new images for front cover of good vibes

here are the images that i have taken for the front cover of Good Vibes

As you can see from the images above, i have incorporated the eye contact of the female within the main image and the zoomed in, up-close this differs from the original front cover image which is zoomed out and contains no eye contact to the front cover. One of these will be used as a front cover. 

Flat plan for updated double page spread

This is the flat plan for the updated double page spread for Good Vibes. As you can see, the features of the dps are the same, however they have been rearranged in a way which compliments the features, layout and ideologies of a professional music magazine.  The inspiration that has been behind the reconstruction of the dps is from NME music magazine displayed in the image below. However, I have kept the placement of the image in the same place as the original dps, I have only enlarged it. The layout of the features enables Good Vibes to retain professional image as well as the actual content of the dps to be reflecting indie-rock. The short introduction is to put into context what the readers are reading about as well as introducing the band on a whole.

Inspiration from NME double page spread:

Flat Plan for improved contents page

This is the Flat Plan for the updated version of the contents page for Good Vibes. A lot of the features included in the contents page have been inspired from NME. This is because the contents page needs a professional style and layout, however, with the content and images from myself. The image of Bombay Bicycle Club is a big improvement, before the cover and contents page linked together through the images. However, with new imagery, it gives me the freedom to alter the design and layout of the contents page in a way which compliments the genre of the magazine as well as giving a clear idea of the typical reader of the magazine though using the text box below the image of Bombay Bicycle Club. There will be another text box added to the bottom of the image to explain the gig and page number to find the article.

The collumn to the right hand side is the biggest feature that has been extracted from NME. This is because the layout of the  column has a professional look as well as the idea of it working well with the theme of Good Vibes. It is also a clear way to display and find articles throughout the magazine.

The contents page that inspired Good Vibes:

Flat plan for improved Good Vibes front cover

This is the flat plan for the new Good Vibes front cover. I have firstly changed the main image to be zoomed in closer, creating a more professional look to the magazine as well as creating an easier colour scheme. I have also included some Puff and Plugs to the magazine which I didn't focus on within the old version of Good Vibes. These are key features that all music magazines include to attract the readers attention. Lastly, I have rearranged the mast head of the magazine. This inspiration has been taken from Q magazine. As you can see below, the feature has a good impact effect, also, the positioning of the mast head gives the quirky, indie vibe which the magazine is made to create.

The change

Recently, after fully completing my music magazine, I have come to the conclusion that Good Vibes doesn't contain as many conventional features and ideas that are contained within real music magazines. Also, lack of fully checking the design has led to an overall disappointment with the final piece, the text is too vague, the masthead is not bold and the main image is zoomed out too far.

The contents page lacks in headings for articles as well as the article column looking chaotic. Real music magazines contain headings for their articles as well as a simple, yet effective layout to the page which contains fonts and colours which identify their target audience. Although Good Vibes contains the right colours, the layout needs to be reformed as well as some of the content of the magazine. 

The double page spread contains most features of a real music magazine, however, blue panels behind the text confuses readers and is not a conventional feature to a double page spread, also one of the pages needs to be a whole image. 

These changes Will be made to the original copies of Good Vibes. However, there will be still images of the final copies to compare with as well as images on the blog. More importantly, The research and planning for the magazine will be altered in necessary; the colour scheme and genre will stay the same so little content will be edited. The evaluation however, will be altered as i will be evaluating almost a new piece of work.

The overall changes that will be done to Good Vibes will not only improve the look and design of the magazine, but portray a clearer vision of the target audience and include more features of a real music magazine.

Question 2

Question 2: How does your product represent its target audience Does your representation challenge or support dominant ideas about your social group?

The target audience of Good Vibes is a male or female student or older who is a lover of Indie rock. The colour scheme is involves mid-blue, white and black. This may portray a masculine atmosphere; however, to give the magazine the female twist, the model within the main image on the front cover is female. There are three people in total in the Good Vibes magazine: two males and a female. The two males are in one band and the female is on the front cover as previously stated.. The front cover of the magazine is giving of the unisex aura which entices both genders of reader. To set the style and look for a typical reader of Good Vibes, the models have been carefully dressed to reflect the genre in a way which goes with the design of the actual page and the content which is written. This is very important as what the models are wearing suggesst the social group in which this magazine is mainly aimed at.

The pictures of Ocean Giants in the double page spread portray the genre because there is blue on one of the boys and red on the other, both as a yarn jumper which promotes the light indie rock. If any of the people where to wear all black then the magazine would suggest an audience of metal of heavy rock listeners.

 The ideas behind this social group are that Indie rock listeners are qerky people who have a ‘feel good’ atmosphere around them. The genre is a type of rock so there will be some rebellious attitude but the fact of the matter is, the Indie rock social group are not looked down on as much as the heavier rock social group. What I mean by this is that a lot of the older members of public see people who wear black and listen to rock and metal as thugs. There are many stereotypical attachments to each social group; with the heavier the rock being most looked down upon by the more mature people and the lighter music such as classical being adored by the mature public. The social group of Good Vibes stands in the middle.

Although it may be hard to identify this particular age group, Good Vibes challenges any negative connotations that are associated with the indie rock social group and boost the positive elements to ensure every type of person that this social group is a group to join not hate. Also, the social group that is hardest to understand is the most interesting one to be in.

Question 7

Question 7

What skills I have developed between tasks

In media, it is crucial that use a variety of skills to produce and present your work. These skills can be used through programmes such as InDesign, Prezzi and Slideshare. Here are skills that i have learnt in using new software and IT skills.

displaying information in a certain pattern which works with animation. Prezi is an animated presentation programme which requires knowledge and skill on the concept of animation and controlling the pattern it flows. This links to another skill i have aquired which is chronological organisation of my ideas and information. This means ordering slides in a way which flows in order of time; preventing the reader and audience becoming confused on what was written when. This is easily done on Prezi as you can simply drag the slides you want into what gaps to play in a certain order. It can't get much simpler to operate Prezi

Skills which i have learnt in using slideshare are technoligical

The skills I have personally learnt in media have been applied to producing a piece of course work that I’m proud of. For example, I have learnt how to create detailed flatplans of double page spread, contents page and the front cover. I have also learnt how to compare and analyse different conventions of magazines; comparing their features and applying some to my own music magazine. One other key skill is putting together and producing the actual magazine itself. Media covers a range of key skills which, if you master them, will get you the grade you need.

The preliminary task was to create a magazine regarding all the elements of a typical student. The skills I used in the task at the beginning of the year were basic compared to the ones I use now. As I had never used the editing programme before, it was hard to produce a student magazine that looked professional. On the other hand, everyone else was in the same position which eased the tension slightly. The main skills that had to be included in the prelimary task were mainly design skills as there was little research and evaluative writing to it. The designing and construction was on InDesgin; we had to put together a front cover that represented the right age group, and enticing the reader using the conventional methods we had been taught in lessons such as:  including puffs an plugs, a vibrant left third column and a bold, attractive masthead. Overall, the preliminary task was difficult as we had to apply techniques as we were learning them.

When comparing the skills I have learnt from the preliminary task to the skills used when creating the music magazine, you can see the difference in quality and structure. This is because I was able to advance the skills that I have learnt in the preliminary task further to create a better quality magazine as part of my coursework. One of the skills that I have advanced is the ability to create a better quality layout and structure to the front cover. I have used key features which we learnt in class such as the left third and mast heads to make the magazine look more professional. Some specific skills that I have learnt is how to find a 'path' which is used to make text write around the edge of a shape. This was useful in adding information in a tight area that limited space. Another skill that i have learnt is how to insert a 'drop capital'. These are mainly used for enlarging the first letter of a double page spread. Not only have i learnt how to insert one but i have also learnt how to change the colour and swatch of the drop capital so it fits in with my colour scheme. Also, I got inspiration from other, existing music magazine to see how the experts structured the contents of the front cover, double page spread and contents page. In the main task, there was a lot more research and planning when compared to the preliminary task. The main task expected you to research the genre you wanted to make, why it would sell and weather the magazine you will create will be popular. Also, there had to be comparisons of existing front covers, double page spreads and contents pages to dissect features that you plan you plan to include in your magazine. After you have completed the comparison and analysis, it is crucial that you create flat plans and drafts of each section of the magazine; these can be done on InDesign, however, I used WordDoc as is had more of a basic platform to work on. All that needed to be done was create a page layout of the section you were creating and locate were the features are on the page. For example, to show where the left third is, you only need a box to highlight the area you wish to use. This is why it was easier to use a basic program that I personally had experience of rather than a complex program to do a complicated job. So, there are many skills you have to learn when creating the magazine, much like the ones you would have to learn in real life if you were to produce a magazine. 

To conclude, the preliminary task was based on creative skills; introducing us to the software and challenging us to what we could create. The main task included a lot more planning and research which we had to use a range of skills for, such as analysis and the consumption of research. Also the create skills in the main task we slightly advanced as we had practiced them in the preliminary task. These skills include the 'path finder' skill and the 'drop capital' skill. Here are two images below, one of the preliminary task front cover ‘student.’ And the main task front covers ‘Good Vibes’ as you can see, the skills I have learnt have improved from one to the other.