Name: Elliott Gwynn
Candidate Number: 4060
Center Number: 58813
For my coursework i have chosen the Print task of Unit G321.
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Thursday, 31 March 2011
How did you attract/address your audience?
Attracting and addressing ones audience plays a huge role in the success of a magazine, I was therefore careful to attract and address my target audience effectively. I largely followed the conventions of a music magazine. I did this as I felt a visually revolutionary magazine could potential alienate members of my audience, increasing the chance of failure. My house style followed the traditional trends of my target audience. By using the colour scheme of red, black and white it aimed to attract my audience by using a style they were familiar with and have reacted positively to in the past.
This did pose a slight dilemma though, whilst embracing conventions of the rock music genre, I had to have a strong, obvious unique selling point as to attract my audience and address their interests. I soon decided the content would be my USP. With no other nationwide publication solely addressing the ever-growing alternative rock market, I felt there to be a hole in the market.
Another key point in how I attracted and addressed my audience was by simply listening to them. By properly analysing and evaluating data I collected, the framework of my magazine was already complete. I knew exactly what my audience wanted to see from my magazine, from the price they wanted to pay, to the freebies they wanted to see and the tone they wanted the publication to have. These are key factors that decide whether a magazine is a success. If one doesn’t properly research their target audience then by simply choosing the wrong tone, they can alienate a large proportion of their prospective buyers, making failure likely.
Tone, as suggested previously, is massively important. The way in which a magazine addresses its audience is pivotal to its success, and tone plays a huge role in this. My target audience expressed a desire for a semi-formal tone with an educated lexis. This fits in with my target audience being largely of university age. They wished to leave the informal, often simplistic, style of magazines aimed at teenagers, a style Smash Hits embraced before its collapse.
My entire magazine revolves around this issue and I feel I have addressed it well. My publication draws in my target audience, subtly giving off conventions they are accustomed to, it then uses large global brands such as Foo Fighters and Iggy Pop to give suggestions of the content within. And then when the piece is opened, the grammar should address the audience, creating an effective connection.
This did pose a slight dilemma though, whilst embracing conventions of the rock music genre, I had to have a strong, obvious unique selling point as to attract my audience and address their interests. I soon decided the content would be my USP. With no other nationwide publication solely addressing the ever-growing alternative rock market, I felt there to be a hole in the market.
Another key point in how I attracted and addressed my audience was by simply listening to them. By properly analysing and evaluating data I collected, the framework of my magazine was already complete. I knew exactly what my audience wanted to see from my magazine, from the price they wanted to pay, to the freebies they wanted to see and the tone they wanted the publication to have. These are key factors that decide whether a magazine is a success. If one doesn’t properly research their target audience then by simply choosing the wrong tone, they can alienate a large proportion of their prospective buyers, making failure likely.
Tone, as suggested previously, is massively important. The way in which a magazine addresses its audience is pivotal to its success, and tone plays a huge role in this. My target audience expressed a desire for a semi-formal tone with an educated lexis. This fits in with my target audience being largely of university age. They wished to leave the informal, often simplistic, style of magazines aimed at teenagers, a style Smash Hits embraced before its collapse.
My entire magazine revolves around this issue and I feel I have addressed it well. My publication draws in my target audience, subtly giving off conventions they are accustomed to, it then uses large global brands such as Foo Fighters and Iggy Pop to give suggestions of the content within. And then when the piece is opened, the grammar should address the audience, creating an effective connection.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
The biggest thing I have learnt since my preliminary task has been to properly prepare before attempting to produce a product. I jumped straight into my preliminary task without adequate research on current examples of print, and without enough experience operating the software I had chosen. In turn, this meant I created a poor product. However, because of this I ensured for my full product that I spent an adequate amount of time researching both my audience and current examples of music magazines. This meant i fully understood the conventions of print and could efficiently, use, challenge, and develop them, whilst delivering a product that my target audience asked for.
My ability at image manipulation has also improved significantly between products. My preliminary task was very basic in its construction and therefore looked amateurish. The final product on the other hand looked wholly professional. By mastering layering and cropping I had the skill to actually use and develop the conventions of print, rather than having ideas which I couldn’t implement.
My understanding of the importance of colour schemes and fonts has also greatly developed. I now see the importance of font, and how important it is in determining the success of a magazine. It also helps to reinforce the message of a magazine by reflecting the tone of a piece. Colours are equally as important. They can give continuity throughout the magazine and work to attract a particular audience.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt a considerable amount about technology whilst constructing this product. One of the most valuable tools at my disposal was my, albeit basic, digital camera. I learnt the importance of value of optical zoom. When editing photo’s in Microsoft Photo Manager, it became clear that broader shots where I didn’t use my optical were all but useless. They didn’t carry the sharpness or resolution needed for a magazine. However, photo’s which were taken when using the optical zoom were much sharper and useful.
I also learnt how to formulate and produce an industry quality machine using relatively basic software. Without access to Adobe InDesign or Quark, was forced to use Adobe Fireworks, a software known far more its ability at creating websites. But, with remarkable ease, I managed to create a music magazine that I believe shows real quality.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
All my research suggested that the most likely audience for my product would be 18-21 year old males who are fans of alternative rock. I conducted extensive research to the paint the most accurate picture of my target audience.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Being a magazine focusing on alternative rock, it would be unlikely that supermarket chains would distribute my product. They tend to stock magazines which are aimed more towards popular culture, than alternative culture. However, I don’t necessarily see this as a bad thing. The alternative rock scene prides itself on its underground values, an ideology I can tap into to distribute my product. Independent record stores and small gig venues are fantastic places from which to distribute my magazine. Independent record stores are a very large part of alternative culture and due to the owner of the shop choosing whether or not to stock my magazine, rather than a CEO of a multi-national company, I could get my magazine on a shop floor in days rather than months. The incentive for small record stores is that in a time where music sales are plummeting they may be able to potentially make extra money off the back of magazine sales, and as the magazine becomes more and more popular, more and more people will come to the independent record stores.
Gig venues may also offer an opportunity to distribute my magazine. With gigs playing such an integral part of the alternative rock music scene it would be a perfect place for my product to be placed as the target audience would assemble there on almost a nightly basis.
In addition to this I could potentially sell my magazine at alternative culture stores such as Forbidden Planet. The comic book and alternative rock scenes often link together. With Forbidden Planet already stocking extensive quantities of non-music related magazines, it is certainly conceivable that they would distribute my product.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My media product represents the alternative culture in a number of ways. The content of the magazine mirrors the interests and ideologies of the alternative culture by reporting on iconic alternative bands in a positive light. Many conventions of the press media are rejected, in keeping with the manner in which alternative culture rejects mainstream culture. The colours and fonts used also represent the social group. By using dark colours and punk fonts, it immediately sets a tone different to a magazine focusing on indie culture. I also allow members of the alternative rock scene to have an opinion in the magazine. The magazine is completely based around feedback received from members of the culture, and in the “what you said” section, I draw direct quotes from those attending alternative gigs. These gigs are a large part of alternative culture. This is why the vast majority of images used are photographs of bands playing live, rejecting the convention of photo shoots which have become common in popular culture.
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