Media Studies: Magazine Evaluation Essay Example

partnership with a film company, we were obliged to advertise their film as per the contract we signed with them, unlike the Mercedes advertisement. As the magazine editor, I decided to write my letter in an informal and friendly manner, to encourage the reader to continue reading the magazine. The editorial page being one of the first pages seen, a welcoming approach could lead to a stronger relationship between the editor/magazine and reader, which in turn could result in increased magazine sales.

For this project, I was responsible for creating three pages using software such as Microsoft Paint, Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Publisher. While Publisher offered set magazine templates, Photoshop and Paint allowed me to edit images. Although I found image editing easy overall, some difficulties arose when cutting out and pasting images onto different backgrounds like the Mercedes logo for the advertisement I created. However, ironically, MS publisher had a transparency tool that made clearing backgrounds a one-click process.

To create my magazine, I researched the key codes and conventions of magazines, particularly those similar to the specific magazines I was tasked with creating - an advertisement for the new Mercedes S-650, an article discussing future cars and an editorial magazine. Amongst others, I researched Dub Magazine and Top Gear Magazine. We accepted Mercedes' offer to purchase advertising space in our magazine because we believed their images as Europe's leading car company would enhance our popularity, resulting in increased sales. The advertising space was for two pages giving me an opportunity to design their advert for the Mercedes S-650.

In creating an advertisement, I was determined to keep a consistent font style throughout the page. To

achieve this, I downloaded the 'corporate A' font trademarked by Mercedes from www.myfonts.com. My goal was to make the font resemble that of the official Mercedes logo. I incorporated the advertisement of the Mercedes emblem as a code and convention because it is easily recognizable, even without any accompanying text. To make the ad more effective, I opted for minimal text and relied heavily on imagery, following the principle that "a picture is worth a thousand words." Given the strong brand recognition of Mercedes, I saw no need to clutter the ad with too much text. However, the text that I did include was vital for introducing the new Mercedes Benz S-650.

The aim of the advert is to encourage viewers to buy the car by defining it as luxury. To aid in easy enquiries, the model number and contact details for Mercedes are included, although the brand is well known. The phrase 'Coming soon' is added to tease the reader and encourage further enquiries. In place of extensive text, powerful images are used to speak for the car, with the main image being a front view of the recognizable car.

With a high resolution and taking up over 75% of the two pages, the largest image in the advert is the focal point, captivating the reader's attention. Using Adobe Photoshop, I edited the image to create a rippling and mirroring effect at the bottom of the car, giving it the appearance of being on water. The striking image is followed by five images on a separate black panel at the bottom. The first displays the luxurious cream leather interior of the s-650 and supports the

slogan "Luxury Defined". The second showcases the car's nose from a side view, allowing the audience to appreciate its best features.The effectiveness of the third image in the panel lies in the audience's ability to envision themselves behind the wheel and the onlookers experiencing similar emotions through it. Such visualization makes them more inclined towards purchasing the car and seeking further information about it. This particular image features the S-650 driving straight ahead with a picturesque mountain backdrop, showcasing the vehicle's finest qualities. Additionally, the car drives through a body of water with puddles on either side of its wheels, emphasizing that despite its luxurious features, the Mercedes possesses enough power to conquer mountainous terrain.On the panel, there are five images that showcase the Mercedes Benz car model. The fourth image displays the car's left rear view, highlighting its bumper and back lights, allowing the audience to appreciate its shape. The fifth image is a close up of the car's custom AMG lights, which may be added on when purchasing the car to increase sales profits. The last image features the Mercedes Benz logo and name, serving as a gentle reminder of the car's make. To avoid cluttering, only five images were used, and text was added at the top to prevent overshadowing the main image. However, 'Coming soon' was placed on the bottom left of the main picture to avoid clashing with the 'Luxury defined' slogan.

For my magazine, I created a feature article titled "Design concepts of the future" which was listed on the contents page. As it would be the most read, I focused on making it visually appealing by studying the key

codes and conventions of magazines. For the article page, I added a masthead or heading at the top named 'Streets ahead' which cleverly incorporated the popular car phrase and implied that cars of the future are ahead in terms of not only speed but also design. To clarify the topic, I also included a subheading that read "Design concepts of the future". The content of the article was made engaging by including jokes such as "This is a car I really wouldn't mind living in, lets hope they actually make this one, so I can sell my house and start packing."The main goal was to depict the car designs as accurately as possible. One section of the article highlights the Toyota Rin, an eco-friendly car that runs on bio fuel. Emphasizing the vehicle's environmentally conscious features, I arranged the layout to highlight eye-catching images as the main focus. To achieve this, I followed my colleague Humza Sharif's template for his contents page, and included it in this page by placing the text on the left side while situating all images on the right.

The images are arranged in a descending row and vary in size, with each image having a border. They are also labelled for easy reference, such as the Toyota labelled as (iiii). To indicate the magazine being read, the speed magazine logo is placed on the top left followed by a custom page number resembling a car logo at the bottom left. The last page designed is the 'word from the editor', which is crucial since it's among the first pages purchased. Overall, the page looks excellent and follows the same design template

used by Humza in his contents page (i). This is useful for readers who find one singular discarded page but want more and can inquire at their local newsagents.In my article, I aimed to maintain the magazine's friendly overall feel by using only two main colors - White/Silver and blue, just like the previous pages. My letter to the readers was informal and welcoming, with the intention of starting a relationship that would grow as they read my article. This connection would ideally encourage them to purchase the magazine on a regular basis. The page itself lists all individuals involved with creating the magazine, from editors to publishers. It also serves to introduce readers to the first issue and mentions future design concepts that would further strengthen the bond between the magazine and its audience.

Overall, I am satisfied with the design of this page as it effectively communicates the intended message in a clear and concise manner. One aspect that I particularly appreciate is the inclusion of a sketched out image of future cars, which I created using a photo editing tool like Photoshop. To enhance the visual appeal of the page, I leveraged websites like DaFont.com to select fonts that best fit the overall look and feel of the content. Another important feature of this page is the advertisement for the upcoming film Psychology which I placed at the bottom, in recognition of our partnership with the film makers who didn't purchase any advertising space. To make it stand out, I used red text which contrasts nicely with the blue and white background. Finally, to showcase what our magazine is about, I included several

images of supercars on the right side of the page even though they are not included in the contents page since we mainly cover cars that people aspire to own but may not be able to afford.

In summary, I am pleased with the final page of our magazine as it achieved everything I wanted without any design issues. Our magazine follows the uses and gratifications theory by only including articles that our readership wants to read. For example, we focus on cars that are desired by our target audience of mainly men who are interested in technological advancements, such as our article on design concepts of future cars. Our magazine also satisfies readers' needs by featuring interviews with famous celebrities like the Game as people are often intrigued by their lives.We decided to feature the Game on our front cover as one of the main things celebrities have that our readership doesn't is expensive and flashy cars. It's natural for people to desire what they lack, and celebrities possess it all - wealth, fame and everything imaginable. Even I find myself reading celebrity gossip magazines like Heat to catch a glimpse of celebrity X's wedding pictures or know who their latest girlfriend is. But not all celebrity gossip interests me; I selectively read what I want and skip topics like the best and worst celebrity fashion articles.

The reason for featuring celebrities in our magazine is emphasized to the point where they are as prominent as cars in terms of page space.My colleague Humza Sharif's article about the upcoming car game aims to merge our readers' interest in cars with their fascination with celebrities. In the

interview, we not only inquire about the game's vehicles but also about the developer's personal life. Moving on to the marketing campaign of Speed magazine - after examining other advertisements, we agreed that targeting areas where magazines are frequently read would be most effective. Train stations were considered ideal since they attract our target readership of working-class to upper-middle-class men who commonly use trains for commuting. Additionally, train stations have many magazine shops and stands, and hundreds of thousands of people use them each day. The concept that people desire what they do not possess motivated us to advertise on trains, even among the non-car drivers. We decided to display a large poster in the tunnels leading to the trains as well as a billboard in a bustling high street surrounded by newsagents and shops where our readers frequently visit.Moreover, we determined that the internet was the optimal approach for promoting our magazine due to its vast user base. Consequently, we utilized services like Google Ads to effectively connect ads with searcher's keywords. For instance, if an individual searched for 'Cars' on Google, an advertisement for our periodical would surface on the page. This ad would then direct the person to our website containing information on purchasing the magazine.

Our advertising strategy entails word of mouth through posters and billboards that contain cryptic messages revealing information about the upcoming magazine release. We have hired individuals to promote the magazine on car forums and hype up these clues to pique interest. Additionally, we plan to offer relevant prizes such as one year of free petrol to attract our readership who are likely to have cars. To further

incentivize purchases, we are offering a special prize of a free all-day train ticket for the first 100 readers at train stations. Overall, I am satisfied with this project and have learned valuable skills such as using the lasso tool in Photoshop and working with transparency and image editing in Publisher.

This project has made a difference in the manner I purchase and peruse magazines. Having comprehended how companies manipulate me into spending money, I am now less inclined to spend exorbitant amounts on magazines. I have learned to always preview the magazine's contents before making a judgement based solely on the cover since there could be more articles that I may reject rather than more articles that I accept.