Evaluation Second Draft

AS Media Coursework Evaluation:

Pre-production:

For my AS Media coursework I worked alone in order to create a printed product. I decided to design a magazine cover and sample pages for the magazine. The magazine I designed is called ‘Horse & You’ which is a horse riding magazine as this is something I am interested in and frequently take part in.

Before starting to design my magazine cover and sample pages I researched and analysed existing products. My aim of this research was to gain an idea of the codes and conventions of a magazine cover and identify if different genre of magazines used different layouts. Carrying out this research allowed me to gain a thorough understanding of the codes and conventions before beginning my production work. It also allowed me to realise that the layout of magazines remains the same regardless of the genre. I looked at two contrasting magazine covers, a Vogue magazine cover and a Empire magazine cover. Although these two genres are very different, the codes and conventions remain the same for both. The masthead is central at the top of the cover and is instantly recognisable. In some cases, the masthead is partially covered by a models head which allows us to infer that the magazine is well known and does not need to display the full name in order for people to know which magazine it is. The feature article photograph is always the main focus of the cover and links to the main article of the magazine. The date, the price of the magazine and the barcode are also essential on a magazine cover. I then took my research further and analysed an existing Equestrian magazine, Horse and Rider, as this is specific to my genre. Analysing the three existing magazine covers allowed me to become familiar with the codes and conventions and then I could easily identify what was needed to be included when creating my own magazine cover and double page spread. I knew that I wanted an earthy colour pallet to communicate to my target audience that the magazine was about natural content, I wanted the language to directly address the audience so that they felt it was personal to them, for example the word ‘you’ and ‘your.’ I also decided that I wanted a plain white background in order to make the images and words stand out.

I carried out audience research by interviewing a typical member of the equestrian target audience, someone who owns a horse themselves. To begin with I asked the interviewee what age range she fits in to, which was 25 – 40.  This helped me to decide what my target audience could be for my magazine. I also asked general questions about what she thinks attracts people to a magazine cover, the response to this was that a colour scheme is needed. This influenced my choice of colour when creating the magazine cover. I further asked what she would prefer to read in an equestrian magazine, from this I gathered that a large range of different areas can be covered rather than just one aspect of the equestrian genre.

Following this, I carried out research into the regulations of magazines in order to guide me when doing my production. I looked into the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) so that I was aware of the boundaries when creating a magazine. IPSO state that everyone is entitled to respect for their private family and home life, this meant that in my production I made sure when including a photograph, I respected their privacy and did not make any intrusions into the individual’s private life without consent. IPSO further states that sources must be acknowledged. Therefore, when creating my production if I used information or photographs from somewhere else I was aware that I had to re­port the source in order to avoid claims of inaccuracy.

After carrying out several research tasks I created mock up magazine covers on Photoshop for my pre production work. This involved taking my own photographs to use on the covers. I created two contrasting covers one equestrian magazine cover and one fashion magazine cover. Therefore, I used my own camera to take photographs at the farm and get pictures of horses from different angles and close up shots of horses heads that could be used on my cover. I took multiple pictures so that I had a large sample to choose from. For the fashion magazine cover I took a photograph of a friend wearing a dress so that it was suitable for the cover. I then started to design my front covers and be creative with Photoshop, manipulating images with the range of different tools. Doing this task allowed me to become more confident with the codes and conventions and experiment with different layouts, fonts and colours ready for the final production.

The target audience for my equestrian magazine is both male and female aged 25-40. I attracted this audience by using a natural colour scheme for my magazine cover in order to make it appear organised and professional. Rather than overcrowding the page with information and lots of different colours I have kept it neat and simple which will appeal to the older target audience.

Production:

My pre production has significantly helped me with my production. Experimenting with different fonts and colours allowed me to pick a certain colour scheme and style which now runs throughout the magazine front cover and the double page spread which was completed for my production. This organised look will appeal to the target audience.

My product would be distributed in a range of different places. Firstly, mainstream retailers such as WHSmith as lots of people are guaranteed to be there and consuming the product. However, I would particularly distribute my product in specialist horse shops such as Naylors, Equine Mania or Hackworths as people who are interested in horses and people who own horses will shop and browse there so can be directly targeted. My product would further be advertised online and available to order off equestrian websites as this means the product is available to a wider audience.

On my magazine cover and double page spread I have represented people in a positive way. I have represented the horse rider on my photographs as skilled and knowledgeable in the horse riding techniques. The focus is on the horse, as the main image on the front cover and the double page spread is a close up shot of the horses face. The rider is placed in the thumb nail images, the camera angle is a wide shot, showing the full length of the horse and rider. The rider's face is not identified, allowing the audience to focus on the rider techniques rather than the person. This is also done on a Spring 2013 edition of The Horse And Rider magazine cover which I previously analysed. The horse is portrayed as well looked after and groomed, giving the magazine a professional image.

Planning allowed me to progress to my production confidently. Using Photoshop improved my ICT skills and meant I could be creative in what I designed. I learnt how to manipulate images in many different ways and how to layer different items. I could also be creative in how I displayed my text. From the research I carried out during my planning I became much more aware of the codes and conventions of a magazine and therefore could confidently do my production work.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

My magazine cover and double page spread works well as it follows the general codes and conventions of a magazine, such as the masthead being placed at the top of the cover and the feature article photograph being the main focus of the magazine cover. The earthy colour scheme gives the magazine a professional look and the text is organised making it easy to read for the audience. Taking my own photographs went well as I managed to get many different pictures which were all suitable for my magazine. I believe the magazine cover and sample pages I have produced appear professional and suitable for the genre.  The mode of address and colour scheme I used are suitable for both the genre and the target audience. The language used on my magazine cover is light hearted and chatty which highlights the magazine is made for leisure purposes. The natural, pastel colour scheme appears delicate perhaps targeting a more feminine target audience. If I had a bigger budget I would do some things differently. Firstly, I would use a famous Olympic rider such as Charlotte Dujardin in my photographs which would link to one of my secondary articles. I would also give the magazine a glossy finished print in order to make it appear more professional.