When i made my preliminary task i used the same software as my final magazine (microsoft publisher) however it was not as asthetically pleasing. This is for many reasons, one being that my preliminary task had a wider audience of parents, teachers and students so it was harder to focus my mode of adress in a way that would be suitable and entertaining for my audience as a whole. I used standard english but did not try and use words students wouldn't understand. The colours were a reflection of the colours associated with the school and the typography was fairly standard as i did not think these would have a massive impact on the magazine. When making my final magazine i took into consideration how the typography would effect the message i am trying to make. I learnt that the same thing written in two different texts can give a tottally different message and even letters can be made to look sexualised.
For example in these two pictures above, the words up close and personal appear to have two differnt meanings. This was the title i used for my double page spread and i wanted to make sure i gave the right impression. I had to compare many fonts in order to choose an appropriate one for my demographic. The one above gives an impression of intrusion and exclusivity wheras the one beneath is more feminised and gives the impression of intimacy. This is not the message i want to inflict upon my reader. I decided to use a font that was soft and feminine yet not sexualised in anyway.
Another thing i learnt in the progression of my magazine which contributed to the asthetic of my final magazine was how to take good photos. It is apparent in my preliminary task that some of the photos are slightly out of focus or the lighting isn't good. When i made my final magazine i wantedit to look as professional as possible so i took the photos in a studio flooded with light and used a plain white backdrop so it would be easier for me to manipulate my images using Serif Photo Plus. MY final images were at a very high standard and they reflected what the aim of my magazine was all about. They presented a very diluted version of the male gaze that would hopefully attract and entertain my audience as well as identify with them as something they can aspire to. This taps into the uses and gratifications theory that assumes we use the media for reasons such as information, social interaction, exchange and personal interaction.
Something shocking I learnt in the progression of my magazines is the impact of the media on young girls. I did a lot of research into my target demographic and found their idea of beauty is a direct reflection of what the medias idea of beauty is. Young girls from the age of 8/9 worry that they are not attractive enough to be recognised. They considered anything above a UK size 8/10 as fat and imperfect and were shocked when i informed them that Marilyn Monroe who had been considered the most beautiful woman alive was a generous size 16. This shows how over time peoples perception of beauty has changed as a result of the media. One of the things they considered made a woman 'beautiful' was clear, smooth skin. This is obviously something they have subconsciously learnt through the media. Often in magazines they airbrush skin to make it appear flawless. This is an example of hyper reality. In reality no woman has perfect skin. One thing my focus group said about the woman who they chose as the 2nd least attractive was that her skin was 'ugly'. In actual fact the model had freckles which are not normally regarded as ugly but the media does not recognise freckles as a sign of beauty and therefore neither do young impressionable girls that are exposed to this farce day after day.
I was not able to conduct as much research into my demographic for my preliminary task which shows in its final construction. However with my final product i had learnt so much about my audience and i knew exactly what impact i wanted my magazine to have. The result was a well constructed magazine that appealed to 94% of girls aged 8-12 that i showed it too. If i were to make further editions of my magazine i would cumulatively remove aspects of the male gaze until my magazine had gained a large consistent readership and i would no longer need to use the male gaze to attract an audience. This is because i want young girls to grow up knowing what real women look like and to aspire to them and not the cartoon characters they see on the covers of magazines now.
I realised in the progression of my magazine that research is extremely important. For example when i showed my templates to a focus group i expected them to chose the one that had the colours pink and blue as blue has conotations of calmness and tranquility and pink is associated with femininity, however, they actually chose the design that incorporated green which has connotations of nature. This is important as my final front cover incorporated that green as a design element and if i had not done this research i may not have received such a high percentage of approval for my final design.
Something shocking I learnt in the progression of my magazines is the impact of the media on young girls. I did a lot of research into my target demographic and found their idea of beauty is a direct reflection of what the medias idea of beauty is. Young girls from the age of 8/9 worry that they are not attractive enough to be recognised. They considered anything above a UK size 8/10 as fat and imperfect and were shocked when i informed them that Marilyn Monroe who had been considered the most beautiful woman alive was a generous size 16. This shows how over time peoples perception of beauty has changed as a result of the media. One of the things they considered made a woman 'beautiful' was clear, smooth skin. This is obviously something they have subconsciously learnt through the media. Often in magazines they airbrush skin to make it appear flawless. This is an example of hyper reality. In reality no woman has perfect skin. One thing my focus group said about the woman who they chose as the 2nd least attractive was that her skin was 'ugly'. In actual fact the model had freckles which are not normally regarded as ugly but the media does not recognise freckles as a sign of beauty and therefore neither do young impressionable girls that are exposed to this farce day after day. I was not able to conduct as much research into my demographic for my preliminary task which shows in its final construction. However with my final product i had learnt so much about my audience and i knew exactly what impact i wanted my magazine to have. The result was a well constructed magazine that appealed to 94% of girls aged 8-12 that i showed it too. If i were to make further editions of my magazine i would cumulatively remove aspects of the male gaze until my magazine had gained a large consistent readership and i would no longer need to use the male gaze to attract an audience. This is because i want young girls to grow up knowing what real women look like and to aspire to them and not the cartoon characters they see on the covers of magazines now.
I realised in the progression of my magazine that research is extremely important. For example when i showed my templates to a focus group i expected them to chose the one that had the colours pink and blue as blue has conotations of calmness and tranquility and pink is associated with femininity, however, they actually chose the design that incorporated green which has connotations of nature. This is important as my final front cover incorporated that green as a design element and if i had not done this research i may not have received such a high percentage of approval for my final design.
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