6. Evaluation

My music magazine fits the typical stereotype expected of a hip hop media text. The photo’s taken connote a degree of anarchy and demonstrate what would be expected of a hip hop media product through the brightly coloured and slightly un-conventional costume. It employs graffiti writing for the masthead which is again stereotypical of a rap magazine, but in contrast, uses plain font throughout the contents and article section of the magazine. This is used because as my research suggests, more standard fonts are expected in media texts. Also, large images partnered alongside the basic fonts which are typically off to one side of the page are common in hip hop magazines.

This can be seen here.

My media product represents a social group that follow the hip hop culture and do so by dressing accordingly. This is recognisable through bright, and particularly baggy clothes. Also, indexical references of thegenre, such as baseball caps connote the anarchistic and wild image I was trying to portray.
Anarchistic behaviour is typical of my target audience, as they try to follow the bahaviours of the hip hop artists they love. This can be seen starting from a young age, as kids begin to follow typical genre conventions. This can be seen in this clip from America's Got Talent as a young boy aspires to be a rap artist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrpMqhtH10g&feature=related

Harris Publications Inc. is an American consumer-magazine publisher  in New York, that publishes over 75 titles, including Juicy, XXL, King, and Dog News. This media institution is more likely to distribute my product than any other purely on the basis that it already publishes magazines which follow the general genre in which my hip hop magazine would fit. XXL is one of the largest hip hop magazines in America and if my magazine were to be taken on by Harris Publications, it would be under the same level of distributing expertise as XXL, and other largely names magazines.

The XXL website is here - http://www.xxlmag.com/
King Magazine link here - http://www.king-mag.com/

The audience for my media product would be those interested in hip hop music already, or people who are new to the style of music and want to learn more about it, and find out what the genre is all about. People interested in hip hop music would enjoy my product because it features articles not only about music, but one’s in reference to clothing typical of the style expected, and opinions from renowned rap artists. Clothing sites such as 'Most Dope' 'Obey' and 'Supreme' are typically hip hop, and tend to stock the look that people who follow the hip hop genre tend to fit into. People who follow the hip-hop genre generally look up to artists such as these as figure heads and picture their lifestyle as the 'ultimate lifestyle', and an easy way for them to feel like they are part of that is to dress in a similar way.

Here is the link to 'Obey clothing', a popular shop amongst people, particularly teenagers, who follow the hip hop clothing scene - http://shop.obeyclothing.co.uk/

I attracted my audience with a brightly colored masthead which employs graffiti writing also, this will be easily recognizable to my target audience. Also, direct address is used in my central image and creates the idea that the character featuring on the front is looking directly at you, which will help significantly in attracting the eye of my target audience. Aswell as rap, my target audience tend to find entertainment and joy in linked subjects that connote the same ideas as rap, such as anarchistic views. Rap also tends to be very 'anti-government', and this is re-inforced with the idea of graffiti, which I used to address my audience in my magazine.

The two subjects of graffiti and rap are linked within this video, as a man wearing a baggy t-shirt demonstrates his graffiti skills whilst listening to rap music. This helps to link the two subjects together tightly and justifies my use of graffiti and 'spray-paint' effects in the magazine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ghKDqMVPh8&feature=related

From constructing this product, I have learned that alot more work goes into attracting and appealing to a consumer goes into media products than I had initially expected. I have also learned how to operate Photoshop to a substantial level, and how to construct different media texts within a magazine effectively, in a way that will appeal to an audience, whilst being constructively set out. Also, the Photoshop software allowed me to manouver several texts at once and 'drag and drop' them from one media text to another, this allowed me to shift and control the layout of my magazine to a high level. I took texts from dafont.com and was able to manouvre and colour them in the photoshop package with ease. It was important that I chose the suitable texts to convey the correct genre representations. For my article I used the PhotoPlus package because text was easier to manipulate within it, although it wasn't as professional a package as Photoshop. I was also able to lay out my page in a way that replicates that of professional magazines, and this gave me a taste of what it would be like to design an article, as if I was working within the media industry. I found it exceptionally interesting to discover new ways to edit and adjust my images to make them look as professional as possible.

I have learned how to use Photoshop much more effectively, and I have learned how to construct a front cover in a way that will appeal to an audience. For example, brighter, solid colours look much more professional. Also, I have learned how to edit an image in a way that will bring out the natural colour in it and force it to appear much more bold and eye catching.