Creative Critical Reflection

https://prezi.com/view/jXFNt0Vw3xouiuGEwWP5/

Technology

For my photo shoot I used a high quality camera to produce the best possible images I could. I used a Sony 7R II. I had to adjust the camera settings according to the different light exposure for my multiple photos. When I took the pictures of my model, the light exposure outside was very high as well as the light bounced back on the white wall. However, when I was taking the pictures of the model by the costume rack, there was little to no light backstage and I had to adjust my setting to accommodate to that. While designing my magazine I used both Publisher and Adobe InDesign for all of my editing. For my initial midterm submission, I designed my entire magazine on Publisher. Publisher was very simple to use because it is very similar to Word, so I did not have any problems with editing. I made my original cover, table of contents, and article on Publisher. I then transferred my cover and article into Adobe InDesign. InDesign was very difficult to use throughout the process because I was constantly learning how to use it. It is very different from any of the Microsoft platforms that I normally use and the functions are more difficult to use. However, it offered so much more to edit my cover and article and resulted in more advanced content. I kept my work for my table of contents because I was satisfied with my work.

Production Skills

My production skills have evolved a lot since I began this process. In the beginning, I had no clue how to organize a magazine, schedule photoshoots with models and locations, how different shots/fonts/colors have different effects, how the structure of a magazine is outlined, etc. During production, learned the proper locations and shots for my models. the shots used have a big effect in what your trying to show in your magazine and I learned that for fashion magazines, it is common to use a simplistic close up shot of your model for the cover. I also learned that with your pictures, you must know the right places to place them and when they must be dominant feature of your page, such as on the first page of the article. I have improved my design/organization skills, now knowing how to appeal to my audience and making  the pages visually appealing. I learned that variation is essential in your fonts and colors, but in a way in which they complement each other. In scheduling the structure of the flat plan, I learned how to properly distribute ads throughout the magazine and what different features can be present throughout the magazines, such as interviews, advice, quizzes, and articles. Finally, I learned that in production, it is important to understand the audience and how to market the magazine based on their consumption habits. Overall, my production skills have mainly improved on how to organize a magazine in a way that is appealing to its audience both visually and based on its content as well as how to plan for the magazine's distribution.

CCR Question #2 Draft

Audience Engagement:
Through audience engagement research of Cosmopolitan, Elle Girl, and Women's Health, I found that a majority of marketing is now done through social media. This is so effective because there are many social media platforms out there and they are so popular. It is quick and easy access for marketing. For example, Elle Girl uses Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube for marketing along with their website. Another effective marketing technique that Cosmo presented was using celebrities because people are so involved in celebrities lives and wanting to be like them. Cosmo also markets through public events such as pop up stores and flash mobs which is so effective in marketing to people in real life. Based on my marketing research, I plan to market my magazine through digital functions, mainly social media. Frequent emails to subscribers are effective in keeping the magazine in the public's eye however, many times peoples mail inboxes are flooded with emails and they may not be motivated to read them. Nowadays, most of the world uses social media excessively and it is so simple to use. It is a cheap and easy way to display pictures and short comments about the progress of the product, especially on Instagram. Also, seeing something, rather than reading something, is more appealing to the eye, and may motivate readers to look further. My marketing plan is effective for my target audience because young people have completely taken over social media and they let social media control so much of there lives. Using social media for marketing will always keep the magazine fresh in their minds and make learning about the magazine very easily accessible and simple.

Distribution as a Real Media Text:
The traditional distribution model for a magazine is print copies of the magazine, however as the internet and media is rapidly taking over the news/publishing industry, the distribution has shifted to become more digital. Although most magazines still distribute a heavy amount of print copies, they are changing a majority of their distribution to the media. Many magazines now have their own websites, in which you can subscribe to, where the post all of their content. This is because it is more easily accessible to the readers and preferred by many. Magazines are also making apps available for quick access to all the magazine's features downloaded on your mobile device. My distribution research showed that along with print copies of magazines, that apps have become very popular in distribution because people want something that they can easily do on their phones. Apps are so effective because they can be downloaded right on your device and they hold so many great features. However, what was most interesting was Women's Health distribution methods. Their website provides videos, printouts, MP3s, and personal trainers for free access, along with special gifts/sales. They also have DVDs and books for purchase. This is so effective because they are offering more than a traditional magazine and finding new ways to engage people in the content of the magazine. For the digital distribution of my magazine, I plan to focus most of it in an app. This is because apps and smart devices have completely taken over people’s daily lives and changed the standard of living. People want easy access to things, especially if it means being able to access it on their phone. For my app, I will provide a decent amount of access to what the magazine has to offer, however with a subscription, there will be so much more to access. Subscribers will have access to more content, special sales, and gifts. The app will be free to download, with in app purchases. On the app, readers can access full articles, quizzes, videos, interviews, and more. I want to make my app fully immersive because readers want so much more than just articles. They want to interact with what the magazine has to offer. I think that an app will be highly effective in getting more readers interested as it will be directly downloaded on their phone, rather than having to search up the website. 

CCR Question #1 Draft

Using Conventions of Magazines:
My magazine uses many conventions of the genre of beauty. In my magazine, I cover all three components of beauty: makeup, hair, and skin. My magazine includes many ads spread throughout that would advertise various beauty products to interest readers in other products. My articles are all mixed about, but cover many interests of makeup, hair, and beauty as well as people involved in the industry. Many beauty magazine have a unique and eye catching article to be their feature, which I included with my article on stage makeup. I noticed that many beauty magazines include celebrities, so I was sure to include celebrities in a few of my pieces, because this would attract many readers as they want to be like these celebrities. I organized my table of contents to each different component of beauty which is something that is done in this genre. Finally, I maintained a very girly atmosphere throughout the magazine as this genre normally appeals to women. I used bright colors on my cover for my title, headline, and the bubble on the right side to give the feeling of youthfulness and joy by using spring colors. The pictures and font color I used in my table of contents we paired in a way  to make the page very aesthetically pleasing and show structure. On my cover I used a close up photo as this issue mainly focused on makeup and many beauty magazines, such as Vogue, use close up shots to clearly see the features of the models face. I did my photo shoots backstage of the show I was in for readers to see the reality of stage beauty rather than seeing something that was unrealistically staged. 

Social Groups:
My magazine mainly targets the social group of young women in today's society, ranging from around the ages 13-30. Makeup is such a large part of society today and how women try to express themselves, and this is especially true in young women. Younger women are constantly keeping up with trends, trying to impress people, and constantly beautifying themselves. Since these are younger women, there isnt a definite income level of the target audience, however it does cover all kinds of different income levels for the most part. This is because people of all income levels beautify themeselves and people also tend to try to save money in their beauty. The magazine is geared toward social groups that is interesting in beauty, how it works, what products to use, who uses what, success in the area, etc. My magazine will be appealing to younger beauty enthusiasts and beauty product users because it very eye-catching and fun to read. It offers a range of topics through that will interest different people of different ages, experience, and income. With my featured article, I wrote it about stage makeup because so much of the makeup that people do today, originated from the stage. The makeup that young women wear is so intense and I felt that my featured article was very informative on that. Keeping my magazine fresh and bright was also effective in representing the social group of young women, along with things such as my celebrity articles and quizzes.