Using Survey Monkey...

Survey Monkey is an easy way to create a questionnaire;whether it is close end question's or open ended.

After creating the questionnaire, Survey Monkey provided me with a web link which I could post to my audience;

Here is how my questionnaire looks after clicking on the link;

Using social media- Twitter to reach my target audience;

What are the different approaches to research ?

{Definition of research: Any gathering of data }

Research;

• What satisfies the audience
• Price
• Content
• What attracts an audience to the magazine

Types of data that could be collected;

• Quantitative- Numbers; Close ended questions; Requires a Yes/No answer; E.g. 'Do you think this is good or bad ? Yes or No?'
• Qualitative- Worded; Open questions; These are people's opinions, so its harder to interpret or generalise; E.g 'What colour scheme would you think suits the magazine and why?'

Types of experiments;

Lab;

Advantages : 

• Possible to test cause and effect
• Increased control and accuracy of measurement means more objectively 
• Replicable, standardised procedure

Disadvantages :

• Not true-to-life. Lacks ecological validity.

Field experiment 

Advantages:

• Greater ecological validity than lab experiment
• Less sample bias
• Fewer demand characteristics if Participants are unaware

Disadvantages:

• Difficult to replicate
• Ethical problems
• Difficult to record data accurately
• Lack of control brings problem of extraneous variables.

Titles of HipHop/RnB magazines

State five music magazine titles and discuss what their names signals in relation to the magazine.

Vibe

This name suggests a new 'vibe' to the genre of Hip Hop and RnB where the audience can relate to the music whilst feeling this 'vibe'.

XXL

'XXL' is an abbreviation for 'Extra extra large’; implying the huge amount of content within the magazine, therefore the reader would be kept entertained and interested and may want to purchase the next issue.

Flavour

This magazine focuses on RnB rather than Hip Hop. The title suggests a new flavour towards RnB, which can attract an audience who are interested in this genre. The word 'Flavour' is generally associated with somebody’s preference or as some may say, 'taste'; therefore the magazine could be targeted at people who prefer to listen RnB as opposed to other genres.

The Source

This title immediately suggests a source which informs the reader and they can gather information from it. Therefore, considering the title name, 'The Source' may be a magazine of which the reader is informed about new artist's and what is current in the music industry.

Respect

Respect is a term associated with authority and dominance, and possibly hierarchy. Therefore, in relation to the magazine, the title 'Respect' suggests that the reader may gain respect from the featured artists in the magazine.

Analysing front covers of The Source

One thing I have definitely noticed is that in the front cover of The Source there are mainly Male rapper's/R&B singers (such as Drake and Chris Brown), and not many Female's that have covered in the front page.

Male artists covering 'The Source'

 In these front covers of 'The Source', the artists all have a strong and dynamic facial expression. In the first front cover, the artist is holding a gun towards his face which implies danger and violence; and this is a convention throughout the Hip Hop industry.

 Female artists covering 'The Source'

In these covers, the women are shown as dominant and powerful because they are either pointing towards the reader or surrounded by microphones, which show fame and power.   

Male and Female
However, in this front cover, the man is in the centre with two women either side of him looking as if they are trying to seduce him. The women are not shown as dominant, and this creates a hierarchy of gender.

Deciding on my target audience

I have been analyising and deconstucting Hip Hop magazines and have become intersted in the way they attract their target audience and how the front  covers appeal to this audience.

The genre I listen to the most would definately be RnB and Hip Hop, therefore i would like to create a Hip Hop magazine.  I wish to target an audience who listen to the genre Hip Hop. Ages ranging from 16-30.

J. Cole - Lost Ones

This is a rap music video by J. Cole who is an international selling Hip Hop artist.

Deconstructing two similar magazines

In this issue of 'The Source' the colour scheme is green, black and white, which are the colours of money. This emphasises the genre Hip Hop, because the rappers talk about money and wealth. Bustah Rhymes is shown setting the money on fire with his cigar, which suggests his wealth and this highlights the conventions of Hip Hop magazines.

The masthead, cover lines, the top of the bar code, Bustah Rhymes' jacket and scarf is green, and also the dollar bills; whilst the plug, website and other text is black and the background is white.

The masthead, 'The Source' stands out more compared to the other text as it is outlined with white and has a thick black drop shadow.

This magazine highlights the Hip-Hop music, politics and culture of rappers, and therefore is targeted at anyone who is interested in Hip Hop/Rap music. The target audience may be Young adults and even middle-ages adults; aged 20-40. Issues raised in 'The Source' include whether marijuana is legal, and stereotypically in a Hip Hop culture, marijuana frequently is used by Rapper's.

The colour scheme in this cover of 'XXL' is red, black and grey. Black is a bold colour, whereas red is a strong bright colour, and so they complement each other. The red implies danger and violence, and this creates a powerful effect. The Masthead consists of white text ('XXL') in front of a Thick red box; the white does not over power the red, and so the viewer’s eye immediately focuses on the masthead.

Similar to 'The Source', this image also portrays wealth, due to the thick chain worn by Nas; therefore this would be a convention in the genre Hip-Hop.

In the medium shot, we can see that Nas is the main attraction and this is emphasised in the text 'NAS' which is grey. From the cover lines on the right hand side, it states keywords such as 'Hip-Hop' and 'Rap' which is self explanatory in terms of genre. Therefore, XXL targets audiences who focus narrowly on Rap/Hip-Hop music.

Analysing & Deconsructing a magazine

Flavour is an urban entertainment and music magazine distributed in the UK. The magazine has a colour scheme of yellow, black and white, which are bold and strong colours in comparison to Cher's clothing and accessories; and so these colours stand out. Cher’s celebrity status attracts a majority of teenage audiences, ages ranging from 16-30. This is emphasised from the choice of clothing including a pink watch and a matching pink nail colour. A tattoo is also displayed clearly on her hand; so this appeals, and attracts the target audience.

Research on 'Vibe' Magazine

Vibe magazine

Here's a little background and research into the Hip Hop & RnB magazine 'Vibe'

Mz Bratt - Tear It All Down [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Practicing how to upload videos from YouTube !

Preliminary Task

This is my front cover and contents page, with brief annotations. I think the design looks cohesive as the font colours are the same in the front cover and in the contents page. The masthead, as well as the text is sans serif in both pages , making it easier to read. There is a colour scheme of yellow and red which is eye catching and consistent across the front cover and contents page. And also, the front cover  layout is circler which makes it unique and doesn't necessarily conform to the conventions of a magazine front cover , in regards to the purpose and target audience.

I have manipluated the images using Adobe Photoshop;

• The image on my front cover: I cut the image into a circle shape so it fits into the other alignments ,and then tinted the background with red. This helps to draw the consumers interest on the students'  in the foreground.
•  The image's on contents page: I  tinted the background with red and yellow considering my colour scheme. This made it look simple and cohesive.

I believe i could have improved on many aspects from this task. The page numbers and text on the contents page could have began from the same alignment, as it looks quite untidy. Also, the 'feature' is not needed; its redundant.