The Time I Used Skitch

As the conventions of a magazine's double page spread is complex in terms of featuring all the components within it yet, not making it look too overcrowded; I decided to analyse double page spreads in order to increase my knowledge of a successful double page spread. 


I used a software called 'Skitch' to create my double page spread analysis. 

DOUBLE CLICK TO ENLARGE!

The Pros:

• The colour scheme for this double page spread was very appealing as the clothing of Linkin Park determined what the colour scheme would be. The subheadings transparent red background distinguishes the difference between the title and subheading, which is positive. Kerrang magazine usually has front covers with bright neon yellow colours so it is satisfying to see that they did not incorporate that into the double page spread.
• The main image takes up the whole double page space which in my opinion is very aesthetically appealing. I intend to do the exact same for my magazine because I do not want a plain coloured background.
• Finally, I like the placement of the drop capital as it is used in the introduction and not in every single paragraph like other magazines. This maintains the consistency of the double page spread which creates a sleek looking appearance.

The Cons: 

• One feature in particular that I do not personally like is the placement of the website. I think that it should've been on the bottom strip along with the page numbers and magazine masthead as it would've created a very strong bottom strip.
• In addition, regarding the main image itself, a band member on the right hand side is almost cut out of the double page spread. I think that the main image itself should have been moved slightly to the left in order for the last band member to fit into the picture as it looks as if he is not as important as the rest of the members.

Overall, I think that this is a strong double page spread as it includes many of the components that a successful double page spread requires.   

The Time I Looked At A Contents Page

As a follow up analysis to my double page spread, I decided to use the software 'Skitch' to also highlight the conventions of a contents page. I chose this contents page from the music magazine 'Vibe', featuring Eminem, a well known hip hop artist, as his aesthetic image subverted from a stereotypical hip hop artist.

Double click to enlarge the image

The Pros

• The background of the main image contrasts well with the hip hop artist, Eminem as the dark colours direct more focus to Eminems face. The fact that Eminems attire subverts from the stereotype of a hip hop artist suggests an element of formality, creating a modernized image of what hip hop artists look like. Eminem's attire also pairs well with the background as the colour scheme is simplistic and not too extravagant.  
• The colour scheme and the formatting of the articles are clearly laid out. The gutter between the articles are also the same amount of space between every article creating consistency. 

The Cons

• The only negative aspect of this contents page is that the page numbers are not clearly formatted. I personally think that the page numbers should have been a different colour so that it could stand out and be clearer for the audience to read.

Overall, I think that this is strong contents page because of it's simplicity. 

The Time I Stole Front Covers

Today I decided to take certain aspects of different music magazine covers and create my own collage. This is to show what could potentially aspire my own music magazine and also gives me an insight of how I can start brainstorming ideas for a front cover.

The Time I Labelled Everything

As the beginning of my final task (music magazine) begins, I am going to start off by comparing and analyzing two magazines, one created by a Media A Level student, and the other by an actual magazine company. The genre of my music magazine is going to be hip hop, so firstly, I will take a picture of work made previously by another student. This is what it looks like.

This magazine is a hip hop magazine. The magazine that I shall compare it to will be a well known pop magazine: "We Love Pop".

I used a blog tool called 'Thinglink' which enables users to hover around the 'tags' and see what they are. The red points all have tags which shows you what the correct terminology is. For example, the title of the magazine is called a Masthead, which will be shown in the 'tag' if you hover around the title. 

The first labelled picture is the hip hop magazine called The Reign.

  





Both magazines use the basic components of using additional images, extra cover lines and even bottom strips. 'The Reign' is a Hip Hop magazine and has a distinctive style and layout to the Pop magazine 'We love pop'. 

The colours on The Reign are very masculine yet has a feminine element to it by using purple, in order to link to the main image of a female. However, We Love Pop uses a range of bright colours, which mainly connote hyper feminism by using pink and purple as the main colours for the bottom strip and main cover line. There is a significant difference between the two magazines such as the layout.

With The Reign, everything looks 'ordered' whereas We Love Pop, the cover lines have no organisation. It seems as if all the cover lines and images were placed without structure. This is because of the fact that pop magazines are associated with scrapbook like themes in which everything looks mounted on top of one another. This layout also connotes that the magazine is easy going and bubbly - exactly what a pop magazine should connote. 

I like the colour scheme used on The Reign as I think it is very simple and gives off the Hip Hop classic theme of red, black and white. However, I feel as if the masthead itself is too complicated as it is a white text with a red and black layer of the same text. The masthead essentially looks 'bulky' and does not appeal to me. 

With the We Love Pop magazine, I like the font of the main cover line and the colour scheme of it however I feel as if the overall look of the magazine is messy and unsophisticated. The range of colours is unappealing to me, especially due to the fact that they are all very feminine and bright colours. The problem with this magazine is that it looks very complicated and is overpowered with the variety of colours. 

Overall, both magazines appeal to their own respected target audience but there are positive and negative aspects of both magazines.

The Time I Went Into WHSmith

One cold saturday afternoon, my friend and i had decided to go shopping in Croydon Centrale. She needed to buy stationery and then I came across the magazine section. I already knew that by looking at magazines, it would help me gain some ideas on how I would want my music magazine to look.

This magazine caught my attention because of the masthead. The fact that the main image is in black and white and the masthead is a bright red, instantly, the attention goes to the masthead. The colour scheme is simple but effective, creating a classic hip hop theme which is what intended effect would probably be for the magazine company. The main cover line links perfectly with the front image as the subject is the rapper: Lil Wayne. 

Overall, I admire the simplicity of the magazine overall as it looks appealing and is not overwhelmed with many cover lines and images. 

The Time I Made A Fourth Diary

In this weekly production diary, I talk about the feedback that I received from the 6 sixth formers and how their criticism will help me with my future magazines.

The Time I Gained Audience Feedback

Last week I planned to get 6 sixth form students in order for them to critique my school magazine. This was the outcome.

Overall, the feedback that I received was honestly confusing to me because some students liked my colour scheme and some did not. However, I have gained the knowledge to not use PowerPoint for my school magazine and have picked up on tips like creating more pages (articles) to place on my contents page. 

The Time I Made My Third Diary

In this weekly production diary, I talk about how what I did in order to make my school magazine a success. 

I am going to plan a target audience feedback session and record the comments. 

The Time I Created My First Magazine

As the week has progressed, i have become more aware of the basic photoshop tools in order to create a simple school magazine front cover and contents page. This was the finished product.

This is my final front cover for my school magaine

This is my contents page for my school magazine

Overall, I am happy with my magazine although there are a few things i shouldn't have done. Firstly, I used PowerPoint to enter the shapes and all of the text which is not going to help me explore my photoshop skills. Secondly, I should have taken more pictures of other students because it looks like the magazine is all about the two models, Rachel and Baris when in fact it is not. I plan to organize a target audience feedback session in which I ask sixth formers to critique my magazine. This is so I can get an idea on which parts of my magazine are not effective and implement these critiques when I plan my music magazine. 

The Time I Took Pictures

As I began to plan my preliminary task, I booked a slot in the studio for my photo shoot with my two sixth form models, Rachel and Baris.

I took many images but I had to choose a limited amount of photographs for my final front cover and contents page. The images below are the ones I decided to use.

This is the image I would like to use for my front cover as it resembles the images I researched online

I would like to use this on my contents page to create the effect that they are looking at the articles

I want to use this on the bottom strip of my front cover

I want to use this on the bottom strip of my front cover

I would like to use this on my front cover

I am undecided as to whether I will use this on my bottom strip or on my contents page.

I would like to use this on my contents page.

The Time I Critiqued Vogue

This magazine is Vogue, Australia edition. On the front cover, there is an enlarged image of Blake Lively, an actress and model. 

What strikes the audience initially is the maroon item of clothing as the rest of the colours are of a neutral palette. This soft colour scheme that it used connotes the season of autumn in Australia by using this natural palette consisting of brown, cream, maroon and black. The statement piece of clothing used creates a vintage looking front cover, which is positive as it is a magazine based on fashion. The background of what almost looks like mountains is blurred out by using the photography strategy of aperture, which changed the depth of field so the focus is purely on the model. The image ultimately emphasizes Blake's timeless beauty by using a hybrid of colours and clothing to create the vintage feel that high fashion magazines should create.   

The masthead "Vogue", is placed behind Blake's head. This method is used to create emphasis on the model herself. Vogue is an international company so covering the letter 'G' does not affect how recognizable the name is. This is due to the high popularity Vogue withholds, with issues being created all around the world such as Vogue India, Vogue Japan, Vogue UK and even Vogue Italia. The placement of the masthead does not take away the recognition of the magazine so therefore, the placement being known whilst being partially covered is a success itself. 

The lack of cover lines shows the simplistic styles which Vogue have used throughout their issues, which is consistent towards their target audience and remains as a positive aspect towards the uniqueness of Vogue's magazines. However, personally, as the main focus is on Blake Lively, the article on her should've been the main cover line instead of another article about couture of spring. This is because it reduces consistency of the overall look. In addition, if there is an article on spring couture, the colour scheme suggests the season of Autumn rather than Spring. This means that the colour scheme is not entirely accurate as the overall cover looks like an Autumn issue. 

Overall, the magazine represents high fashion, which is what Vogue's intended effect could be. The simplistic layout shows sophistication and maturity which could possibly link to Vogue's target audience of mature but fashionable women aged 21 onwards. The flaws of Blake's cover line not being the main cover line because of its font size could be overlooked at as the overall look of the front cover is of a high quality. Additionally, the fact that the colour scheme connotes the season of Autumn although it is a spring issue does bring down the consistency of the magazine. 

The Time I Stole Some Pictures

As I have completed the flat plans for my preliminary task, I have decided to explore different poses which could possibly end up as the front cover. Ultimately, I want the front cover to be of a boy and girl who are both sixth formers to be back to back with one another with their arms crossed. This is because it connotes their pride of being at Harris Purley Sixth Form. 

This is the type of image that I want my models to replicate, except that they will be much older with adult clothing. Additionally, I wouldn't want them to be smiling completely. 

This could essentially be the exact image I would like to replicate onto my front cover. The two people in this image are dressed in smart business attire, and are not smiling as much as the children in the other image. 

This is my photo shoot plan that I will be using. I will tick off the time it was taken and if it was organized or not when it reaches the time of my photo shoot.

The Time I Discovered Flat Plans Part 2

Today I had created a flat plan for my contents page. 

This is the final plan that I am going to use for my contents page. This is because I like the layout of where the images are placed.

The Time I Discovered Flat Plans

Today I had created my flash plans for my preliminary task which is a school magazine. This was the outcome.

This was my first flat plan that I had created. I forgot to add anchorage with the flash so I did not want to use this. Additionally, I wanted the attention of the magazine to be on the left third but my barcode was placed there so I did not want to use this.

This is the final flat plan that I would like to use for my preliminary task. This is because I have added anchorage to my flash and have moved the barcode elsewhere.

The Time I Made Another Diary

This week I recorded my second on-going weekly production diary. In this video I had talked about exploring different colour schemes and fonts in order to create my school magazine.

The Time I Chose A Masthead

Today I gathered all the results from my questionnaire and decided to create my potential coloured mastheads. 

In the end I decided to use the black and blue font for my preliminary task. In addition to why I had chosen this particular colour scheme, the colours black and blue connote dominance and power which is the message I was trying to get across, especially from the word "Pride". This shows that the Purley sixth form is of a powerful yet influential school, just how I would want my magazine to be. 

The Time I Explored Styles

With all of my target research complete, I decided to experiment with different potential magazine titles with different fonts. Additionally, I created 2 colour schemes which I would potentially use in my school magazine.

The Time I Created People

I gathered all my results from the questionnaire to come up with something known as a 'Readership Profile'. 

The typical reader of my magazine will be male and females aged 16-19.

The main interest of both genders are reading books or playing video games such as PlayStation or XBox. Additionally, the majority of the readers do not actually read any types of magazines which implies that they do not have any particular interest in it. The minority of females that I asked read OK magazine because it interested them with female based topics. 

Readers have two particular topics that they do not want to read about in the magazine. firstly, males did not want to see anything fashion related whereas the females did not want to see anything related to after school enrichment programs. 

Both genders have a common aspiration in life which is to gain a degree in University and be very wealthy in the future. This suggests how hard they will be willing to work in order to gain and achieve that aspiration. 

Overall, readers have the same interest in reading about student gossip in the magazine. 

From this readership profile, I now have an idea on what my school magazine should look like and what to include in it. 

The Time I Analysed School Magazines

One of the tasks which I had to do was to analyse and label 2 existing school magazines. This was because it would give me an idea on how to present my preliminary task and would aid me in exploring different styles to present my magazine.

The Time I Made Some Charts

As I completed my school questionnaire, I created 'doughnut charts' for each question and this was the outcome.

What is your FAVORITE colour scheme? | Create Infographics

What font do you prefer the most | Create Infographics

what do you think the main article should be about in a sixth form magazine | Create Infographics

What would you like to read in the school magazine (tick five options) | Create Infographics

What topics do you think should not be mentioned in the school magazine (tick 2) | Create Infographics

what is the most important aspect of your sixth form experience? | Create Infographics

HOW MUCH WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO PAY FOR A SCHOOL MAGAZINE?  | Create Infographics

FOR WHICH PURPOSE WOULD YOU WANT TO READ THE MAGAZINE? | Create Infographics

As the rest of the question were regarding their personal interests and ambitions, I decided to not create charts for them because of the massive variety. Instead, I will include them in the readership profiling blog post.

The Time I Made My First Diary

This week, I recorded my first ongoing weekly diary regarding my AS Media Journey. In this first video, I talked about brainstorming my ideas for a potential school magazine.

The Time I Created Questionnaires

In order for me to gain a better understanding of how my preliminary school magazine would appeal to my target audience (sixth formers), I had created a questionnaire which covered many topics which could potentially be placed in the magazine itself.

Double click to enlarge

Double click to enlarge

I asked 20 sixth formers to complete my questionnaire and came up with results which I had then converted into something known as an "Readership Profile" which is located in my next blog post. 

The results had varied but most of the answers I had received for questions like pricing was unanimous. The results of my questionnaire will also be located in my next blog post as well.

The Time I Created A Mind Map

The beginning process of my preliminary task of creating a school magazine tarted off with brainstorming ideas and creating a mind map.

Double click to enlarge

This was my first and final mindmap I had created because I really liked the idea of doing a Sixth Form / Post 16 Lifestyle Magazine. The reason for this was because I felt like a sixth form magazine could be the easiest to create considering the fact that I am a sixth former myself. Overall, I do want to go with these ideas for my school magazine.

The Time I Studied People

Double click to enlarge

Psychographics | Create Infographics

The Time I Learnt Who I Supposedly Am

Demographics.
This defines the adult population largely by the work they do. It breaks down the population into 6 groups and labels them by using a letter code to describe the income and status of the members of each group.

The first task that I produced today was a list of social grades, social statuses and professions which I had to order correctly. 

Double click the picture to enlarge

According to this social grading, I am in 'Working Class', with the social grade of D because of my part time job as a sales assistant.

Unemployment in UK May-July 2014 | Create Infographics

The Time I Wrote An Essay

There are many different types of Media, types that I have not come across before because of the fact that I was not aware of what the term was actually called. We are all constantly in the presence of media.

The Internet

The first obvious form of Media is the Internet. This form of media is extremely popular, with everything being based on the internet. This includes basic necessities such as grocery shopping or handling your bank information.

More and more people rely on the internet as a source of information such as the news. Websites in general contain information, audio, video and images. The variety of websites are endless and are all used to satisfy different people for different purposes. In this day and age, technology has come to it's ultimate high where you can even document your own online diary and call it a weblog (blog). 

Speaking from personal experience, weblogs are a powerful tool which can be used to attract a large audience and captivate them with your opinions on social issues, something which I fully commit to. Weblogs have high influence on groups of people too, persuading them to think deeper into social issues and third world problems. On the flip side, weblogs are used in order to inspire audiences or help them with tutorials whether it be makeup, fashion, gaming or DIY.

Print Media

Print Media is the oldest form of media which consists of magazines, journals and even newspapers. Ultimately, physically printed media forms are known as print media. Over the years, print media has been decreased in the amount of readers it gains. This is due to everything, again, being based on the internet. RSS feeds and podcasts are forms of personally gaining access to information that users want to read. 

Overall, print media is responsible for most of the news that goes around in the world. Newspapers are printed out everyday and contain new information and articles

Broadcast Media

This form of media is used on radios and television. Broadcast media are usually news reports that are televised or announced on radio stations all around the world. This can be very influential on listeners as the public listens to radio stations on a regular basis, whether they are driving home from work or using it as a background in classrooms. 

Online Advertising

Online Advertising is the placement of advertising messages on websites. A form of online advertising are banner ads. This strategy of advertising (popping up and interrupting the readers web surfing) is effective and grasps the readers attention straight away whether it is in a negative way.

Speciality Media

This method of media is inexpensive with the company's/advertisers name on objects such as pens and calendars. 

Television News

There are many broadcast networks such as Sky News and Fox News. Audiences who wish to follow stories in a deeper perspective usually tune in to these television networks. This is so that they can view the information first handedly. By broadcasting on TV, the audience is automatically widened as there is a huge viewer percentage that watch TV every day.

Overall, there are many forms of Media. Media surrounds us and everywhere we go there is a form of media, whether it is a billboard for an advertisement about a cosmetic product or a radio station on full volume from your neighbors house. 

The Time I Made My First Video

Instead of writing an essay on what forms of media I use everyday, I thought i'd attempt creating a video explaining it on iMovie: a software i've never used before.

Overall, these are more or less the different types of social media's I use on a day to day basis. I don't really use Facebook and I hardly watch TV nowadays. If I do watch films or TV programmes, I will watch them online on my phone because I can watch it anywhere at anytime. 

The Time I Studied Colours

In the second lesson of my Media class, we had to study the psychology of colours. This was interesting as it changed my perception on what each colour meant.

Click the picture to enlarge it

The main colours connoted many emotions that are said to mentally affect the audience.

For example, if a TV popped up with the main colour scheme as orange, many people will become annoyed with the advert as orange connotes annoyance. Additionally, an advert about speed or cars could use the colour scheme of orange because orange also connotes the idea of being energetic. 

Overall, the many emotions that were discussed about colours was truly intriguing as it explored a whole new mindset for me personally about how colours mentally change the way I feel about specific medias: adverts, magazines etc.     

The Time Where You Got To Know Me

Greetings fellow examiner, my name is Tasneem Ahmed and this is my Media Studies Blog, the place for preparation and progress of all things related to my AS Media Journey. I hope you enjoy it.

This is my face:

My hobbies consist of songwriting, rapping, blogging about social issues which are never really spoken about (findingneem.blogspot.com) and much more. I won't list all of them because then this post will never end.

A major interest I have in life is WWE. Wrestling is my life and I have grown up with it. It may be a joke to some people but one day I plan to actually see a live event and witness my inspirations in real life.

I chose AS Media as a way for me to get into a career which involves how and why we use Media. I consider myself as a photographer/videographer as I already made my own music videos before, directing, writing and shooting them. I'm hoping that I get an A/A* by the end of this AS course and plan to keep studying Media at A2 and in university. Media is very important to me and I use it on a regular basis. The criteria for this course suits my abilities although I have never used complex software such as PhotoShop before. Hopefully, i'll be able to become an expert at it soon and master all the tricks in order to get the highest grade.

The brief I am working on is a new music magazine for a young target audience, preferably aged 15+. I will be creating a front cover, double page spread and a contents page for this magazine. However, I will start off by creating my preliminary task of a school magazine with a front cover and a contents page. 

Well that was my very first blog post on my Media journey. I hope I didn't bore you too much. Don't worry, my future blog posts will be much more creative than a whole paragraph filled with just text. Stay tuned.

"Technology and social media have brought power back 
to the people"