1. Evaluation
By Shaareed Ramjaun

2. INTRODUCTION
For my foundation portfolio I needed to create the following; A music magazine
front cover, contents page and double page.
I completed research by carrying out questionnaires and interview. I completed
the planning which included analysis photos, layouts and various fonts
which lead to my final piece .
Throughout this presentation I will looking through my final pieces and
evaluating how I applied my planning, research audience and preliminary to
them by analysing specific features.

3. GENERIC CONVENTIONS
In my research of existing products, I became familiar
with the following generic conventions:
 Titles for the magazine name, magazine issue
and pages inside such as contents
 Images throughout
 Layout
 Colours
 Language
 Details such as price, barcodes, dates, website
and page numbers.

4. GENERIC CONVENTIONS
The title of the magazine, Bold, in your face fonts
‘Kerrang’ is in white writing, are used that stand out
which is a superior contrast and are easy to read,
against the white writing. It is which suggest the
slightly covered by the magazine is aimed at a
images of the people which wide age group, from
shows their significance. The teens to adults.
writing is broken which gives
it edginess, this makes the
text go with the rock theme.
Magazine is a Christmas
special; assets such as the
cracker and party blower
show this, as well as the stars Ripped edging on the section looks
that are scattered randomly rough.
on the cover.

5. GENERIC CONVENTIONS
My product has used a number of generic conventions including...
I have used different The layout I have used is
colour schemes generic layout as many
throughout my magazine other products have done
which has came out the same where the title
well. I thought that I of the magazine is at the
should do this when I to with the image of the
researched and found it artist taking up most of
is used on many other the room and in the
already existing middle.
magazines
All the other small
generic details such the
bar code, issue number
and date have all been
used on my front cover.

6. REPRESENTATION
There are several social groups that I can chose to
focus on, such as:
The male gender and teenagers/Young adults
Following Burton’s theory, for socially grouped
audiences, my music magazine audience will be
divided depending on gender, age, ethnicity and
education. I have created an urban (Grime, Rap,
DnB) magazine so the stereotypical audience would
be adolescent (13-20) black males from a lower
background and education but other people from
different ethnicity, age, gender and class may listen
to this music and therefore read this magazine.

7. APPEALING TO MY TARGET
AUDIENCE
There were several ways that I made my magazine appeal to my target
audience, such as:
Genre: All urban genres such as grime, rap, dupstep, drum and bass, funky
house and reggae/. This is shown from my questionnaire results that the
genre of music in the magazine is what makes the audience it, with this in
mind I put on my front cover what genres were inside.
Image: For my front cover I wanted to use a close up shot to show emotion and
expression, this was also backed up by the results I got from the
questionnaire.
Colour: From the questionnaire results it showed that the black and grey
scheme was in favour so kept to this but adding red and white for a good
contrast.

8. APPEALING TO MY TARGET
AUDIENCE
I have used several articles to By using Hartley’s developed idea
link with Dyer’s Theory of how an audience is divided I
such as the people who am planning to follow the
read the magazine may be following concepts:
poor or have a low income Self: The aspirations of my
so I could offer a audience include being a
competition page so that ‘music-lover’ and interested in
the audience can win big upcoming music events and
prizes. My target audience new artists.
may not have anyone to Gender: My audience will be male.
talk to so I could also offer Age group: I want to appeal to
a solution page to clarify adolescences therefore my
things if there is confusion magazine should include
in the audience. features which attract this
audience.

9. Audience
To attract my audience I will use posters around urban places where my target
audience are mainly based at. I will also run adverts of magazine station on TV and
radio which play the music genres that are also in the magazine.
I have appealed to my target audience by using the correct colours, images and
fonts such as using red and black which link to grime music and using to right
images to portray different things.
From the results below it shows that I took questionnaires into consideration.
Questionnaire results

10. MEDIA INSTITUTIONS
The kind of media institution that might distribute my magazine would be Harris Publications
This is company is relative small so it isn't profit-driven exercise but there is an ideological
purpose which they would like to distribute good urban magazines
I would use conventional distribution where it would be printed and sold in shops. I could use
digital distribution where I could put in the magazines website or it accessible to
download for phones or iPods via an app.
This is the company behind XXL, Scratch Magazine, SLAM Magazine and other rap and hip
hop magazines.
Their priorities are distributing magazines to customers around the world.
Target audience: people with an interest in urban culture.

11. TECHNOLGICAL SIDE
There are several techniques I used such as:
Spot healer- air brushing the image/ removes
imperfections/ signify variety by which it portrays
personality/ emotions.
Contrasting image- Brightening the image-appealing to
audience.
Lightening/darkening shadows- Adding intensity or
vibrant.
Creating dashed lines and shapes- separates
information/easy to read.
Using text written in columns- suggesting formality/
easy to read.
I used several programmes to edit and finish my final pieces such as Paint Shop Pro
and Photoshop.
I used Photoshop to edit all my pictures including the front cover picture
I used Paint Shop Pro for my layout and putting all the pieces together such as
where I put the title underneath the main image and sorting out where the smaller
text goes such the date and price

12. TECHNOLGICAL SIDE
Original Photo Original Photo with use of Spot Finished Edited Photo
Healing Tool
With the plain background and The final picture had all
non-edited, this is shown by the As shown nearly or almost the spots edits finished such as the
lack of vibrancy in the have gone, the only negative part vibrancy, exposure and
background or the person. about it is that it has left several white contrasts.
or pale patches on the face but I
Several spots on the persons believe this better then the original. It The background has
face so that may edited out as still has not been edited with the other changed and shows a
well the shine around the manipulations yet . better depth.
persons face.

13. TECHNOLGICAL SIDE
Original Picture
Added brightness and contrast
Brightness - -42
Contrast - 100
Finished with added use of the
Spot Healing Brush tool

14. FROM PRELIMINARY TO MAIN
PRODUCT
There was several was I improved my front cover from the initial plan such as I
improved the fonts I used were on my final piece I strayed from the already planned
house fonts with as I used wanted to change throughout my other pages also. I also
made the text smaller whereas seen in the middle image the text took up too much
of the room so that when I added the image of the artist it would not be seen as
much and wouldn’t be centre of attention as it should be, as it will be the first thing
the audience will read

15. MY MAGAZINE CONFORMING AND
CONTRASTING
Both products They both
use a colour use the
scheme same image
through out the shot of being
page (I use close up but
purple, white use
and black contrasting
where as XXL expressions
use white, red from the
and black). artists and
this has be
done to
show how
Both magazines have the same details such as bar code, date and the artist
issue number which is needed on my product to replicate already wants to be
existing products. Also both use the same layout of having a main portrayed in
image surrounded by copy which includes magazine name, magazine the publics
title, cover artists name and other articles inside for example. eye.

16. FROM PRELIMINARY TO MAIN
PRODUCT
I think doing the preliminary helped with several
parts of the main product such as the layout,
this is shown with the contents page
especially. As seen here the difference from
the preliminary to the main product is major
throughout all parts such as images, colours
used and fonts used. This change happened
when I looked at already existing magazines
to be influenced by then such as which size
images are and what images they use.
There are some negatives though such I may of
put the text to close to the edges and in a
magazine and may to be too close in the bind
on a proper magazine

17. I have a
contrasting
contents page
MY MAGAZINE CONFORMING AND
compared to CONTRASTING
this already Both products
existing use a plain
product as they background to
use a big attract the
image reader to the
compared and images on the
small text page.
around it where
I have decided Also both have
to keep more the smaller
text and evenly items which are
spread with needed as
different putting the
images. Both Another contrast is that the already existing magazines
are affective in product has a small strap line underneath name on the
different ways every title for the different pages to help the page
such as mine audience decide which pages they want to somewhere and
helps the read where as on mine I have not put this in positing page
audience find but have added a lot more different page for numbers so that
specific articles the audience to see. they are easily
found.

18. FROM PRELIMINARY TO MAIN
PRODUCT
As you can see I improved my layout from my initial ideas but I also changed the
house style on the double page so that now can relate back to the other two pages
(front cover and contents page) which was important as that was key feature of my
magazine and already existing magazines.
Looking at my already existing product research, the images take up half or even
more room of the double spread, firstly I couldn't find a single image to do this so I
used several which I though it took up too much and through the research it showed
only one big image was used instead of several smaller ones so I changed this as
well which can be seen with the finished piece

19. MY MAGAZINE CONFORMING AND
CONTRASTING
The magazines Both use the
use different same layout
colours for the with one main
background, image being
depending how length of the
the artist wants to magazine
be represented, page and also
but in either page using
the images and headlines and
text stand out. pull quotes
usual found in
Both magazines use a big image which takes up some of all magazines
the page so it attracts the audience to the image then to when an
the article, it also tells the audience who the article is on. interview
Also equally both magazines use a colour scheme through article is used.
out the two pages as mine uses white and navy where as
the black eyed peas’ used white and gold.