My Magazine Cover Evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge the forms & conventions of real media

products?

My magazine cover mostly follows the traditional forms and conventions of a magazine, for example:•The Masthead at the top of the page•The main model partly covering the masthead• The Rule of Left Third (aligning all the coverlines)•Following the pattern of the eye (top left corner to right bottom corner in a kind of arc)

When it came to the barcode I decided I wouldn’t need one due to the way my magazine would be distributed, but without one my magazine had a empty space in the lower left corner which disrupted the flow of the reader’s eye, so I inserted a kind of interesting mock-barcode which says “FR33DOM” rather than the numbers a conventional barcode has.

I also decided to challenge the way that most magazines alter their main image to make models and backgrounds more perfect, and I decided not to edit my model’s skin or hair and eye colour. The only things I did to the image were erasing a tennis player in the background (since that’s not appropriate to a school magazine) and straightening the image slightly.

2. How does your media product represent particular

social groups?I tried my best not to aim for one social group apart from Sixth Formers.

I wanted my magazine to be for any gender and any social group so I made sure my magazine’s name and coverlines would appeal to any

type of student. The main image is taken outside, with a casual feel and natural lighting so that my audience will feel that the magazine is

genuine and not artificial (some magazines use models and backgrounds that seem too perfect to be real). However, I could only

use one model for my cover, and I decided I’d make it a girl but I made sure not to let her wear makeup or girly clothes, or that might put off male students. Unfortunately, the colour scheme I chose may seem a

little too girly so I may change that to attract male audiences too.

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media

product and why?I decided my magazine would be made and distributed by Sixth Form

students of St. Marylebone, as they relate to the target audience (Marylebone’s Sixth Form students) the most. There could be a

special team which is changed every year and is made up of both Year 12s and 13s. They would be in charge of the school’s magazine

and have different roles, e.g. Editors, Article writers, Reporters/Researchers. Students should be able to apply for a role in the magazine team whenever there is a space, and if they do make it

onto the team, they will gain valuable experience making and distributing the magazine and will be able to put this on their UCAS. Perhaps there can be one member of staff in the team to assist and

help sort through potential candidates for the magazine team.

4. Who is the audience for your media product? (the

target market)?My magazine is aimed at both male and female 6th Form students.

Because the magazine is called ‘Marylebone Monthly’, it is obviously only for St. Marylebone’s Sixth Formers. Originally I was planning to aim my magazine at struggling students, to help them

with UCAS and homework, and give them special tips, but it became a magazine purely for entertainment and wasn’t really

related to school problems. On the other hand, the team in charge of the magazine could decide to release two magazines every

month, one focusing on entertainment and the other focusing on advising and helping students.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

The coverlines are in the left third, so that it my magazine was on a rack, they would be the first thing you see. I chose interesting

topics (“Caught on Camera!”) and questions directed at the reader (“Don’t know where to go for lunch?”) to get their attention

and interest them.

My main cover image has warm lighting and colours rather than harsh, artificial ones. This contributes to my magazine’s casual feel which I believe makes my magazine more appealing. Eye-

contact from my model also engages the reader more. The informal tone of my coverlines may make it seem more personal

rather than detached.

I think if I can edit my magazine more, I will add a button saying “Only 99 p!” or something indicating there is an amazing

competition so that the reader will be more inclined to buy the magazine.

6. In the process of constructing this product, what have you learnt about the technologies employed?

I had never previously used Blogger or Slideshare and had limited experience of Photoshop. In making my Magazine cover

I learnt how to:

•Straighten photos in Photoshop•Use and maintain a blog•Upload Powerpoint presentations onto my blog using Slideshare