Evaluation - question 1

Introduction to evaluation

I have now finished constructing my music magazine, 'Vibes'. It is a magazine that follows conventions of the indie/alternative genre, targeted at an audience consisting of young adults of both genders with the age demographic of 16 - 20.
I chose this particular genre because it is my personal favourite and I feel as though if the magazine did exist I would belong to it's specific target group. Therefore I could be considered as knowledgeable about what features the reader would find appealing. The project began with researching codes and conventions of successful, current magazines of varied genres. This helped me to understand what makes a music magazine and what elements determines it's genre, the research period gave me ideas of which brands could influence my work. I am content with all final products, however there are always areas of improvements to be made - through answering seven questions I will produce a detailed evaluation of my work so far.

Almost finished DPS

I understand that my DPS has some definite improvements to be made - some of the text looks slightly uneven and I feel as though it is lacking something. I need to ask peers for feedback which should allow me to make some positive changes.

Almost finished DPS page one

First page DPS initial ideas

This is the main (edited) image I will use on the first page of my double page spread, I feel as though it is one of the most effective photographs I took. This is because the timing with the hair dryer is perfect and the fast shutter speed of my digital camera captures the shot so that the movement appears to be precise instead of blurred. I would have used it on my front cover if it weren't for the non direct eye contact. I increased the contrast, adjusted the levels and edited it to be black and white purely because these effects will give my DPS a slick, polished appearance.

 The next step was to choose a suitable typeface to present the artists name. I considered several but ended up picking the same fonts used on the front cover in the main cover line as I thought they worked  especially well. I planned to carry on the same colour scheme initially, although realised that it would begin to look tedious and that my DPS could act as an opportunity to experiment and branch out graphically.

DPS written article

Rebecca Horton recently stole the limelight with her new single 'Strangers again', which shot straight to number 1 in the charts. She managed to come ahead of highly successful  artists such as Ellie Goulding, Beyonce and even the recently ground breaking Martin Garrix. Raised in Kensington, London, Horton took interest in music at a young age - at the time when she began secondary school where she was determined to learn the acoustic guitar and piano. She was a natural and was even motivated to take vocal lessons eventually leading to her singing in the school band. At only age 18, she was recognised by music producer Oscar Floyd due to her song writing abilities, bold vocals and cool sound. In the past she has even collaborated with The Black Keys; to top everything off her upcoming album release is sparking up excitement from fans already - a harmonious combination of upbeat indie rock and smooth, calm solos. VIBES finally gets the chance to have an intimate chat with the talented songstress herself where she admits her hopes, fears, ambitions and reveals her musical vision for 2014.

Big congratulations on your new single reaching number 1 and VIBES naming you best artist of 2014! How does it feel to suddenly get so much attention in the media?

Thanks so much that means a lot! It's scary but at the same time incredible, nothing feels real at the moment. It's great to finally be recognised as a serious professional artist which is what I've been working towards for quite a long time now. The only downfall is the lack of privacy, I've had some pretty scary experiences with the paparazzi but I won't go in to detail.

 You're releasing your debut album 'The force' in less than a month, what can everyone expect from this album? 

Most of the songs are centred around the highs and lows I felt when I was in a relationship with this guy, we're not together any more but I miss him every day and this album captures  my emotions perfectly.  I would say it's a mix of heartfelt ballads and feel good songs with a catchy beat, um yeah I think thats an accurate description. The music mostly has a positive energy however there are some pretty dark tracks on there as well. As you know I've collaborated with the Black Keys in the past so they've definitely influenced my work in a way.

What was your experience like working in the studio every day while producing the album?

Exhausting! It was great to experience working in a professional studio and I met some lovely people but it really took its toll. I was literally in there 24/7.

Any other plans in 2014? Any surprises in store?

I definitely have a lot of exciting stuff coming up in 2014, but that's a secret shhh. I should warn you though, it's definitely pushing the boundaries in terms of what I'm used to producing musically. I think it's essential to go out of your comfort zone though - especially in such a competitive industry and as a creative individual too.

Who has inspired you or influenced your music? What are your current listening favourites?

 Uh, I've been inspired by many people, I guess if I had to list every single person who has influenced my music choices I would be here all day! I really look up to Lana Del Rey and she's definitely one of the top played artists on my iPod. I find her music so original and I can listen to Born to Die and it just never gets old. I think that's the cornerstone of a true artist - someone who can create music that people want to consistently revisit. I aim to be like that some day, who knows, it's gonna be a new year and I feel as though 2014 is already off to a cracking start.

Finished front cover

All the layers that present how I constructed the final version of my front cover have been displayed.

The top version is the almost finished version - it has been developed further through adding tag lines, arranging the text in a way that is more organised and increasing the size of the main cover line. There is already a cover line promoting a competition shown on the right hand side of the page, therefore there is no need to add more cover lines. Although I still feel as though there are improvements to be made.

As suggested in feedback I increased the size of several cover lines and the overall size of the image, along with its contrast levels to create a bolder, more eye catching appearance (shown at the top).