AICE Media Studies Blog

I didn't choose to change anything about my cover, because I am content with the layout of it, as well as the color scheme. I didn't change anything from the 3rd quarter submission for my contents page. I chose to make the text wrap around my pictures, and centered the picture on the right in the middle of the text, as well as add branding on the bottom of the page for our website and social media.  

Today I finished my creative critical reflection presentation on Prezi. https://prezi.com/p/g_i0pqnhefvw/

The first form of technology that was integrated into the production of my magazine, was my camera. I used this to take all of my pictures, and used its different light and shutter modes in order to capture quality pictures, rather than just using my phone. I inserted my SD card into my computer to transfer my pictures onto my flashdrive so that I could work from any computer. After taking these pictures, I sometimes used Lightroom to enhance the colors or the lighting if I felt as though that was need, and would increase the saturation and adjust exposure in order to do this. InDesign was used to create the actual pages of my magazine, in order to set up a template for where the text and pictures would go. For example, I used InDesign to create my cover by adding a tag frame and then inserting an image, and in this case adjusting the size to make it the background image. I then added text boxes with the text tool to make my title and article snippets, and adjusted the font and color t...

Throughout the entirety of creating my magazine, I had the opportunity to further develop my production skills in all aspects. Since I was constantly taking new pictures of my model for my magazine, I was able to learn more about the picture-taking process, and discovered what good lighting looked like. Moreover, I learned how to better use Lightroom to edit these pictures. Furthermore, I went form not knowing was InDesign even was, to fully relying on it. I gathered the standard knowledge of how to add text, pictures, create columns, and add colors in order to create my magazine. Thus, I furthered my production skills by learning to navigate the program and becoming efficient enough tot know how to create a magazine from scratch. I also developed production skills in the realm of advertising and distribution, by learning to target a specific audience, since that would increase my outreach. For example, I am targeting older teens to people in their twenties, and those are the typical u...

I was pretty pleased with the look of my cover including everything from the cover picture, fonts, layout, and colors chosen. For those reasons, I chose not to edit or alter my magazine cover.

Out of all of my pages, my article underwent the most dramatic changes in order to follow the more rudimentary format of magazine publications. First of all, I decided to change the color of my border to black, to make the theme cohesive once again. Furthermore, I changed the font of the title, "Kailyn" to a type of cursive, to bring more attention to the article title, and differentiate it from the other fonts. I also shortened the height of the title in order to allow more room for the columns and new picture. Moreover, I changed the picture that's featured on the first page of the article, so that there was a greater variation in the type of pictures and outfits seen on the model. Although I kept the second picture on the second page the same, I did add a black border to both pictures to draw more attention to them, as well as make the article clearly separated from the pictures. I also decided to make the article into two columns, to conform to the standards of the ma...

Yesterday afternoon, I called the model, Kailyn, and asked if she could meet at a local park to do another photo-shoot. I wanted to capture her being true to her personality, which is laid back and in her typical comfy clothes. These are some of the photos from yesterday:

I decided to add a few more articles to my table of contents, but still kept it simple enough as to not overwhelm the reader. Also, I changed the border from grey to black to make the theme more cohesive. Also, I decided to change the thickness of the numbers, in order to make them stand out more. Furthermore, the font of the letters was changed to match the font of the article title, to again make everything flow more, and to not distract the reader. Moreover, for the "On the Cover" article section, I decided to change the font entirely to make it different than the rest, since it's the featured article. Also, I decided to utilize blank space at the bottom by adding the website name so our readers can further look into the magazine and its sections online, which would increase our traffic on the website.

The first and most prominent way that my magazine engages with audiences, is due to the fact that there are multiple different articles with a variety of content within the magazine. This makes the magazine cater towards a range of different people, thus engaging a wider and more diverse audience. Furthermore, the contents page displays the magazine's social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. By doing so, it allows the audience to further engage with the magazine by following the magazine social media sites, which provides a way for them to stay up-to-date with current and future news release by the magazine. For example, the social media sites might alert the audience that has chosen to further engage with the magazine through social media about an upcoming issue that is about to be released. This allows the audience to prepare to purchase the magazine, thus providing a platform to engage with the magazine. Moreover, the magazine's table of contents displays...

In reference to the majority of my project, it uses the typical conventions of magazine style templates. My front cover has a background which is a portrait of my model, Kailyn, and has the magazine title across the top layered over her face. Moreover, the cover has short pieces of information that lets the reader see a preview of the articles inside. This type of cover format uses the typical conventions of the magazine industry, since most covers from magazine such as, InStyle, Elle, and Vogue, all usually have a picture as the background with the cover centered at the top either behind or in-front of the subject, with information about the articles within the magazine around the perimeter. Furthermore, I chose to match the title to the color of my model's shirt, which is a standard technique of most magazines, which allows the cover to appear cohesive. Also, the information about the titles is a pale pink color, to match the model's blush pink lips and cheeks, again creating...

The next magazine that I decided to search to see how they distribute their magazine, was InStyle magazine. Once on their website,  InStyle has a button that says "subscribe" in bright red, rather than the typical black that all of their other sections are in. By providing easy access to a subscription to their magazine online, it helps to increase traffic throughout their website, in hopes of people being drawn to the red, clicking the button, and then being a loyal follower of their online articles. Furthermore,  InStyle has different subsections including: fashion, celebrity, beauty, hair, lifestyle, and shop. Moreover,  InStyle promotes their magazine by also including a section titled, "In the mag". If a person on the website clicked on this section, and enjoyed the countless snippets of articles that are provided, they may be inclined to purchase their magazine, thus improving distribution to a more vast audience. Furthermore,  InStyle magazine promotes their ...

One of the chosen magazines I used to research digital distribution, was Elle. Once on their website, the viewer automatically is able to see the different sections and sub-sections that are available online, as well as in print. Upon further inspection the the magazine, the menu lists the word "Subscribe" at the top, obviously trying to increase their subscriber count for their magazine, thus increasing their distribution range. Furthermore, Elle includes a section that is dedicated to the current issue, and shows some articles and previews, with in turn causes the viewer to possibly subscribe or purchase the magazine. Also, Elle  constantly uploads new content, which will constantly keep their audience coming back to their website, thus increasing circulation. Moreover, the website also advertises their social media accounts, which allows the customers to be constantly reminded of Elle magazine, and stay a loyal reader and subscriber.

The traditional distribution model for a magazine is to gather the help of a distribution company. I plan to utilize this model of distribution, by obtaining the assistance of a company called, South Florida Premium Distribution. I chose this specific company, due to their professionalism, and positive success stories, as well as their location, which is Lin line with mine. This company has three distribution locations: Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, all of which are within Florida boundaries and would be beneficial in getting my magazine out into the public. This company also specializes in making partnerships with local stores such as Publix, to display your magazine in order for customers to purchase, as well as helping to deliver your magazine to subscribers' doors. by utilizing this company, my magazine will be able to be efficiently advertised and distributed, all while supporting another local business.

Today I chose to change my flat-plan to add a few different articles, so here is that updated version.

The first commercial we viewed, was an ad for the NFL. The target audience would be predominantly men since that makes up the majority of their regular viewers. However, the commercial had two famous football players doing the dance with the song from the movie, Dirty  Dancing.  Therefore, this would attract more female viewers as this was seen as a chick-flick years ago, thus drawing in an adult female audience. Some techniques used, included having celebrities in the commercial as well as using humor to entice the audience. The next commercial was an ad for the Winter Olympics. This ad's target audience would be parents, kids involved in sports, and a female audience. This is because the techniques used included showing old home videos of Lindsey Vonn, which would strike a sentimental chord with parents, as well as relate to kids. The ad also utilized the power of emotions, which caused the viewer to feel inspired, empowered, and proud, thus prompting them to hopefully tune-...

My specified target audience, would be teenagers and people in their twenties that are drawn to all things fashion and beauty. Moreover, there is no dedicated education level, so long as the audience or reader is able to read and comprehend the magazine. Also, income level isn't a necessity to be able to enjoy the contents of the magazine, but they do need to be able to have the means to purchase a magazine to read it, and maybe a little spending money to buy featured products, although that's not necessary. The third and final magazine I researched to see how they market to their target audience which is similar to mine, is Elle. This magazine also tends to typically stay away from gossip articles, and focus more heavily on fashion and beauty trends, and includes features of models and well-known celebrities. Elle also utilizes social media sites to market their product. For example,  Elle posts bits of their articles on Facebook which allow their massive following of 5.5 mill...

The audience that I am trying to target, would be people aged in their late teens and twenties who have an interest in fashion and beauty, regardless of their gender. The overall demographic would be South-West Florida since that is where the magazine will be based out of, and where the people who are featured live. There is no education level that this magazine is dedicated to, as long as the audience is able to read. Furthermore, the income level isn't a dire necessity to be able to enjoy this magazine so long as they are able to purchase it for a few dollars, since there is no requirement to buy any of the products featured. A magazine similar to mine in terms of target audience, would be  InStyle. This magazine strays away form the fashion-gossip magazine and stays more focused on fashion and beauty and interviews. They marketed their product effectively by using well-known celebrities on the cover, which would drawn their fans in to read that specific article. For example, Sar...

My target audience would be anyone from their late teens and through their twenties, who has an interest in the realm of beauty and fashion regardless of gender. My main geographic audience would be south-west Florida, since that is where the magazine is based out of, and because that is where the people featured in the articles reside. Income and education level are not major factors for determining my audience, because anyone can enjoy a magazine article and not have to have the means to purchase items featured. However, if I were to specify an income level, I would say middle-to upper class because they do have the ability to splurge on items such as clothes and makeup without it damaging their budget. Furthermore, the education level of the audience should be high enough to where they can read and understand an article written in American-based English. Magazine such as Vogue utilize social media when it comes to marketing and building an audience. For example, Vogue 's Instagr...

Based on feedback from my peers, I will begin with revising my cover. Initially, I will ensure that all of the articles snippets are aligned, and the same color to make it more coherent. Other than that, I think my cover is good and will not much else. However, for the contents page, I will add more articles and page numbers to fill blank space, as well as change the font of the numbers to coordinate better with the font of the articles. Furthermore, I will change the color of the border from charcoal gray to black, to match the font color. Also, I will add a greater variety of pictures, meaning I will schedule another photo-shoot with my model in another location and a third outfit that is completely different from the other two. Furthermore, I will take more product shots that relate to other articles. Moreover, for both my table of contents and article, I will add some type of branding with the page numbers, such as our Instagram or Twitter to make it more directed towards my target...