The last post was my audience feedback i gained from my mockups-here i will post the manuscript in case the glogster font is too small to see:

is important that I collect feedback of my mock-ups from my target audience in order to make adequate improvements for the production of my real magazine. It is very important that I do this, as therefore I can make my product as appealing as possible for my desired target audience. I asked Music Students at Surrey University to take a look at my mock-ups and give me feedback on the good and bad points present in my mock-ups. By using mu actual target population I can ensure that I make my magazine to the standard of which would entice my target audience and guarantee sales. Due to the age of my target audience, I decided to post a link of my blog on Facebook, as I feel it is an easy way to get adequate feedback because most students spend around 30 hours a week browsing the web and so therefore, they will have easy access to my mock-ups, and due to the speed and transportability of social media It would not take long to fill out and then I can have large amounts of both quantitative and qualitative data which I can put forward to my production task  to ensure that my magazine is of a standard of which would entice my target audience. Furthermore by using social media, I have global access to music students all over the world, again increasing the amount of data that I can gather and therefore making my magazine to the best possible sellable standard.

Audience Feedback:

Harriet- “ I really like these mock-ups they are really professional and sophisticated- I just Love the colour scheme too!!! I really like the picture used on the front cover, as I feel it really captures the classical music industry. For example whenever we have concerts at University, we always have to wear really smart clothing that makes us look sophisticated and profession-and this is an example of what we are expected to wear when doing a really expensive concert, so it’s very musically correct! The age of the model is great too, as she does not look too much older than us so I feel more in touch with the magazine, as I think I would be put off if it was you know, a middle aged woman or something! Also the cover lines, are really capturing and entice me to read it so altogether its really great! I’m super impressed!! The only thing I would change, is I think the writing on all pages needs to be bolder, especially the double page spread, as this is quite tricky to read, and also do0 you think it is necessary to have two images on the double page or would one be fine? ” –Harriet, aged 18, University of Surrey

Tasha- “ This magazine is a really great one, I personally play the violin for my music degree and therefore I really like the main image, as it entices me to buy the magazine, because of the similarity to my lifestyle. I really like the hair and make-up of the model, as it makes me sort of envious as I would love to look this good at a concert, so I want to buy it because of the model!!!! I also love the contents page, as I feel it purple tints contrasting to the darkish grey background really add interest and attract the reader, as its really attractive to look at! Furthermore the main image on the contents page is really chilled in terms of body language, but yet the costume is rather formal and I think this puts a modern twist on the typical classical genre, as we as students want to express the fact that although our subject of degree is formal, we do still know how to have fun and we are not boring! So I think this really entices the target population, well I would definitely buy it!!!!- Tasha, 19 years old University of surrey

Sara- “Love this magazine!! I really like the consistency of the colour scheme, as the purple tints continue throughout the entire magazine alongside the grey or silver toned background, which makes it so much easier to read and put pages into a chronological order! Its layout is not too busy as well however you could reduce the text on the double page spread because its too daunting having the two pages full of text, and would put me off reading it. I also appreciate the cover lines only being on one side of the front cover, as its less daunting and gives space for us to appreciate the main image which is the tool that really attracts the target audience. Sara, 18 years old Surrey University

Lauren- “I love this magazine, especially the double page spread, because the images are sophisticated and well structured! I also like the consistency of the model, as using the model all the way through narrows down the business of the magazine, as because the main story is on ‘Sarah Chung’ I feel it’s really important that she makes an dominant appearance on both the front cover and the contents page as well as obviously the double page spread article about her. I really like the grey background colour scheme, as I feel the simplicity of it allows the reader to engage more with the text and therefore be enticed by the text. However having said that I feel you could brighten up the background slightly, as sometimes it verges on being too dark and therefore I feel contradicts the pureness and angelic nature of classical music. Also especially on the double page spread, the dark colour because the white text makes the article particularity difficult to understand which puts me off reading it. In addition I am not a fan of the gradient effect on the front cover, as I feel it’s too blockish colour wise and therefore can be distracting taking attention away from the main image and placing it onto the background which is obviously less significant. If you did do a gradient I would definitely brighten it up to some extent.- Lauren 20 years old, surrey University

Meg- “ I love this magazine, and as a classical music student I would defiantly buy it, as I feel it is of a very professional standard. The images are great! I love the sophisticated costume the model wears and this really conforms to the traditional sophisticated nature of classical music as a whole. I like the text, however maybe you could make the text more italic or something, as I feel this is more sophisticated and therefore links with your genre more.  I think on the double page spread the text really needs to be bolder because of the darkish background I feel it is quite hard to actually seethe text so therefore I would make the text bolder and maybe lighten up your background colour? I think as well maybe make your images a bit sharper and less merged so basically make the editing more realistic-I feel this is necessary, especially for your sophisticated audience. For the contents page I think it would be better to make the violin more of a focal point-after all it is a music magazine! Meg 21 years old Surrey University

John- “I love this magazine! The women on the front is attractive!! That entices me to buy the magazine so I would definitely be a consumer!! I think the text on the double page spread could be slightly bolder possibly? And there is far too much text on it, you need to reduce this to avoid putting people off.Also on the front cover I think it would be beneficial to make the main story more apparent, because it’s quite hard to distinguish what is the main story. So maybe make the main story in bold or make a banner across the image, indicating the main story. Other than that I think this magazine is really great, and a great price considering the monthly distributing schedule. Just try and make the text bigger on the contents page so it’s easier to see, because I would struggle to see it to be honest! Great Magazine altogether though- I would buy it!!!- , John 18 years old, Surrey University

Will- “ This magazine is great- I love the name, as it really re-enforces the genre of music magazine, as I’m sure not many people understand the meaning if the word ‘ capriccio’ The purple colour scheme is nice, but the grey backgrounds are too harsh and should be lightened slightly. Also I think it would be good if you put a website address on the front cover of your magazine, because not all students will have social media etc. I like the writing behind on just one side of the page, on both the front cover and contents page as it just makes everything easier to read, so that’s really good, it also ensures the audience see the image. I love your images with the double page spread as well, as I feel they really show motivation and determination which fits in with the subject of the article!!!  However the writing on both sides of the double page is far too daunting and really needs to be tackled as I struggle to read it as well, as there is limited space with the images too-Work is needed on this page.  Also the merge between the two pages on the double page spread is too obvious and makes it look unprofessional. Altogether I would definitely buy this magazine, however maybe drop the price down by 40p or something?”- Will, 19 years old Surrey University

Sally –“this magazine is fabulous!! I really like the name! Also the props such as Violin in the main images are really relevant and make the magazine look very professional and of a high standard. I would personally make the texts on all pages slightly bolder as it would attract the audience more! In addition, could you make the colours slightly brighter, like use a bright pink instead of the kind of dull purple or an orange toned colour? “ Sally 18 years old Surrey university

This is my mock up for my double page spread. I will present this to my target audience, and gain Their feedback to give me an idea of my strengths and limitations. By gaining feedback from  my target population, i can ensure that i create my magazine to a standard of which will appeal to my target audience and increase altogether increase the success of the magazine. As you can see the colour scheme is the same as that used on my front cover and contents page-This aids in consistency, making my magazine easy and understandable which is really useful. The colour scheme is also quite simple which conforms to the typical pure, tidy nature of classical music. It also prevents busyness and the pastel colours, will appeal to my adult/teenage target population. 

The main images i have used conform to the stereotype of classical music. This is shown through costume code, as the clothing is elegant and sophisticated and could be considered 'evening wear' which is almost always associated with classical music events/operas. In addition the hair and makeup emphasizes the femininity of my model, which conforms to the traditional nature of classical music, and is shown in my magazine through my models conforming to the typical gender costume code. The props used, include a violin, which again emphasizes the classical genre of my magazine, as the classical instrument is a skill only available to classical trained musicians, and so too attracts my specific Musical target audience. 

My text spans the entire double page spread and so is divided in to columns. I have also included two images, which adds interest and breaks up the text, making it seem less daunting. However the model used in both images are the same to avoid confusion.

This is my mockup contents page, of which will infleunce the features i include in my real magazine product. I created this mockup, to aid me when creating my real magazine, as after gaining audience feeback from these mockup's i will hopefully be able to alter and improve my magazine, so as it appeals to my desired target audience, and its conventions be typical to my classical music genre. This will ensure that my magazine, is an ultimate sucess and would be very sellable in the music magazine inducstry. I have kept within a simple colur scheme, similar to that of my front cover. This is beacause it ensures my magazine appears to be consitent and smooth, again so the target auience that are attracted to the front cover will also be attracted to the contents page. By using a continuation of colour scheme, throughout all my pages of my magazine, it will also ensure that i keep witihin the classical music genre and do not slip between musical genres. The colours i have used a simple and neutral, meaning that my text is clearly visible and the entire page is not too busy, so the audience will not be distracted by a busy colourful background. Further more i have used a pastal purple colour for the typography, contrasted with white and black tonnes, which although stands out in front of the netural background, is not too over powering and agressive, so in turn presents a gentle nature of magazine, which i feel ultimately conforms to the typical classical music genre of magazine, as the gentle colours of typography is sophisicated and soft, typically assosiated with the classical music genre. In addition the props used conform to the classical music genre, as the presence of a classical violin typically used by classical musicians, makes the genre clear to the audience, and therefore my magazine will immediatley attract my target population. In addition the model of whom is Sarah Chung, and is an image i copied of Google Images, is of a youngish age, slightly subverting from the typical stereotype of classical musicians of whom many people assosiate with being old and of a mature nature, so therefore using a younger model, will attract my rather unique target audience of whom are music university students and so not such a typical target population for classical music magazines. I will now ask my target audience to look at this mock-up and give me feeback on the strengths and weaknesses of this mock-up so then i can make changes to my real contents page, and ultimately make it very appealing to my target audience and also ensure that it is as sucessful as possible.

The above image, shows the mock-up I have created using a different media platform called Pixar editing. It demonstrates the kind of finish I want to achieve when I come to make my final design/magazine. The Mock Up conforms the typical stereotypes and conventions of other classical music magazines and the classical genre as a whole. This is shown , as the main image shows Sarah Chung, a American Violinist, of whom has achieved great success, and of whom both genders could aspire too because of her incredible musical success and talent. In addition her costume code is glamorous and of a sophisticated style, attracting males by conforming to Laura Mulveys Male Gaze theory as well as females who may aspire to be like Chung not only because of her musical talent but because of the image of musicians leading a glamorous lifestyle, shown through Chung's costume code and make-up and hair, portraying a luxiourous feminine lifestyle, appealing especially to students of whom are inquisitive and possibly not yet decided about their career path after University. The image is a wide shot-giving extra space for my cover lines to be attractive and of a bold nature, however the image itself is a direct gaze, attracting the audience as they feel on the same level of Chung herself, rather than feeling superior or unable to achieve, which in turn again greatly attracts the audience making them more likely to purchase the magazine.

The mock-up has enabled me to practice making magazines and putting my ideas and planning into practice, through using a wide range of differing media platforms, which in this case was Pixar Editing, however for my real product I will use InDesign to achieve a high standard and glamorous looking magazine, which will attract my target audience. This gives me a visual idea about how I should present my magazine, and what kind of image I could take, to fit within the stereotypical theme of classical music magazines. Furthermore by producing this, I can identify problems with my ideas and therefore aim to improve them for my actual product making it turn out to the best standard possible.

I will ask people who fit  my target audience to give me feedback on this mock-up so I can ensure that my magazine achieves the ideal look that will ultimately be attractive and appealing for my target audience and so increase sales. Furthermore then based on the feedback, I can adapt elements of my magazine that may be not so appealing to my target audience. I can also ask my target audience if there are any other elements of convergence of which could be useful to my target audience when attracting them to buy the magazine.

My front cover is simple, with only a few coverlines, to ensure the magazine does not look too busy and take attention away from the main image of which is my centre piece, in addition the colour scheme is constant, avoiding distraction and confusion when my audience come to view it. The colour of typography is of a gold appearance, being it looks of the glamorous nature of classical music, and so will largely attract my desired target audience.

The convergence I have included are facebook, twitter, instagram ect. all of which allow the audience to connect with my magazine from many differing platforms, which again in turn would be especially appealing to my target audience of whom are young and spend a lot of time on their phone and an average of 31 hours per week on the internet-Therefore my means of convergence really appeal to my ideal target audience of whom would benefit from the internet accessible means of access to my magazine.

The barcode at the bottom is very typical of all magazines, and also presents another mean of convergence, as all magazines sold in the shops will have a barcode included, and so shows another way of which my target audience could benefit my target audience and give them more easy access.

Altogether I feel this is a good first representation of my magazine, however I am sure when I receive feedback from my target audience I will have many elements of which could be improved to increase the quality and ascetics of my magazine.

Dear Naomi Palfreman,

Thank you for your letter regarding the use of one of our violins on the 15^th of January 2015.

We are delighted to tell you that after reviewing if we have any spare on this morning, we would love to lend you a violin to use as a prop when taking your pictures.

We are very excited by the prospect, however would appreciate if you van handle the violin which as much care as required, in addition do not under any circumstances take the violin off site or outside, as we fear this could be damaging to the violin, of which I’m sure you can appreciate us very expensive and valuable.

We would suggest you come down to the music department at 8:50 on the morning of 15^th of January 2015, to collect the violin from the instrument cupboard behind the music recording studio.

We look forward to seeing you there,

King regards,

Miss S Paterson.

This is the response letter of which I received from the music department, after sending my inquiry, asking to borrow a violin for my magazine. I am very pleased, for the response letter as I have gained permission to borrow a violin in order to use as a prop for my magazine. This is extremely useful for me, as it enables me to emphasises my classical music theme, throughout the front cover, contents page and double page spread of my magazine. This means that my magazine will ultimately fit within my specific genre and also entice my particular target audience of whom want to buy classical music magazines.

When going to borrow the violin I will have to apply to their guidelines and specific times they have set, for example if I am late to pick up the violin it will show an image of unreliability or lack of care which may make them hesitant to let me borrow their violin, as they need to have trust in my qualities in order for them to trust me with this delicate instrument.

I furthermore will have to correlate the time of which it is feasible for me to use my setting of the photo-shoot, at the same time as the time I have available to use the magazine. This is because, there is a high demand within the school for the use of instruments so I may only get this specified time to borrow it, without getting another chance-so therefore I need to ensure that i have the setting and equipment available on the 15th of January which is when I am scheduled in to borrow the violin.