page interesting, and to give the impression of constan
t change. Boxed images are used to create the appearance of depth on the page, t
o make them stand out and really jump out to the viewer. The gaze is also used a
gain, to make the viewer pause and think for a moment, which is used on my cover
. Margins are used to separate text from the edge of the page, to ensure it isnâ t
removed during the printing process. Bleeding images are shown to denote how the
artists are taking over, dominating the pages, and how their talent can not be
contained within a single page.
Slide 18.
My production as a whole represents different social groups by the features of O
ld Skool and modern Iconography, which is blended with Younger and older subject
s, overall appealing to a wider audience. The competitive price and coherence wi
th each page denotes quality and consistency, which attracts different parts of
the consumer population.
Slide 19.
I then showed my final magazine pages to members of my target audience, into whi
ch more audience feedback was obtained. Major concerns with a music magazine hav
e been taken into consideration and overcome, as shown with the audience feedbac
k. But if any of you have any further suggestions or possible improvements, just
let me know! At:
www.sheldonschoolkrisfranks.blogspot.com
Slide 20.
A possible institution which might distribute my media product would be IPC Medi
a, which produces over 85 iconic media brands, and collectively reaches over 20
million users every month.
There publications from the well known NME to many sporting and hobby magazines.
This knowledge into many sectors of the market and advertising potential would
be most beneficial towards my BeatBox magazine, and the profits of the productio
n as a whole, Due to existing contacts and advertising contracts which are alrea
dy in place.
Slide 21.
During this project I have learned a lot about new technologies. Firstly, I lear
ned the basics of how to take a decent photograph, thinking about the lighting,
mise-en-scene, and the type of shot. I learned how to use and manipulate images
using the photo editing software of Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop elements. The la
yout and composition of text and images as a whole was also a new skill acquired
, using the Adobe programme of In Design. There is also the skill of not complic
ating things, a simplistic photo in focus, is better than a complicated blurry w
reck. And finally, how the element of a blog is a simple and effective way of sh
owing ones work and progress throughout a period of time.
Slide 22.
Thanks for Listening!