Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full project?

First of all, preliminary task allowed me to decide how to manage my time while working on music magazine. Also, I was trying to make the pictures and pages look more professional.

These are my two cover pages. My music magazine cover page looks much better and it had improved a lot. The colours are brighter, cover lines are more realistic and the photograph is more eye-catching. 

My contents pages look quite similar but still, the one for the music magazine looks much better in my opinion and more professional.

Also, preliminary task didnt involve working with the InDesign and creating a Treatment Sheet. However, during my real project, The treatment sheet helped me a lot, as in a way  it summed up all the research I've did previously. This involved such things as ABC figures and closer look to the potential audience through the gaps in the market or looking at the distributor companies. 

For me, preliminary task was more of a skills training, which prepared me for the creating of music magazine, however, without it, I would spend much more time and do a much worse music magazine.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

These are some logos and images of technologies and programs I've used while creating my music magazine.

1. For the photoshoot I've used Nikon 1 camera. It is very small but good quality camera and for me it was easy to work with. I've also used white backdrop and two spotlights for the photoshoot.

 2. For creating the pages themselves I've used InDesign. It was very difficult for me and I didn't quite like it but now I know the basic tools and skills for putting up pages and text together.

3. For changing and developing the pages before putting them into pages I've used Photoshop.

I have some experience working with it so it was easier to work with it than with InDesign.

                                                                4. Another program I've used is Afterlight.

It was a very useful app for me and it was easy and interesting to work with it. The picture I've used for the double spread page was edited in this app.

5. For my audience feedback I've used Instagram.

This social network allowed more people to see my pages and comment on them.

6. For some of the posts I've used PowerPoint. It was very useful for the evaluation especially.









For the music magazine I've used a lot of different technologies, and first of all the blog itself.

This website allowed me to post my ideas, pictures videos etc. With time it got easier to use and it became a habbit to post something at least once in two days.

All these programs allowed me to understand what a difficult and hard job the creation of magazine is. Now I can use Photoshop and InDesign, and this skills are useful further in life. I've also found social networks very helpful and important in my work. 

Stacey savrasova from carolinebirksatwork

Who would be the audience for your media product?

First of all here is a part of my treatment sheet, which I did before starting the magazine, describing the audience I'm aiming for:

So to sum up again, I am aiming for young boys and girls, 18+ but really the age may vary from 16 to probably 30. My readers are mainly students, they would live in University accommodations or renting a flat with friends, what means a lot of fun and parties, as well as studies and exploring new every day. This is why "Vox Populi" has a lot of dance, pop and even sometimes club music and artists. Also my magazine gives lists of festivals and events for young active people who are not too busy with full time job. However, my audience will also study a lot and begin their careers an hence a lot of information about music, artists, producers, news and technology etc. Even though the readers are young adults of both genders, there is no taboo language but it is quite chatty and sometimes slang what again suggests the young age of the readers. As it is said on my treatment sheet my audience is "confident and ambitious", full of energy, ideas and interest. 

This is my friend Yana.She is very active 18 years old girl who studies in uni at the moment. She always been very active, she loves dancing and mostly indie and electro-pop music, and she really loves dancing and always listens to music. She is very energetic and interested in fashion, and quite often is influenced by the looks of singers she likes. Yana also likes reading about different people in media, especially something new and unknown before. She fits in my target audience perfectly. 

This is another friend of mine, Alex(left) with his brother. Both of them are into DJing and go clubs a lot. They are 20 and 26 years old and even though they are not teenagers they would still fit into my audience as they are interested in new information, gadgets and events etc.

This is Marina and she loves traveling, is very active and loves live music. She is 17 years old but she is a perfect reader of the "Vox Populi" as she is interested in people who are usually not the faces we see on the screens but who are behind the camera or mixing deck. As most of the girls she is also interested in fashion and loves dance music. Often Marina and her friend come up with ideas for pictures so she might be interested in the photo shoot with the artist in the "Vox Populi".

This is Tolya and he is a student of 19 years old. He is a guy who often goes to the clubs and parties. However he also sings, but they are opera performances. He would be interested in events, news and also some fashion as he is quite a stylish guy. 

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Even though my magazine might look similar to already existing ones, I never really happen to see or hear about music magazine which will not just provide latest music information, but also aim to the people who want to work in this industry, so there might be a little gap in the market. After research and a lot of reading I stopped on the top companies on UK market - the IPC Media and Bauer Media. 
These are the "big sharks" of media industry and publishing on the UK' market and working with them means success and popularity of the magazine. 

This is what I found on the IPC webpage:

This little paragraph gives numbers and statistics which are pretty impressive, they really show to people how big they are and for a newly created magazine being published by the IPC Media is a very, very good start.












And this screen shot is from Bauer Media:

It also has a lot of numbers and names of their products, many of which are very well known and heard about all the time. 

I personally feel more sympathetic to the Bauer Media because of the "we connect people and communities" as this is what I wish my magazine would do. 




I think both companies would have interest in distributing "Vox Populi" because as been mentioned earlier it will close a small gap but also it is different to the pop gossip magazines or rock magazines with a lot of wild pictures. It is much more informative and allows to broaden the audience. 

How does your media product represent particular social group?

"Vox Populi" is aimed for young people aged 18 and older, however it might be read by younger or older people. The images are of young and enthusiastic artists, both men and female (in my first issue its female) and the colours are quite light and cold, representing modernism and technology. "Vox Populi" concentrates on everything new in music and media industry, so the fonts are very sharp and technological, as well as contents are more serious and more important for young adults (e.g. music news, short biographies of artists, singers, producers etc.). It doesn't have bright neon colours or something of a kind but it represents seriousness of audience, combining quite hi-tech fonts with quite feminine pastel colours and images.

"Vox Populi" was created to satisfy the readers as well as help and advice them, especially if they are planning to study or even work in music area. This issue might seem as aiming for females because of the very feminine model and images, however, this will change from issue to issue to satisfy both sexes and attract them. The language I've used quite chatty and reflects the way young energetic and social people would communicate. There is quite a lot of text, in terms of reviews, news, short biographies, and different charts, however it is balanced by a couple of pages from the cover page photo shoot and taking my DPS as an example - the picture takes more place of the page comparing to the interview.

I wouldn't say that representation is stereotypical and "Vox Populi" attempts to be an "equal" magazine in all ways. Before creating my magazine I has a questionnaire and I've asked the same amount of male and female and so based the contents on their feedback.

Overall I think the magazine achieved the aim of equal representation of young, modern people who are interested in music, technologies related to it, some fashion and upcoming events where they can have fun. I would also say that "Vox Populi" doesn't represent any particular genre of music or it's fans, however it is more often concentrated on dance and festival music, again, highlighting the age and energy of audience. 

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The three pages:cover, contents, DPS

Audience feedback

For this part of the coursework I've posted my pages on the Instagram and asked people to comment on them, what they like what they don't like and any changes that they think could be made to the pages. These are some of the comments (some of them are in russian though):

and some of these:

So overall there were some positive comments as well as different suggestions and I am pleased with my work and myself. People seem to like it, especially the DPS, and putting these in social media was also a good idea to get my feedback. 

DPS final draft

This is my final draft of DPS and the last page posted for this magazine. I didn't change much except for the website and page putting them in the corners of the pages. Ive added my text and as it it quite hard to read from the image here it is:

enjoy :)

DPS draft 1 and 2

This was the first draft of my DPS. I've used the picture for the background and let it bleed from the left  side onto the right one. I've chosen different fonts for the heading and centralized them as well as the standfirst and highlighted her name.

The second draft had very minor changes.

I've added the website of the magazine and a sign "interview" in the top right corner, however the website is placed right a the center and it will be half hidden when the magazine is folded so I will need to move it. 

I really like my DPS and there are little changes I need to add, as well as the article, but overall the page is very tender and light. 

Contents page final draft

I wasn't very happy with any of my contents page drafts so at the last moment I've decided to change almost everything. This is my last draft of my music magazine contents page:

I've decided to use black and red colours for the text and in a way they echo the colours of the photos. Also I've left the photos in colour. The two images and the text are balanced on the page and the cover story stands out from everything else. I've used quite electronic font as my artist performs in genre of electro-pop. The unique look of my masthead is also present here and reminds the reader of a magazine constantly as well as the website at the bottom. 

Overall the page is bright, not too loaded with text and images and I like it, finally! 

Contents page draft 3

This is another draft of my contents page.

This page is completely in black-and-white. I've kept the frame and two-colour concept of the page. However now there are two images and "contents" is spread behind the model. I like the idea of colour blocking and it is hardly seen but for the headlines I've used white and light yellow colours. I've kept the same fonts but I still think the page needs more text and headlines. 

Contents page draft 2

This is the second draft of my contents page and I made it a lot different to the first one.

This page still has white background, but I've chosen a different picture and placed at the center of the top part of the page. There is a thin frame around the page and "Contents" and name of the magazine as well as the date is placed on top of it. I've put some information about the model and photographer under the image and separated it from the rest of the text by a line. The font of the headlines is quite big to be honest, and I might do another draft where there will be more headlines in smaller font. However I like the style of fonts as they are not very heavy and dense and are easy to read. I've used quite cold light colours - grey and blue - and I think they link to the cover page.

Contents page draft 1

I've finished my first draft of the contents page and this is it.

Just like I've planned I've used two pictures of my model in black-and-white and placed them at the top part of the page. I've decided to draw a red frame on the page however I didn't finish it because it interfered with the headline. The "Contents" overlays the picture and is written in tall elegant font that maches the photos. There is also a reference to the page at the bottom right and the date and the name of the magazine at the top left. For the headlines I've chosen black and red colours because they contrast and stand out very well. The font is tall and the letters are placed quite far apart from each other. This creates a less condensed text which is easy to read. Also, I have a section (divided by two lines) with information about the model and the photographer. I think overall this page looks quite professional and it matches my idea for the magazine, however, it has somewhat dull colours so next time I'll try to make it brighter. 

Cover page draft 4 (final)

After all the experiments and improvements I've managed to create my final draft of the cover page. This is it. I might go back to it and change little things, however, overall this is how it will look.

The latest improvements are:

• I left the picture at the center of the page and also left the colours of the masthead the same as in the second draft. However, I've twisted the first part of the heading and also moved the date in the masthead area so when people read the name of the magazine they also can see which issue is it. 

• I've changed the colour and font of the cover lines trying to make it stand out a lot but not to make them too "heavy" for the layout of the page. I've used a dark-cherry colour, which echoes the colour of my model's hair and pushed them as close to the sides of the page as possible. If I was doing my real magazine I would put the cover lines in a small font, all in one line with dashes or bullet points between each of the cover line and place it at the bottom of the page (on the black of Maria's jacket). This would leave the photo and the main cover line in focus and look, in my opinion, more professional an minimalistic. However, I need to show the skills and put the cover lines on the page and so I did. 


• I was very fond of the idea of putting my model's name in between the two lines that are crossing the page. However, the lines used to be white and were badly seen on the sides of the page. So I changed the colour of the lines into blue - the same colour I've used for the masthead background. 

• I've put the price over the barcode and made it quite big.  I've also put a QR code so that readers can scan it with their smartphones. This allows my magazine to be up to date with modern technologies and so attract more young readers.

Overall I've tried not to put too much of coverlines and colour on the page because I think it makes the magazine look cheap, which is fine for the younger audience. As I am aiming for the readers of 18+, (late teens), they would probably be more serious and interested not in gossips and pictures but in useful information, especially if they are planning to work or working in the music (or media) industry. I've chosen light pastel colours, because my model is a young gentle girl. However the coverlines are darker reflecting her hair and jacket. To be honest, I didn't even think of the colours and chose them instinctively and later on I've noticed the match. Generally I am happy with the cover page, however I will ask my friends and classmates their opinion and may add little changes. 

Cover page draft 3

I've created another draft of the cover page. 

I've used a similar idea as in the previous draft and made a blue textured background for the masthead. However, the masthead itself has a shadow now and is in black contrasting colour. I've also twisted the "vox" part of the masthead so it looks different. This time I've added the price over the barcode in a big black font so people can see it straight away. I didn't quite like the way the coverlines looked on my previous draft so I've tried to move the picture and place them on one side. I've also chosen a thinner and taller font in a dark grey colour so it looks more weightless. However I think now my magazine looks quite cheap and it looked better when the picture was at the centre. Also even though the masthead looks good on its own it doesn't look nice with the image so I'll make it lighter in my final draft. 

So before I do my final page, I need to think how to place the picture and cover lines, and also choose the right colour for the text. 

Cover page draft 2

This is my second draft of the cover page for my magazine. It is totally different to the previous one.

If the first draft was in quite agressive colours (red and black) this one has lighter and colder colours, such as light blue and white. I also used another picture of Maria, and to be honest I like this one more so I'll continue using it for my drafts and final page. I've decided to separate the picture and the masthead and created a blue textured background for the masthead, separated from the main image with a white line. I've used white colour for the masthead and the main coverline, mostly because it lookjs nicer and stands out from the background. I've put the date under the masthead and used quite an original barcode (it is long itself and numbers are grouped in the centre) however I forgot to put the price, so I have something to add to the next draft. Because the background of the picture is almost white I've decided to use simple black colour because it contrasts very good. I've also used quite a lot of lines in this cover page: I've underlined the main number or words of the cover lines and put the name of my model ("Marijuama") in between two lines. I think that makes the main information to stand out more and catches the eye of the potential audience. I really like how my model's hair and leather jacket contrast with overall colours of the page. I've used the same fonts for all the coverlines and changed the sizes. It looks quite newspapery (if you can say that),  so it looks more serious and it is good as I am aiming for an older teenage audience. Also, there is a tiny bright dot to this in a form of Maria's blue earring, which kind of links to the blue on the masthead. Her face is highlighted and she looks straight into the camera as if she's looking in the eyes of the reader and that definitely grabs attention. Also her hand brings the image to life because it feels like next moment she is going to fix her hair or do something - even though it is a medium close up image there is some movement captured in it and this makes the cover page quite lively.

Cover page draft 1

This is my first draft of the cover page for my music magazine. 

It is not perfect and it has a lot to work on. However, I like the picture as it has a warm background and the model is looking straight in the eyes. I've faded it a little bit but it still has bright white, black and red colours. Her hair and eyes also stand out a lot and contrast with the background. I've used black, white and red colours for coverlines as they reflect the colours of the model's clothes. I've decided to create a thin white frame because it looks interesting and shapes the cover. I've chosen to break up the masthead in two and rotate the "vox" part of it. It creates a unique look of masthead specific for this magazine. Ive used the same fonts for coverlines but changed the size of them as well as colours. Also the mane lines are underlined so that they stand out a lot on the light coloured background. I've placed the bar code in the bottom left and put the date above it. there is also a huge sticker in the corner advertising the price for the first issue. 

Chosen fonts

These are the two fonts I've chosen for my cover and contents page.

And these are pictures I've chosen for my cover

contents 

and double spread page

Double spread page layouts

These are my three double spread layouts. They are quite similar as it is hard to do much on the two pages however I've tried to vary the way they look.

This is my first layout. It is very simple and basic. It has a photo on one page and heading and three columns of text on another. It also has a page number and a sign "interview" in the right top corner to identify the section to the reader and make it easier to find in a thick magazine.

This was my second idea of how my double spread should look like. In this layout the picture bleeds from one page onto another and removes division between picture and text. It has a heading in big letters that stand out the most and also there is a dropcap in the beginning of the text. 

This one is the last layout for my double spread page. I based it on a picture of my model that I've taken an also bleeded it onto two pages. There is a page number and an 'interview" sign in the corner to identify the page. The heading is broken up in two and there is a standfirst with short information to interest the reader.  The text is placed in three columns and balances the page.

Contents page layouts

These are three of my ontents page layouts. 

This one has two pictures which are balancing the page with the text. They are almost mirrored. The "contents" is broken in three parts, I took the idea from the Vibe magazine and changed it a little bit.

This one has one photo and more text on it. It also has a subscription advert and the magazine web site. There is the name of the magazine beneath the Contents and this also works as an advert for the magazine.

It is most likely that I will use this layout for my actual contents page. I really like the font, as it is light and thin. I will use two black and white photos. This layout is also very simple and it divides the pictures from the text.

Cover page layouts

I've drawn 3 possible layouts of my cover page, bearing in mind the photos of Maria I've already taken.  

This is my first layout:

It is obviously hand drawn but still gives some idea of what I want to see on my cover page. This one has a close up picture of Maria, masthead placed in two lines, cover lines and an advert for subscription yo the online versiion of the Vox Populi magazine. It is very simple and was my first idea.

This is my second layout and it has a little bit more text on the page:

This one has a picture more to the left and some kind of dioganal banner with the name of the model accross the page. It also has a round sticker that advertises the model.

This one is the last layout and most likely the one that I will use for my music magazine.

This one has a photo in the centre and it overlays the masthead, which also has a little background. This layout allows me to place the cover lines on both sides of the page and balance it. There is also a sticker with advertising, which allows me to attract more possible readers.