A2 Media Studies coursework evaluation regional magazine

1. By Talia Gaye

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

3. FRONT PAGE:
SCENE BIRMINGHAM MAGAZINE
Scene Birmingham Magazine has influenced my magazine in terms
of its layout on the front page.
I decided to call my magazine Discover Birmingham. I liked how
Scene Birmingham made ‘Scene’ the focus of their masthead and
then included Birmingham in smaller writing below. This is
something which I then wanted to include for my magazines
Masthead. I made sure that the Masthead was the biggest font
used on the page so that it was most recognisable to my target
audience on the page. I chose to display the magazines date
above the masthead in smaller writing as Scene Magazine did,
again to ensure that the focus wasn’t taken from the masthead
itself.
As shown on the left, I used a very similar layout for the front
page of my magazine. I liked how Scene Birmingham magazine
used various pictures in a collage representing different aspects of
Birmingham. I also decided that I wanted to include this in my
own magazine, however, I changed the pictures used to
recognisable landmarks around Birmingham such as Selfridges, the
Bullring, Brinley Place etc. I wanted to create a ‘D’ shape for the
collage as shown above to show a relationship between the
pictures and the ‘D’ used for ‘Discover Birmingham’. This was
something which Scene Birmingham didn’t use for their magazine,
however I thought that it would be very effective in terms of
Branding for my magazine.
I had mentioned at the start of my blog that for my magazine I
wanted to keep it as simple as possible, therefore ensuring that I
have minimal features used on the front page especially. This
meant that like Scene magazine I challenged the typical codes and
conventions of including cover lines on the front page. Instead of
cover lines, I chose to give the audience a brief summary of topics
which were included within my magazine on the bottom of the
front page.

4. CONTENTS PAGE:
SCENE BIRMINGHAM MAGAZINE
Again, Scene Birmingham magazine was one of my main influences in terms
of the layout for my contents page. I saw on their October 2013 issue
contents page the use of a collage across the top of their contents page. I
noticed that Scene had used the same pictures from the front page as they
had on the contents page, which was something I wanted to do differently.
Therefore, I used separate pictures for my contents page than the front
page of my magazine but chose them so that they adhered to the topics
discussed within my listed contents. I also chose to feature my pictures
within ‘diamond’ shapes instead of squares. I thought that as I wasn’t using
as many photos as Scene Birmingham did, changing the shape which the
photos were framed in would be more effective for my magazines layout on
the page. As with scene magazine, I made sure that the photos stayed at
the top of the page and I kept my contents on the bottom of the page. I
chose to give each photo a orange boarder to keep the same colour scheme
of orange white and black throughout the whole of my magazine. This
enabled me to create distinctive branding for my magazine as I also used
orange for the colour of my masthead and various text on the front page of
my magazine.
STYLE BIRMINGHAM MAGAZINE
Style Birmingham has influenced my contents page again in terms of its
layout of its listed contents. Style Birmingham had kept its contents on the
bottom of the page for their contents in columns. I liked how they did this
as it kept the contents page simple which was something that I said I
wanted my magazine to be in terms of its layout. I also liked the way that
Style Birmingham kept each topic area used within the magazine as
separate contents lists. Again, this was something which I wanted to be
able to incorporate within my own magazine. Style Birmingham, divided
each topic area with the use of lines and different fonts. However, even
though inspired by their layout, I wanted to separate each topic area by
filling the background of each contents which orange and displaying the
topic area above each contents. I chose to make the background of each
topic orange then any other colour as I wanted to keep a consistency in
colour throughout my magazine. I kept the colour of the text used on the
page simple like Style Birmingham did, in a black font, again so that it
matched the colour scheme used on the front page of my magazine but
also to ensure that I was keeping my magazine simple – something which I
wanted the magazine to be.

5. DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD:
SCENE BIRMINGHAM MAGAZINE
Again, Scene Birmingham was a main influence of mine when creating my
magazines double page spread. I liked the way in which on their double page
spread, they positioned the image on the article so that it was facing the writing
on the page. I thought that this was an affective features to use on a double page
spread as it made the image interlink with the article on the page. It made it
obvious that the article was about the girl featured on the double page spread. I
took inspiration from this and when taking my original photography made sure that
I positioned her so that she was looking downwards to the article which I was going
to place on the left hand side.
I also liked the way in which the article included a main image, but then featured
smaller images on the other side of the page which again linked in with the
article. I chose to include this within my own double page spread and used smaller
images of ‘Robyn Gough’, however only using images of her clothes. I did this so
that it linked with what the article was discussing, which was fashion, and also so
that it didn’t take away the main images focus of the fact that she was the girl
being interviewed within the article. I wanted to outline each of my smaller
images with a white boarder, which was something I did on my contents page,
again to make smaller links between each of my magazines pages.
PAPER CUT MAGAZINE
As I was creating a double page spread article based on a fashion blogger within
Birmingham, I knew that the colour scheme I was going to use could be different
to the one I was using for the branding of my magazine, Discover Birmingham
making it a lot more easier for me to create my double page spread a lot more
effectively. As I knew the topic of my double spread was going to be based around
Fashion, I focused my research into not only regional magazines, but also fashion
magazines. A article which influenced me a lot was a article within Papercut
magazines 4th Birthday addition as shown on the right hand side. I was inspired by
the very simplistic layout that they chose to give this article and it was something
which I wanted to be able to use within my own magazine. I loved the way which
the main article was contrasted with a picture on the right hand side, which
spilled over to the left hand side of the article page. I also liked the way in which
the font was kept very similar and simplistic. I thought that this was very suitable
alongside with the colour scheme of black and white. From seeing this article, I
decided that I wanted to make sure that my double page spread wasn’t kept
separate in terms of an image on one side of the page and my article on the other.
Therefore, I extended the text from the left hand side of my article onto the right
hand side where my main image was placed. I also made sure that my font was
kept simple. Therefore, I used the same font throughout the whole of the double
page spread only made variations through using ‘bold, italics and different shades
of monochrome. I also wanted to keep my magazine monochrome as I felt as
though it fitted in perfectly with the theme of my magazine being kept very
simple. I also did it as I wanted my article to portray Robyn Gough as an ordinary
girl which females of Birmingham would be able to identify with easily instead of a
role model. By using a monochrome colour scheme I think enabled me to portray
Robyn Gough as more of an ordinary girl.

6. ENDANGERED SPECIES
I liked the way in which the billboard used a question
as the main text on their advertisement. I thought my
doing this they were engaging directly with the
audience. I used the same technique for the tag line
of my billboard. By asking the question ‘have you
discovered your Birmingham yet’ I was not only
engaging directly with my target audience with a
rhetorical question, but I was also linking this
question directly to my magazine through the use of
the words ‘Discover Birmingham’.
COSMOPOLITAN
This billboard influenced my own in terms of its
masthead. I liked how it placed the masthead at the
top of the page separate to the main image and any
other text used on the advertisement. I also chose to
use the same feature on the billboard of my
magazine, however I chose to place my masthead
within the centre of the advertisement against a
background which it matched well against. I did this
as I wanted to make it obvious that the billboard was
advertising the magazine ‘Discover Birmingham’ but
also blend in nicely with the picture that the
appearance of my billboard was appealing to my
target audience.

7. HEALTH NET
When I came across this billboard on social media, I
liked the way in which it included a reference to
social media. By doing this it was advertising that
information on the health net was available through
social media. It was also a feature which I noticed a
lot of billboard advertisements use. I decided to
use this within my own billboard advertisement. I
added the three icons for Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram on the top right hand side of the page
and gave the user name of all three accounts for
Discover Birmingham below. I think by doing this it
made it more obvious that my billboard was
advertising my magazine Discover Birmingham.
The Great and Powerful (Disney)
By looking at this billboard advertisement I noticed
that without the release date being visible and the
reference to being in ‘IMAX 3D’, it wouldn’t have
been obvious that it was advertising a film, it could
have been advertising anything. This was when I
realised that I would need to add a release date
onto my billboard but also identify the fact that it
was a magazine. Therefore, under my billboards tag
line, I included “Your free monthly magazine”. By
doing this I was able to inform my audience on
what the billboard was advertising but also linking
it back to the actual magazine by saying “Online
and In stores – January 2015”.

8. When searching for radio adverts to influence my decision on my radio advert, I focused
on searching for scripts before I started to write my own. I searched these through
Google Images where I was able to read through them. By doing this I was able to
recognise the fact that most radio adverts are kept short and to the point. By doing this
I was able to create my script knowing exactly how I wanted it to be in terms of the
choice of two voices, how long I wanted it to last and how I was going to ensure that I
made it clear I was advertising a regional magazine based on Birmingham.
I was specifically influenced from the radio advertisement which I have included in the
link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKXjn4sdRoA
I liked the way in which this radio advertisement used one simple music track the whole
way throughout the radio advertisement. I thought that by doing this it did not divert
the attention from the main purpose of advertisement for the radio advert. This was a
feature which I then included within my radio advertisement as I wanted all of my
products to be kept simple so that I could brand my magazine effectively. By not using
any extra sound effects and contrast in music in my magazine I was easily able to do
this.
I also liked the way in which the radio used a contrast between a male and a female
voice. I thought that this kept the audience interested in the radio advert as there was
a variation in people instead of the one voice being played throughout. I also included
this within my own radio advertisement as I thought that not only I am enabling my
audience to not become bored of the same voice throughout the radio advertisement
but I also chose to do this to show binary oppositions of male and female. This was to
represent the fact that Birmingham is a diverse multicultural city, again enforcing the
fact that it was a radio advertisement based on a regional magazine for the Birmingham
audience.

9. When creating my regional magazine it was very important that I
was able to identify a specific target audience to ensure that I could
construct my magazine to suit my target audience.
I was able to identify that my target audience was going to be of
the whole of the Birmingham population in particular. This would be
a magazine which I would aim at them specifically. However, even
though my magazine was going to be specifically about Birmingham
and appeal to the Birmingham audience, I also wanted to make sure
that people who from outside of the Birmingham region would be
able to identify that the magazine was focused on Birmingham in
particular. But also, I wanted to make sure that my magazine was
not only readable for a Birmingham region but people from
different cities would be able to read and use my magazine to be
informed into life around Birmingham and use it also as a ‘what's
on’ guide.
I think that I have successfully made my magazine appealing and
specific to the Birmingham region. However, I have also made it
useable for people who do not live in Birmingham and want to find
out about the city.

10. FRONT PAGE
The photography:
On the front page of my magazine, I have tried to attract the audience
through the use of my pictures. As I would basing my magazine to appeal to
the Birmingham region, I purposely chose to take my original photography
of places where the Birmingham region would be able to identify
immediately. I therefore chose to include pictures of Selfridges, The
Bullring, The Birmingham Library, Brinley Place and The Ikon Gallery. As
well as taking pictures of these places, I tried to take most of my
photography at low angles so that it would look a lot more appealing to my
target audience when I combined all of the pictures together. I also chose
to position the pictures on my page into a D shape. I chose this shape in
particular as I wanted to demonstrate a relationship between the
mastheads name ‘Discover’.
The Masthead:
I purposely chose to call my magazine ‘Discover Birmingham’ I did this as it
relates to my target audience being actively involved in finding out about
Birmingham through the magazine. I displayed this at the top of the front
page of my magazine purposely in bigger font than any other text on the
page so that it was clear to my target audience that this was the name of
the magazine. I wanted to keep the ‘Discover’ bigger than the
‘Birmingham’ as it related to my target audience discovering the city
through the magazine. However, I made sure that Birmingham was still mad
visible on the page to show that this is a magazine which is based on the
Birmingham area specifically.
The Topic areas:
Instead of using cover lines on the front page of my magazine, I decided to
keep it simple and instead put topic areas along the bottom of the front
page. I think that doing this instead of cover lines attracted the audience
more as I was able to inform them on all topic areas which are covered
within my magazine instead of selective cover lines. By doing this I was
able to appeal to a lot more people who may be interest in one topic a lot
more than they would be in another.

11. CONTENTS PAGE
The photography:
When choosing the photography for my magazines contents page, I
wanted to ensure that the photos were all relevant to contents which
I was going to include within my contents. By doing this, I think that I
have attracted the audience to my magazine a lot more. My reason
for this is because when they are looking at the contents page, some
of the articles then relate to the pictures I have chosen. This will give
them an insight into the articles within my magazine before needing
to read on further, something which a magazines contents page is
supposed to do.
Tag line:
At the top of my contents page I have included a tag line saying “Your
best guide into life around Birmingham”. I did this as the use of the
word “your” directly addresses my audience. I think the use of direct
address is very important as it attracts the audience to reading the
magazine.
Contents dividers:
The use of my contents dividers attracts my target audience to my
magazine as I have again split each topic area into separate content
lists. By doing this I am enabling the reader to read the information
which appeals to them the most. By doing this they can then look at
the areas which they wish to instead of looking though a table of
contents which includes all topics.

12. Double Page Spread
The photography:
For my photography, I wanted to ensure that I portrayed Robyn as an
ordinary girl, someone which everyone would be able to connect with
through the article. In order to show this, I ensured that the
photography which I took of Robyn didn’t show off her ‘beauty’ in sense
and instead was shown looking ordinary, looking down at the interview
from behind. By doing this, I was still able to make it obvious that the
article was about Robyn, a fashion blogger, but the main focus was on
the ‘fashion fix’ and her tips into how to dress fashionable for an
affordable price around Birmingham. This is something which would
have attracted my target audience to my magazine.
The interview:
Within my interview, I have mentioned aspects of Birmingham which
most people within the Birmingham region will be able to recognise. I
have also mentioned Robyn being able to get her ‘Fashion fix’ from high
street stores within Birmingham's Bullring, which again is something
which the audience will be attracted to as it is a topic in which
everyone will be able to then go away from and have access to. I also
started off the interview. At the start of my interview, I also introduced
Robyn Gough as a ordinary girl who is a student in Birmingham. This is
again something that a lot of young people within Birmingham will be
able to relate to and again attract them to read into the interview.

13. CONTENTS PAGE
The photography:
For my Billboard advertisement, I purposely had chosen to take a panorama
photography of Birmingham as I thought that it would attract my audiences
attention as I have used a view of Birmingham which the region of
Birmingham would be very familiar with. It was also an effective photograph
to use as it links in directly with the name of my magazine ‘Discover
Birmingham’ this is because on the right hand side of the photograph, there
is someone who is looking out to the view and almost ‘discovering
Birmingham’. Again an aspect in which people will be able to relate to on my
billboard.

14. CONTENTS PAGE
Social media icons:
By including social media Icons on the top right hand
side of my billboard is something which the majority of
my audience would be able to relate to as social media
is so broadly used by all age groups and genders.
Therefore, I thought that it would be something which
would attract my target audience into reading my
magazine.
Tag Lines:
The tag line which I have used on my billboard is a
rhetorical question asking “Have you Discovered your
Birmingham yet?”. This directly addresses the audience
as I am asking them directly if they have discovered
Birmingham. I thought that this would be a good
question to ask on my billboard as it links with my
magazines name of ‘Discover Birmingham’. The use of
the question directs the audience into thinking about
whether they have discovered Birmingham yet and if
they want to read my magazine in order to do so.

15. Within my radio advertisement I have tried to address and attracted my target audience as much
as possible. Within my advertisement I have tried to address the audience by asking them
questions and directly speaking to them through the use of ‘you’.
As shown on my radio advertisements script below, I have directly addressed the audience on
every line of my advertisement with the exception of one. By doing this I am speaking directly to
each listener and attracting them to my read my magazine. I have done this through the use of
the words “you and your”. I think that by doing this, the listener is a lot more likely to engage in
listening to the advertisement.
The line which I have chosen to directly address the audience is within the middle of the
advertisement. I have done this as by directly addressing the audience from the start I am most
likely to have managed to attract their attention. This line then enables me to inform them on
what my magazine has to offer and hopefully gain the interest of people who are listening. I then
made sure that I engaged with my audience again until the end of the advertisement with the
use of direct address.

16. How effective is the combination of your
main products and ancillary texts?

17. My magazines Masthead is the main way in which I have been able to brand
my magazine as it interlinks all of my products together. The masthead
enables the magazine to be immediately recognised as Discover Birmingham.
I have included my magazines masthead at the top of every page within my
magazine. I have also included the masthead of my magazine on the top of my
billboard advertisement and made reference to the name of my magazine
throughout my radio advertisement. I did this to ensure that there is a
relationship all of my products which I have created.
By featuring my magazines masthead, it will be easy for my target audience to
know that each product is advertising the same brand.

18. Another way which I have been able to brand my magazine is through the use of
my colour scheme. I have made use of the colours Orange, white and black
throughout my magazine and billboard advertisement.
The use of the colour Orange is associated with happiness, fascination,
attraction, creativity and is associated with things which are hot. Because of
these connotations I thought that Orange would be the perfect colour to use
mainly throughout my product as it represents all things Birmingham.
Having my masthead in orange font, with the connotations of fascination,
attraction and creativity was perfect for my magazine it is relevant to the idea of
my magazine having the latest information and topics on Birmingham which my
target audience can use in order to ‘Discover’ the city.
I used black and white throughout my magazine a lot as I wanted to keep my
magazine very simple, which these colours allowed me to do. They both also have
connotations of power and the unknown, which again links to the idea of my
magazine acting as almost a guide into life around Birmingham which is displayed
by the different content areas my magazine includes.
I had chosen to keep these colours consistent throughout the whole of my
magazine and billboard.

19. I have also kept a similarity between all of the fonts used within my
magazine and billboard advertisement.
The font which I had chosen to use for my masthead was “Primetime”.
I used this font as I thought that it was a bold font which stands out to
the reader. It also looked ‘trendy’ which was something which I
wanted to ensure my magazine gave the impression of being as
Birmingham is represented as being a trendy city to live in. I also
chose to use the same font for the tag line of my billboard
advertisement. I did this as I wanted it to be the main focus of my
billboard advertisement as well as the masthead at the top of the
advertisement. By using the same font for both of these I thought that
it would give my advertisement a very strong brand image as shown
below.

20. I have used the font “Trebuchet MS” for the whole of my magazines
contents page and both of the topic areas displayed on both the front
cover and billboard advertisement as shown below. By using the same
font throughout both of my products, I am showing a similarity and
relationship between both products for my magazine. This has enabled
me to build a brand image for my magazine and enabled it to become
easily recognisable as ‘Discover Birmingham’ magazine.

21. I have used the font “Times New Roman” throughout the whole of my
magazine contents page. I did this as it was very similar to the other
fonts used throughout my products and was a very simple font which I
wanted to ensure my magazine was kept simple. However, by using the
use of a different, but similar font, I have been able to give my
magazine a slightly different type of branding to show that it is a
separate article from the theme of Birmingham magazine. Even though
I did this, I still made sure that elements of my magazines branding was
still used such as the black and white colour scheme for both my font
and background/photography. This enabled the audience to be
reminded that it was still a part of Discover magazine as shown below.

22. As a part of my branding for Discover Birmingham, I kept the use of
collages consistent through my magazine and my radio advertisement. I
made sure that within my magazine, I included a collage on every page
using the shapes which had four sides. I used collages to make a link
with the diversity of Birmingham contrasted with the different images to
show this.
Within my radio advertisement I purposely chose to record the voices of
both a girl and boy to keep the theme of a collage consistent. This also
demonstrated the diversity between boy and girl with the idea that
Birmingham is a diverse city to live in.
Overall I am very happy with the branding of my magazine. If there
would be one thing which I think I could of improved on, it would be
to include the theme of collages throughout magazine and radio
advertisement on my billboard advertisement.

23. I think that my radio advertisement was slightly harder to brand as it is not visual. This meant that I had to
brand my magazine through the choice of music and the actual radio advertisements script.
I tried to brand my magazine by keeping my radio advertisement very simple. I did this by only using one
music track behind only two voice over's (a boy and girl). I purposely did this as the theme throughout all of
my products was to keep everything simple. By using a boy and a girl I am clearly distinguishing the
difference between the two voice over's so that it isn’t confusing for my target audience but also showing
diversity of Birmingham through the use of the two binary opposites. I also chose to only include a one music
track behind the voice over’s with no sound effects as I wanted to again keep my radio advertisement as
simple as possible to fit in with the branding of all of my products.
I also chose to use the words ‘Discover Birmingham’ throughout my radio advertisement consistently as shown
in my radio advertisement script below. I did this as it directly referenced the name of my magazine
‘Discover Birmingham’ showing that the radio advertisement was for my magazine specifically.
I also chose to include ‘your best guide
for life around Birmingham’. I chose to do
this as I had included this line within my
magazines contents page as shown
below, again showing a good use of
branding throughout all of my products.
I had also made sure that I included my magazines topic areas within the advertisement to reference
another aspect of my magazine as shown above. By doing this I was showing similarities through my
products and enabling myself to brand my magazine well.

24. David Gauntlett and Tessa Perkins
(Representation theory)
David Gauntlett says that the ‘identity is
complicated...constructed and mediated’. There are often more
to places and people than what is shown as representations are
made and mediated in certain ways through media texts.
Tessa Perkins also says that “stereotypes are false with an
element of truth but truth is hard to establish”. Stereotypes are
often about other people which concern only the minority –
however these stereotypes do not change.
Women are often sexualised and objectified as the represented in
some ways to entertain the male audience. Within my magazine, I
have represented my main image within my double page spread as
being quite ‘coy, sexy and stylish’. I have portrayed this by
placing her within my photography with her back towards the
camera. David Gauntlett would say that is very stereo typical for
a women to be represented in this way as she is positioned as if
she is wanting to be looked at.
Birmingham is also represented as being a city which is famous for
its history. However, I have challenged this representation by
trying to demonstrate that Birmingham is a more than this but has
developed and become very diverse and urban. I have tried to
emphasis this through the front page of my magazine where I
have included pictures of Shopping within Birmingham, the Art
that Birmingham has to offer, food places and the brand new
library as shown below. Tessa Perkins would agree that my
magazine in some ways goes against the typical representation of
Birmingham.

25. Roland Barthes (Narrative theory)
Roland Barthes came up with an ‘enigma code’ which
can be applied to any Narrative and media text. This
code is where by the text portrays a mystery and lures
in the audience. In this case Barthes would say that I
have constructed my magazine creates questions for
the audience.
For example, within my magazine, the front page
creates the narrative for the magazine as it gets the
audience involved and ‘hooks’ them. The contents
page is then where the story of the text is shown
which enables the audience to become more involved
within the media text. The actual content within my
magazine is then a disruption to the narrative as it
will begin to be an on going process through different
issues of the magazine which keeps the receiver of the
text involved.
My magazines front page portrays a mystery to lure in
the audience as it creates questions for my magazine.
This is through the choice of including no cover lines
on my magazine. The receiver of the text can only
rely on the topic areas and the photographs on the
front page to try and work out what the magazine is
about. By using only these features Barthes would
agree that I am getting the audience to trust in the
fact that my magazine is a regional magazine about
Birmingham as I am not giving them a detailed
preview of what is inside.

26. Steve Neale, David Buckingham and Jonathan
Culler (Genre theory)
Steve Neale says that “genres are instances of repetition and difference”.
Society see media texts over and over and become used to the way in which
different media texts are constructed so they are easily identifiable. Neale is
says that sometimes different texts need something a bit different but to be
able people to still know what media text it is.
David Buckingham describes genre as being “in a constant process of negotiation
and change”. By this he means that how we change our media texts should
change appropriately to suit the target audience.
Jonathan Culler says that generic conventions are to establish a contract
between the creator and the reader. The reader should be able to make sense of
the conventions as it is what they expect to see within a particular type of
media text. Conventions allow the creator to give understanding however, we
can deviate in the way we use them. It is risky to deviate too much to the
audience as we could potentially alienate them. Because of this we need to
ensure that there is some type of what he describes as “shared framework”.
All theorists would agree that I have successfully shown the genre through my
work. For example, I have demonstrated all theories through my front page. I
have included the typical conventions of a magazine Masthead and a main
image. However, I have chosen to have no cover lines and have a basic layout.
This is a repetition of media genres through the use of my conventions however I
have also created a difference with they way in which I haven’t provided my
audience with cover lines.

27. What have you learnt from your audience
feedback?

28. I had created a questionnaire consisting of eight questions in order for my to understand my target
audience and know what they wanted to and were expecting to see within a regional magazine.
The full response to my questionnaire is on my blog;
http://taliagayemediastudiesa2.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/research-into-my-target-audience.html
The following responses were the most relevant for my in the construction of my magazine;
Most people agreed that they would like to see a variety of topics within my regional magazine (63% of
people I asked) as it makes the magazine a lot more appealing to a wider target audience within
Birmingham. My response to this was to include my topic areas “Fashion and beauty, Arts and Culture,
News and Business and nightlife and entertainment” within my magazine.
Most people also agreed that they would prefer it if my magazine was text and image based (74% people
who I asked). By doing this I was able to be a lot more creative with my magazine in order to appeal the
Birmingham region.
Once I had came up with the idea of an interview with a Birmingham Fashion blogger as my double page
spread article, I thought that it would be a good idea to ask my target audience if they would expect to
see an interview within a regional magazine. By asking this I was able to see that it was a good idea to
make it my main article as 65% of people asked said that they would like to see an interview in a regional
magazine.
It was helpful for me to have more than one view point for my magazine as it enabled me to find ways in
which I was going to make my magazine appealing for as many people as possible. The questionnaire
made me change some of my original ideas so that I could make my magazine appeal to my audience.

29. In terms of feedback which I received for the front page of my
magazine I felt as though it helped me improve it a lot – something
which I wouldn’t have been able to do without the feedback.
For the front page of my magazine, I set up a small focus of three
people on ‘WhatsApp’ where I sent a photo of the front page of my
magazine and asked for their initial thoughts. I felt as though overall I
received positive feedback from this which made me feel reassured
about the direction I was taking my magazine in.
My focus group recognised the use of a collage to present life around
Birmingham with key landmarks and also identified the relationship I
have tried to make between the shape of the collage and the name of
my magazine.
Another person within the focus group mentioned how she thought
that I should change the font at the bottom of the page which at the
top didn’t stand out to the audience. This was a vital piece of
feedback for me as I thought that the fact the front page of my
magazine did not include any cover lines, the topic areas on the
bottom of the page was the only way in which I could ensure my
audience was informed of the content within my magazine. By
changing the font I used as well of the colours on this particular piece
of text I though really enabled my magazine to be identified as a
regional magazine which was going to inform the Birmingham region
on different aspects of life around Birmingham.
Another individual within my focus group also identified the fact that
she liked the way in which I had kept my magazine very minimal in its
colours, text and pictures. This again made me feel more confident in
how I was choosing to brand my magazine.
I was able to use this feedback constructively as I purpose chose to
ask people who lived in the Birmingham region themselves.

30. I had also uploaded my work to a social networking site (twitter). I did this so that I could reach out to the
target audience of Birmingham and gain feedback into aspects of my magazines which they either liked or did
not like meaning I could improve it and feel confident in the work which I had produced.
The feedback which I received was very positive. Someone was able to identify the fact that I have tried to
create a ‘D’ Shape using the collage on my front page to give a sense of branding through my product. This
was very pleasing to know as it shows me that I have been able to brand my magazine successfully. Also,
someone commented on the pictures which I have used throughout my magazine. This is very good to hear as
it shows that because of the amount of original photography I decided to take, I was able to select the most
appropriate photos to use within my magazine and they were effective!. They also mentioned the use of the
colour scheme how they really liked it. This was good to hear as I again was able to identify the fact that my
colour scheme worked well for my magazine. Someone mentioned the use of the use of the black and white
colour scheme on my double page spread as making the main image used look ‘powerful’ and easy to identify
that the article was about her. Someone had also mentioned that they liked the use of the pictures
throughout the magazine and the chosen colour scheme also enforcing that fact that I had made the right
decisions in the creativity of my magazine.
I am glad that I uploaded my magazine on social media as I was able to gain more than one opinion on my
work and also know that what I had constructed was suitable for my target audience of the specific
Birmingham demographic.

31. As well as creating a focus group, I also asked my teacher for
feedback on the front page of my magazine. By doing this he
was able to point out the use of my pictures on the front page.
He identified the fact that one of my pictures (as shown below)
did not fit in with the pictures I had used within my collage.
From this feedback I was able to change the one picture which
I had used to a picture of the Pitcher and Piano in Brinley
Place. By doing this my front page had reference to my
contents page as this location was also mentioned here. I also
found that all of the pictures on the front page were taken at
an angle which made the picture look more appealing to my
audience. This was something which I hadn’t achieved in the
one photography by using the mailbox, but once changing the
photo I had again.
When I began to create my masthead, I used social media to
gather audience feedback for what I had created. I posted a
picture of my magazines masthead onto Facebook, where I got
a positive response. Again, the comment made was based on
how bold but simple my masthead was which was something I
wanted to magazine to be in order to attract my target
audience of Birmingham. Using social media enabled me to
know that I was going in the right direction for the masthead of
my magazine.

32. One of the ways in which I received feedback from my target audience was by presenting my
work to my in a focus group with students and teachers within my sixth form. By doing this I
was able to gain very good feedback from my original billboard which informed the decisions
which I had made to create my final version.
I had created a billboard advertisement for my magazine shown below which I presented to
my focus group. The feedback from this was very useful as they pointed out to me that the
advertisement wasn’t obvious to my target audience what it was advertising. Even though I
had included several references to my magazine such as the masthead, the topic areas which
I had put on the front page of my magazine and the use of the question using the words
‘discover’ and ‘Birmingham’, I did not include anything which suggested that it was for a
magazine. As well as this, they pointed out to me that my colour scheme wasn’t kept
consistent throughout my products because of my billboard. Because of this feedback I was
able to construct a new billboard which included similar features however new ones as well
so that the advertisement was obvious that it was for a regional magazine. I have included
both billboards below.
BEFORE AFTER

33. In order to gain feedback from my work, I uploaded my billboard onto twitter. I did this so that I could publically share
my work and gain feedback into what they liked about it or even what they didn’t.
I found that the audience liked the use of the panoramic image used for my billboard. One person described it as being
“very effective”. This was good to know as I purposely chose to take a panoramic photography of a view of Birmingham
as it fit well with the layout of my billboard advertisement. Also I thought that it fit well with the magazine name
‘Discover Birmingham’ as it was a view of Birmingham almost showing what there is to be potentially discovered
around Birmingham.
Someone also said that they thought that the billboard was good however they found it hard to see the orange writing
at the bottom of the page. By receiving this feedback I was able to chose to keep the colours the same as I wanted to
ensure there was a consistency in colour scheme throughout my magazine, however I chose to make the writing a bit
bigger and also change the font to being ‘Bold’ so that it was more visible to my audience. If I hadn’t of received this
feedback than I may not have been able to sell my magazine successfully to my audience as it may not have been
clear. However, by receiving this feedback I was able to change this.
Someone had also noticed the fact that the colours I had chosen to use for my magazine were then used through my
billboard advertisement. For examples the use of the orange text. They also said that they liked the use of the picture,
this shows me that as more than one person is commenting on the same aspect of my magazine, I have branded and
constructed my magazine correctly which gave me confidence in the decisions I had made for my products.

34. When creating my radio advertisement, in order to gain feedback from my target
market group, I used the website www.soundcloud.com in order to do this. On this
website I was able to upload various tracks and versions of my radio advertisement so
that people could like and comment on it.
I uploaded my final edited version to SoundCloud so that people were able to view it
and leave comments below the track. As shown above, this was a really beneficial
technique in terms of sharing my work as I gained positive feedback from my target
audience. Not only this, but the feedback in which I had received was specifically
about elements of my radio advertisement I had constructed on purpose to try and
brand it well. For example, people who commented mentioned how it was obvious that
the advertisement was for ‘Discover Birmingham’ as I had referenced ‘Discover’ a lot
throughout my radio advertisement as well as mentioning ‘Discover Birmingham’. They
also commented on the use of direct address constantly through the advertisement and
how it was effective as it directly related to them.

35. How did you use media technologies in the
construction and research, planning and
evaluation stages?

36. In order for me to keep a record of my progress throughout my project, I used the website blogger where I was
able to use it as an ‘online diary’ throughout A2. I was able to hyperlink, upload, embed and comment on what
I had learnt through my research and planning.
An example of the way in which I used blogger would be when I was starting the construction of my radio
advertisement I research copyright free music on YouTube and embedded the tracks which I liked into a blog
post. I was then able to comment on my research and plan how I was going to use the content for my project.
By using blogger, I was able to review my progress throughout the course as each blog post is kept in
chronological order by date and time. I was able to review my time management frequently and also see what
areas I knew I needed to focus on more than others.
Blogger also enabled me to save blog posts as drafts before publishing them, this enabled me to log thoughts
that I had on my work and at a later date review them enabling my to action them and keep a track of my
progress once I was ready to publish each post.
Under each of my posts on Blogger, there are comment boxes which people could write on and give an opinion
on my work. This was useful to me as I was allowing myself to receive target market research easily and always
give myself the opportunity to improve on my work.
I chose Blogger to record my work as I like the way in which it is very accessible through the use of the
internet. This means that not only do I have access to keeping track on my work but so does everyone else
enabling me to receive feedback from my teachers and class mates without having to show them myself. I also
found that it was very good to record my work on as there was no way which I could lose my work as well as
the fact that each blog post has no limited to the amount which can be posted. Blogger enabled me to record
the progress of my project through the use of different types of media such as images, videos, text and online
magazines.
I also found that Microsoft PowerPoint helped me a lot when trying to keep a progress of my project on the
blog. I used Microsoft PowerPoint in order to store each screenshot of my progress stored safely un till I was
ready to comment and upload the photos at the end of each day. Without this I think that I would have found
it a lot harder to keep progress on my blog enabling myself to develop in different areas.
Blogger
Microsoft
PowerPoint

37. As well as using Blogger I also made use of other websites to help me with my research and planning
throughout my project. I used Google search engine mainly to find images of other magazines and
billboards and also websites which I could gain inspiration from for the construction of all of my
products.
YouTube enabled me to search for music which I could use within my radio advertisement. I had to
make sure that the music which I was going to use from YouTube had links to free downloads and that
they were all copyright free.
The website freesound.com was also another website which I used to help me look for sound to use
within my radio advertisement. On this website I was able to search and download various types of
music which were free and copyright free. This website was very useful to use as unlike YouTube, I
was able to search music my genre allowing me to search for music which I thought would suit my
radio advert a lot more than other types of genres.
Another website which I used a lot throughout my project was Issuu.com. This was a very useful
website as it allowed me to search for all genres of magazines and view online versions of them. Even
though my magazine was of a regional genre, I found it useful to look into other genres of magazines
such as Fashion magazines to look at their layout and gain ideas into how I also wanted mine to look.
When I first started creating my magazine I searched for a font which I wanted my masthead to be
created in. I did this by looking on a website called dafont.com. On here I was able to find a font
called ‘Primetime’ which I then installed from the website into my own computer to be able to use
for the masthead of my magazine.
I had also used the website fotor.com to help me keep the theme of collages consistent. I used this
website to help me create the collages of photos on the front page of my magazine, the contents
page and also the double page spread. This website enabled me to search various collage templates
which I could then save for free and insert into my page plus document. Without this website I would
have found it very difficult to brand my magazine like I have done.

38. MY MAGAZINE AND BILLBOARD.
When I created my magazine and billboard, I used my camera to take various
photos of Birmingham and my ‘model’ used for my double page spread. While I did
this, I made sure that I took a variety of pictures of the same shot so that I would
be able to choose from more than one picture ensuring that I could use the best
photography possible for my magazine. The camera took good quality photos,
however at times I needed to ensure that I had a steady hand to make sure that
the photos which I produced were not blurry. Once I had taken the photos I needed
for my magazine, I was then able to insert these into my magazine template on
PagePlus. This software allowed me to edit my photos as well as use features such
as layering images and text, cutting out photographs, inserting different
backgrounds on individual pages, using different fonts (as well as size and colour)
to name a few. What I loved about PagePlus was how it allowed me to export my
work as a JPEG and then view it as a magazine. By doing this I was then able to see
what my magazine looked like properly and would be able to go back and improve
on areas which I wasn’t keen on.
Another software which I made use of was Paint.net. My main use of paint.net was
to edit my photographs, removing their background using the ‘magic wand’ tool.
This was really useful for my project as I used this for the main image on my
double page spread. By using this tool I was able to remove the background from
the original photograph and then add it onto the PagePlus document allowing me
to naturally blend the photograph into an appropriate background colour which I
had chosen.
PagePlus

39. MY RADIO ADVERTISEMENT
For my radio advertisement, the main software I used was audacity. This software allowed
me to upload sound and edit it into a soundtrack. To start with I recorded my script on
audacity using a microphone. Audacity allowed me to add several layers of sound which
meant that I could record the script as many times as I liked. Once I was happy with the
amount of times I had recorded the script, I was able to then play it back to myself.
Audacity allowed me to mute each different layer and play one at a time so the sound
didn’t overlap. I found that I liked different parts of different script recordings. Because of
this I used the cropping tool on audacity to cut each sound and paste the sound into a new
layer. I was then able to build the script together again using my best attempts at the
radio advertisements script. I used a new layer to add the final script into. Once I was
happy with this I deleted all other attempts leaving me with my final piece. Once I had
done this, I was able to import a soundtrack into Audacity alongside my script. Again, I
liked certain parts of the sound track more than others so I cut out parts which I liked and
joined the same sound together various amounts of times so that it made the radio track
play for longer.
Once I was happy with my spoken script and soundtrack I was able to edit the Audacity file
by moving different parts of my script alongside the soundtrack so that it went with the
music naturally. I was also able to increase the volume of different sections of the audio
track when need be which was really useful when the voices were speaking.
Once I had finished my soundtrack and was happy with it I was able to easily then export
the file as an MP3 sound and my radio advert was complete.
I really liked using audacity as it was very straight forward and easy to use. Without
Audacity I would have found it very hard to create my radio advertisement.
I liked the way in which I only had to use this software to create the whole of the
advertisement where as for my billboard and magazine, I used a variety of software's.

40. For my evaluation I used Microsoft PowerPoint to present it.
I found Microsoft PowerPoint a very easy software to use and thought that it was very
reliable in keeping my work safe.
I liked the way in which I was able to use different templates to make my work be
presented in more interesting layouts. I liked how I was easily able to include hyperlinks
to my blog posts and insert images to how my progress through A2 easily.
By using Microsoft PowerPoint I didn’t have to adjust to any new programmes as I was
very familiar with it.
By using Microsoft PowerPoint I could easily access and edit my work from different
computers without needing the availability of the internet.
I am very pleased with the outcome of my Evaluation using this software.

41. MY FONT PAGE AND CONTENTS PAGE
There are both similarities and differences in how I developed from AS to A2. I used
my skills which I learnt from AS in making my magazine through Page Plus and
Paint.net, however this year I improved my work in A2 by using tools such as photo
editors and different tools on Paint.net and PagePlus which hadn’t been used in AS.
My AS project included the creation of a Rock/Indie genre magazine named ‘Roit’.
The name of my magazine had no connection to the topic of my magazine in AS, I
created it as I thought that it sounded good for the genre of music. However, in A2, I
had created my magazines name based on the topic of a creating a regional
magazine. By naming my magazine ‘Discover Birmingham’ I thought that it
referenced the fact that it was a magazine focusing on a specific Birmingham region
as well as suggesting that it was a magazine which was going to inform its readers
and allow it to ‘Discover’ the city through the magazines content.
In terms of my magazine photography in AS, I constructed all of my photography
throughout the magazine in one location. This meant that my images were limited
for the use of magazine as shown above. Where as in A2 I choose to go to a lot of
locations and take a lot of photos. I did this as I didn’t want to restrict myself to
have to use only a few photographs. I was also able to represent Birmingham as being
very diverse through my use of the photography. Where as in AS I needed to ensure
that the few photos which I took where matched to the genre of Indie/Rock music as
much as possible. My photoraphy in A2 was only to suit a specific audience of people
so I found it easy to construct my photography, where as for A2 I had to make sure
my photography suited my target audience within a region of Birmingham – a much
wider audience.
I followed very similar codes and conventions of a music magazine in A2 as I did in
AS. This year I found that I slightly challenged the conventions of a magazine in terms
of my magazines front page. This is because I didn’t choose to include any cover lines
on the front page of my magazine – instead gave the reader an insight for the content
by listing the different topic areas. I am glad that I challenged these conventions as I
think it has enabled me to brand my magazine well and achieve the simple layout
which I wanted my magazine to have.
I think that this I have made my magazine a lot more realistic through my choices of
branding and layout as a result of my research and planning. From reviewing my AS
project compared to my A2 project I am happy with the progress.
AS Project
A2 Project

42. MY DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
I feel as though for my double page spread I have progressed from AS to
A2 well. I have used very similar layout and techniques but I think that
I have improved on these massively.
In AS, I think that I followed the typical conventions of a magazines
double page spread, however I do not think that the way in which I
constructed them were very realistic.
I think that this year by keeping my layout very simple I have made the
magazine work very well and branded my magazine affectively. I
wanted to ensure that there was similarities between each page of my
magazine and on each page to show a relationship between each page.
This year, as I wanted to ensure that I branded my magazine well, I
added extra features which I did not in AS such as including my
magazines masthead on each page. I also thought that it would be a
better idea if the text on my double page spread was made a lot
smaller and kept consistent in colour and fonts used.
I chose to make the theme of using collages consistent throughout the
whole of my magazine so that it was represented as a featured used
within Discover Birmingham magazine.
In AS, I chose to keep only the colours consistent throughout my
magazine to show branding. Where as in A2 I have put a lot more
thought into ways in which I can show consistency throughout my whole
project without each page looking the same.
In A2 I thought that it would be more effective to give my double page
spread its own identity from my magazines ‘colour scheme’ and kept it
black and white. Regardless of these two pages being completely
different from my contents page and front page, I have kept small
details present such as the collages, masthead on top left hand corner
and the same font to ensure that the relationship to the magazine itself
is still present – something which I didn’t do in AS.
AS Project
A2 Project

43. RADIO ADVERTISEMENT
I think that I have progressed a lot from AS in terms of time management. My reason for this is because in AS I
was only required to make a magazine including a front page, contents page and double page spread. Where in
AS, I have constructed a magazine – including a front page, contents page and double page spread as well
creating a billboard and radio advertisement which is promoting my magazine within the same amount of time
as AS.
By doing this I had to develop my skills in order to make a radio advertisement on a new software which I had
never used before – Audacity. I needed to adjust my skills on PagePlus which I had learnt to develop a
magazine and change this into creating the format for a billboard advertisement.
As well as creating two extra products at A2, I also had to develop my skills in my research and planning as I
was a lot more limited to where I could gain inspiration from for all three products. I found that in AS there
were a lot of magazines which were based on an Indie/Rock music genre. Where in A2 I was a lot more limited
at the examples of magazines I could look at which were regional magazines. As I result of this I found myself
looking at lots of different types of magazines such as music magazines, fashion magazine and regional
magazine etc. and then needing to adapt this research to make it useful for the construction of a regional
magazine.
At AS, it was very important that I branded my magazine well so that I could easily use the same theme
throughout all three products. This wasn’t very difficult for my billboard however in terms of a radio advert I
had to try and brand it verbally instead of visually. This was something I had never done before and made me
need to think it my script a lot more. While branding my products I also needed to ensure that I was appealing
to the specific region of Birmingham.
This year I feel as though I have developed my skills throughout all areas of my project compared to year twp
and feel happy with my end products.