11. Closing Post

Dear Moderator/Examiner,
I hope you enjoy reading through my A-Level work. You will find everything under the 'NEA A Level Research and Planning' label on the right-hand side.

Many thanks, Livia

This blog is now closed.

10. Reflections on Finished Outcomes/Target Audience Response

Target Audience Feedback

Covers and Contents Pages

In order to evaluate my finished products, I visited my local park (Durnsford Road, London N11 2EP) and asked ten people (five male and five female) to fill out a questionnaire I'd made on their opinions of my magazine cover and contents page. I showed them print-outs of my products so that they could answer the questions. I chose this location as many people within the AB demographic live in the area and visit the park, and therefore I will be likely asking people within my Target Audience. I approached people who appeared to be between the ages of my 16-25 demographic and asked them to clarify their gender and age. To the left are some examples of the filled out questionnaires.

In general, the majority of the feedback was very positive. 8/10 people agreed that the magazine was appropriate for the 16-25 market, and those who disagreed were both males. This correlates with my feedback that only 7/10 agreed the magazine appealed to both men and women. This has indicated that if I were to change my product, I would have to add more male-oriented content in order to captivate the unisex market. 100% of those I asked agreed that the opinions reflected in my product matched their own ideals as well as targeting a sophisticated and fashion-savvy market. 50% of people agreed that they would purchase the magazine if they saw it on a retail shelf, which suggests my magazine is more niche than mainstream, conforming to the conventions of an independently produced fashion magazine, however if I were to make changes I may have included more mainstream imagery to appeal to a wider audience. A common additional comment was that my contents page was quite crowded, so I could have made my text and images smaller to create more space and not overwhelm my audience.

Website

On my website I'd embedded a short questionnaire which asked about my website audience. I received seven responses, three female and four male. 100% of them were aged between 16-25, which shows my magazine successfully appeals to my target age range. 5/7 had completed A-Levels or equivalent and 100% either had jobs or parents with jobs in the 'Higher' or 'Intermediate managerial' professions, indicating that my website appeals to an 'AB, culturally sophisticated' market. Positive comments on the website included 'nice images', 'eye-catching header', 'fun links and interactive buttons', 'profound and interesting articles' and 'good sense of brand'.

Final Reflections

In conclusion, I am very satisfied with my outcomes of this project. I believe there were only minor issues with my print work in terms of appealing to my demographic and overall their aesthetic and representation of values was a huge success. I am most pleased with my website which not only specifically appeals to my target audience, but is also engaging, attractive and presents positive messages around self-acceptance, equality and diversity.

9. 2nd WEBPAGE

Mockup 

I created a mockup of my 2nd webpage using Publisher. For my second webpage, I wanted to create a fashion page, as this is the main focus of my magazine. This page will include the same header as my homepage, and once selected from the navigation bar will be highlighted. At the top of the page will be an advert, which I will create, for a clothing store. Below this will be a scrolling slideshow which will show images of clothing and brands with links to websites where you can buy the products.

Finished Product

I created an advert for H&M which I featured at the top of my Fashion page underneath the header. I chose H&M as this is a brand which is very popular among my 16-25 demographic. Below this I created a small graphic which states 'Be bold, Be new, Be you' which I believe promotes my magazine's purpose of inspiring individuality and diversity among young people. The subtitle 'we feature fashion for guys, girls and everyone in between' further enforces my magazine's value of acceptance and equality. Under this is a direct address call to my audience and a link to subscribe to my magazine.

This is one of three scrolling slides which are featured on my Fashion page. Each slide shows products, a mixture of male and female, with prices and links to buy them online. This slide in particular appeals to my target audience as it features a range of recognisable brands which are popular among both girls and guys within the 16-25, culturally sophisticated demographic. It also uses direct address which draws in the viewer and makes them feel included.

These are the two stories featured on this page. The section title 'this week's highlights' indicates that the stories will change every week to keep my audience constantly updated and informed, demonstrating the immediacy and relevance of my magazine.

The first article specifically appeals to my target audience because it is about a niche fashion designer who has just released a unisex line which appeals to my male, female and androgynous audiences. The article also talks about self-expression which reflects my magazine's values. The text ends on an ellipse with a link to 'read more' which entices my audience to click and travel further onto my website. This provides audience engagement and interactivity.

The second article has a catchy title and is about the very popular clothing store, Uniqlo, making it appealing to my target audience. The article also provides insight into new clothing ranges from the store with exclusive information, demonstrating how my magazine values current news and regular updates.

At the bottom of my Fashion page is a form for my audience to fill out to enter a prize draw. This shows how my magazine enjoys interacting with its audience and provides viewers with an element of interaction and engagement. This prize draw was also promoted on my magazine's Instagram and Twitter feeds, helping my magazine connect with a wider audience, as well as demonstrating my brand's synergy.

Here is a link to my 2nd Webpage

8. Website Homepage

Initial Concept Sketch

Mockup

Finished Product

When my audience first arrive on my website they are greeted by a popup landing page which welcomes them and encourages them to subscribe to my magazine with the deal of getting their first issue free. This makes my demographic more likely to subscribe to my magazine as they can try out the first issue free and see if they like the magazine. 

This is the header of my website which will feature at the top of each linked page. I incorporated a small thumbnail of my latest magazine issue (second issue) which will be updated with every new issue. Next to this is information about subscribing to my magazine which costs £3.99 per month. My main header image is bold and striking. It remains stationary when the viewer scrolls down the page which creates an interesting effect. Also in my header is a navigation bar which features different page titles. There is also a search bar, which enables my audience to look for specific articles and features with ease, and links to my magazine's Twitter and Instagram accounts, demonstrating the online presence and synergy of my magazine. There is also the option to share my website on Facebook, which will boost my magazine's reach and viewers. 

Directly underneath my header is a large moving graphic which changes when the mouse cursor moves over it to promote subscribing to my magazine. This is engaging for my audience and helps my website stand out on the page. Below this is my magazine's tagline in large letters which helps to reinforce my brand identity. 

7. MAGAZINE EDITION 2: Cover and Contents page

Cover

Initial Inspiration

Concept Sketch

Secondary Inspiration

After designing my first front cover and using a male model, I decided to change my original plan for my second cover, featuring a mid shot of two female models instead. I liked the composition of this cover and wanted to play on the concept of a cover featuring twins but who are very different. I wanted to style one model in an androgynous way, and the other in a completely different and niche style in order to demonstrate how everyone is different and people should express themselves through their clothing, highlighting my magazine's key beliefs.

Photoshop Mockup

I created a mockup for my magazine using Photoshop, creating the concept of a musical duo, the McKinely Twins. I used a pink, red, black and white colour scheme. I took a picture of an interesting wall in Camden to use as my background. The article titles I chose to feature on my front cover refer to well known and mainstream brands, such as ASOS and Versace, appealing to a wide audience.
I thought that this location for my models provided a quirky and art-house vibe to my magazine, increasing my genre hybridity and appealing to an even wider audience.

Shootboard

Based on the background I chose for this issue, I decided to also style my models in black and white to enable to titles to stand out even more. I also matched my models' nails and lipstick colour to the titles of my magazine to emphasise the colours and create a striking composition.

Contents Page

Concept Sketch

Photoshop Mockup

I created a mockup based on my sketched contents page. I kept the colour palette the same as it's related cover to enforce a sense of uniformity throughout my issue. I divided my articles into different categories of Cover Articles, Fashion and Lifestyle, and Special  Features.

Shootboard

Feedback and Finished Products

I re-positioned my tagline to match the change to my first issue. My peer feedback was very positive, they especially liked my vibrant photographs in both my cover and contents page. One comment was that on my front cover some of the white writing in difficult to read. In response to this I added a black box behind the writing in order to help it stand out and easier to read. My teacher suggested that I make my 'giveaway' article explicitly link to clothing in order to match conventions and entice my reader further to pick up the magazine. In my contents page, an image of boots was covering a section of text, so I repositioned the photograph.

In my final cover, one model has an androgynous style, shown by her boxy suit shirt, tie and man's jacket. This helps confront stereotypes and challenge conventional representations of women, which will appeal to my culturally sophisticated target audience. My second model has a unique and unusual style which will appeal to my youthful audience and helps my magazine promote self-expression through clothing. The black and white theme contrasted with the pink highlights and text makes for a very striking and art-house style, contributing to my generic-hybridity.

In my finished contents page, I used three main striking images as well as two images of clothing, in correlation with typical contents page conventions. This is the same format I used for my first contents page, creating a sense of uniformity and brand identity between my magazine issues. I created article titles which would appeal to my target audience due to their association with culture, fashion, politics, student life and lifestyle, also demonstrating genre hybridity. Some articles, such as 'Pay Gaps of Britain' address specific issues which are relevant to the entirety of my target audience. I also created seasonal article titles which are relevant at the time of release, showing how my magazine is constantly updating and adapting. Articles about existing brands such as Versace and ASOS 

I also included an article about an 'Exclusive Giveaway' which engages the audience and makes them want to read the issue. This article is also at the back, which means the reader will have to flick through the entire magazine in order to read about it, encouraging them to read the other articles in the issue.

6. MAGAZINE EDITION 1: Cover and Contents Page

Cover

Inspiration

I took inspiration from this Vogue cover. I really liked the composition and the pose of the model combined with the simplistic background. I also liked the striking and contrasting colours of fonts.

Concept Sketch

My initial concept for my first cover was to have a 'Throwback' theme, featuring the strapline 'Welcoming the new by celebrating the old'. I believe this is a subtle way to introduce my new magazine without making it cliche or seem unprofessional. This also targets my demographic's interest in old fashion and thrift store clothes. Article titles relating to this theme will be featured on the cover. The title of my magazine will be in large letters in the headline. The cover image will feature a female model aged between 16 and 25 in 90s style clothing, which reflects the throwback theme, as well as appealing to my target audience.

Photoshop Mockup 

When creating a mockup for my magazine I decided to instead feature an 80s look as my cover image because I thought this provided more variation and meant that I could reflect the androgynous style of men in the 80s to appeal to a wider audience and challenge media representations. For this reason, I changed my mockup to feature a close-up of a male model. I chose to use a black, white, green and gold colour palette, as I believe this to be very striking and bold. I also chose to incorporate my magazine's tagline in the header instead of 'magazine' as I believe this makes this cover more interesting and reinforces my brand identity.

Contents Page

Inspiration

I was inspired by this contents page, in particular the large photographs on the right vs the article titles on the left. I also liked the labels of the photographs with reference to their articles and page numbers. 

Concept Sketch

In my initial sketch for my contents page, I wanted to include three main images on the right vs all my article titles on the left. I presented my contents title in large letters surrounded by my graphic box design which features in my magazine logo, helping me to maintain a brand identity.

Photoshop Mockup

I created a mockup based on my sketched contents page. I kept the colour palette the same as my cover to enforce a sense of uniformity throughout my issue. I divided my articles into different categories of Cover Articles, Fashion and Lifestyle, and Special  Features.

Feedback and Finished Products

My teachers suggested that I move my tagline on my cover to the top of the page so that it would stand out more and be easier to read. I agreed that this would draw more attention to my brand identity and stand out to my target audience. My peers' feedback on the layout of both my contents page and cover was very positive, however one thing they did suggest was to add more article titles to reflect a real magazine, as I had only included eight, so I increased this to twelve.

My finished magazine cover features a male, mixed-race model wearing androgynous clothing and makeup in the style of 80s New Romantic Fashion. This presents my magazine as challenging stereotypes of masculinity by featuring a very macho male in very feminine attire. Also, the presentation of a mix-race model demonstrates the belief in racial equality and acceptance of diversity.

In my finished contents page, I used three striking main images as well as two images of clothing, in correlation with typical contents page conventions. I created article titles which would appeal to my target audience due to their association with culture, fashion, politics, student life and lifestyle, also demonstrating genre hybridity. Some articles, such as 'Too much #metoo' also link to trends and debates present in the media at the time, showing that my magazine is of-its-time and related to current affairs. Some of these article titles, such as the 90s Grunge article, also feature on my website, demonstrating digital convergence and synergy. Digital convergence is further emphasised in an article headlide which offers a 'social media shoutout', uniting digital and print formats. There is also an article referencing the film 'Mamma Mia 2' demonstrating intertextuality.

5. Response to Brief

My brief specifies that I must produce two front covers, each with a different contents page and a working website for a magazine published by Bauer and produced by an independent production company. Throughout all the media I produce, there must be a clear sense of my magazine's brand identity and a diverse range of fashion issues and styles presented which are appropriate to the culturally sophisticated, 16-25 AB demographic.

Magazine name: BOX Magazine
Tagline: Thinking Outside the Box
Genre: Fashion, Lifestyle and Politics
Price: £5
Target Audience: Culturally sophisticated, 16-25 AB demographic
Purpose: My magazine's purpose is to appeal to all genders of my target audience by featuring information about relevant fashion news and products, giving my audience cultural insight whilst also representing particular political views which are reflective of my demographic, promoting feminism, diversity, self-expression and equality

This is the logo I have designed for my magazine. Striking logos are very important in order to establish a successful magazine, as they unite all of your products to create a brand identity. My existing audience will need to be able to recognise the logo, but it must also catch the eye of potential readers to encourage them to take interest in my magazine and brand. I have achieved a striking and eye-catching logo through the contrasting colours of pink, black and white. I also played on the word 'box' by incorporating a physical box into my logo which is clever but also iconic. This style of box will also be used in my contents pages.

Front Covers and Contents Pages

I must produce two front covers and two contents pages. In order to establish my brand identity and appeal to my target audience, these will:

- feature the title of my magazine in bold letters using the same font
- feature the issue number and tagline in the top left corner
- feature models aged between 16-25
- feature at least two models representing at least two social groups
- feature a call to action pointing readers to the online website
- feature headlines appealing to the AB culturally sophisticated demographic

- use the same template format
- maintain fonts and style
- feature at least four original images appealing to the 16-25 AB culturally sophisticated demographic
- feature headlines appealing to the 16-25 AB culturally sophisticated demographic

Website

In order to create an appealing and interactive website which maintains my brand identity, my homepage and the additional page will include:

- the title and logo of my magazine
- a menu bar
- a landing page
- a range of typography and at least two original images
- original audio visual-content
- working links from the homepage to the other page
- text introducing the main features of the website
- articles which reflect my magazine's beliefs
- links to two different social media platforms, Twitter and Instagram

Independent Production Company

The name I have chosen for my independent production company is 'Neon Studios'. I chose this name based off of my research into indie production companies; most of them had very short names which were also quite striking and niche. 'Neon' connotes bright and shocking colour and vibrancy, and I would like to express this assertive and eye-catching quality to my magazine's style and photographs.

For my company logo, I used two contrasting striking colours, black and hot pink. I really like this combination and I believe its associations with punk culture helps it appeal to both guys and girls. This colour combination will be used for my magazine logo and in elements of my website in order to establish a brand identity. I added a small lightning bolt to the design as I thought this was quirky and played on the 'Neon' title.

I have located my independent production company at an address in Covent Garden, which I chose because it is a trendy and iconic place.