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How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?
•My magazine cover uses conventions to illustrate to the viewers what the magazine contains and to draw in the attention of people. One of the main conventions used was the cover image. This image is an extreme long shot of Spiez, Switzerland. This cover image would draw in the attention of many for its colors and overall beauty. Another convention used is cover lines. These were placed in different spots on the cover to give the viewer a sneak peak of the contents. For example, on the bottom of my cover I listed many places that would be talked about throughout the magazine and on the left I stated, “top 10 places to travel this year”. To draw attention to those cover lines I used different fonts and colors. Lastly, another convention used was the masthead. The name of the title was “Alluring Escapes.” The name and fonts of the masthead need to stand out to draw the attention of potential buyers. So, the name Alluring Escapes was chosen to appeal to the largest audience and catch the eye of a viewer. However, I challenged the convention by using two different colors in the masthead, which is not very common in magazine covers. My magazine represents some issues and social groups in the coverlines. One coverline states “how to travel on a budget.” This is meant to appeal to all but mainly for those who can’t afford most vacations. It implies that it will give information on how to travel on a budget and gives names of places that may be cheaper than most. Another way my magazine represents issues is through its variety of places to travel to. By listing the names of places that will be discussed, it will show the viewer how diverse the magazine is. Having places from all around the world with different cultures, foods and languages appeals to all. These things make the magazine more appealing to more buyers. •Upon reflection of my magazine, a few coverlines, cover image, and masthead were altered. Each still representing social groups or issues. The mast head, World Wide, allows inclusiveness and shows that the magazine will discuss many cultures and locations around the world. Which is also followed by many countries listed at the bottom of the page that will be included in the magazine. The cover lines still stating “how to travel on a budget”, allow for anyone to be able to travel and represents those who can not afford most travel expenses. How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text? •My magazine cover is meant to engage will all audiences and will appeal to all audiences as well. The cover image is a bright, colorful image of Switzerland. This image was used so that it would leave the audiences to imagine all the possibilities of what there is to do there. Also, the coverlines engage with different audiences as well, such as travelers on budgets, those who want to explore a specific culture, and those who want to relax. The magazine would engage with audiences through social medias. Social medias such as, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram will allow the magazine to engage with all different age groups and audiences. For example, Facebook has an older demographic and Instagram has a younger demographic. The older demographic on Facebook would most likely appeal to the coverlines stating escapes and relaxation, while the younger demographic would likely appeal to the “traveling on a budget.” So, by using these two different platforms, we would we able to engage with different audiences. My product could be distributed at many different locations and through online media. My magazine would best be distributed and sold at gift stores, airports and on social media. First, selling the magazine at a location such as an airport would be the best strategy to get buyers. Selling a traveling magazine at an airport is the best strategy because most of the potential buyers are in that area. Since those at the airport are travelers, they would be the group that would be most interested in the magazine. Next, distributing the magazine via social medias would be the most effective way to reach all audiences. Social media is used by all groups and demographics, making distribution to audiences extremely easy. First, the magazine would be promoted on apps such as Instagram then sold through links in the app. The way a product is distributed is especially important, so these steps are critical. How did your production skills develop throughout this project? •Throughout my magazine cover I expanded my knowledge in the software, Indesign and how to properly format a magazine cover. I had never needed to use these tools before, so I was completely inexperienced. It was difficult learning to use Indesign because there were many tools within the app that I was not familiar with. But once I explored the app and finally figured it out it became much easier to navigate through the platform. I learned how to change the text, layer items, and much more. I also gained more knowledge in Canva. I was already fairly familiar with the tools and how to navigate through the app, but I learned much more. I figured out how to fade an item, change the spacing in between texts and expand the vertical length of the texts. Throughout formatting my cover, I encountered many mistakes and had many trials and errors. When placing my cover lines, I had to try many formats to come to my final conclusion. I also had to use different fonts and colors until I found the one that fit the magazine the best. This process took a while because many of the colors I used didn’t match the cover and masthead. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project? •While creating my magazine cover, I used a variety of online tools to help create the best looking outcome. I used different online sites, software, and hardware devices to achieve my end result. I began using online sites such as Google, online articles, and magazines. These all helped me to better understand what a travel magazine might contain and what most potential buyers would find most appealing on a cover. Next, I used a laptop and Iphone as hardware. Using my iphone, I was able to take the photos being used throughout the magazine, such as the cover image and all other images used. I then sent any pictures being used from my Iphone to my laptop where I then produced my magazine cover. Lastly, I used the software, Indesign and Canva. Using Indesign, I created my magazine cover, imported my cover picture and added on my coverheads and title. I then altered my magazine cover using Canva.
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The process of making the table of contents was the most tedious. I ran into many challenges throughout the entire process, these challenges include designing the layout, searching for fonts, using colors that complement each other but also stays with the simplistic theme. I changed the originally layout because it appeared slightly messy and did not stand out, so i restarted and came up with this final table of contents.
Throughout the process of creating my double page spread, i had a couple issues. I began by using the software, Canva, on my phone rather than my laptop. This made it much harder to view the entire page and over create the page. I then realized i needed to change hardware. I the switched to using my laptop which made it much easier to work. Another issue i had was finding fonts that i found the most fitting. I had to try dozens of fonts and use different spacing and sizing until i found the final product. The next issue i had was the layout of the photos and texts. I had tried many different combinations but none seemed fitting but I finally came across the current layout of the pages.
My magazine cover went through many changes to get it to become the final product. My first draft had many issues in producing the product and the end result did not turn out well. I began using Indesign to create the cover but the website was very difficult to navigate and made the process take an extended period of time, these issues made the final product appear very disorderly. I decided that there needed to be change in the software being used. While doing the magazine cover revision, I used Canva rather than Indesign which made the process much smoother. I also realized i needed to change many parts of the cover, such as the masthead, coverlines, main image, fonts and add a barcode. Canva made this process much easier and more accessible. I began to search through my camera roll until i found the perfect photo for the main image. Where i then based the fonts and colors off of whatever suited the best together and followed the the simplistic theme.
This video described how social media shapes identity of its users. Schultze describes and gaves different examples of how social media can shape someone without someone knowing it. It shows how restricting social media can be and how different discourses can be creating multiple identities that are interrelated. Social media can make someone feel as if they need to fit within a specific group or within a certain discourse, this need to fit in a bubble is what can influences ones identity. Also, social media can also make someone else be pushed into a bubble, the video gave an example of this stating how an entrepreneur may be solely known as an entrepreneur instead of their true self.
Social media has influence myself and others in a couple different ways. On social media apps such as Snapchat, Instagram and Tiktok, the algorithms can be fairly specific so only certain groups may be shown and receive likes. Once i had noticed this algorithm, it made me feel as if i need to post different videos/content to receive likes and views. So, i had began to create videos that would follow a specific trend whether it was a dance or a random trend. Another example is how social media has influenced my political identity. After seeing many posts about a political issue from one persons perspective, it had made me become curious about that issue and pushed me to do my own research on the topic. Before using social media, I had not known much on any political issue but social media pushed me to become on topics and form my own opinions. I agree, i feel that social media can have a great impact on someones identity. I have personally experienced this happen to myself along with many others. Social medias are very restricting as to what content may recieve likes and views. Many people feel the need to receive those likes and know that others like their posts so in order to receive those likes someone may alter there posts to obtain the likes. Lastly, there is this sociality discourse that we need to stay defined by what others associate us with, whether it is a social group or any other kind of role one may have, where i have seen this happen to others through social media. News can have a great impact on the way audience view information and the way we behave from the information. Media outlets are able to slightly rephrase or influence an event or information based upon their own biases. So, whomever is viewing the content will only see that outlets bias on an event or information, this can greatly impact the way we think and view things because people may begin to base their own thoughts on that bias. News can also effect the way someone may behave. As stated in the article, Psychology has shown that news can effect a persons anxiety and elevate heart rates. Such as after a crisis, the more coverage the event has on the news can effect the viewers mental health.
I agree, that the news can change the way we think and behave. For example, different news outlets can portray the same event differently, such as, CNN and Fox. Both of these are news outlets but have a political bias. So someone who has only watched one of the news station would most likely have the same political opinion and bias as that outlet. Although this may not always be the case, it can still alter the way its audiences perceive an event. Also, as stated in the article, a study showed that by slightly rephrasing a story, they were able to manipulate how dangerous a region was. This all shows how great of an impact news has on the way we think and perceive information.
This is my revised table of contents. I altered the format and fonts to make it more appealing to the eyes. I also added some features, that i failed to put in my original piece such as page numbering on the bottom of the page.
Individual candidates illustrate wider patterns and audience behaviors when it comes to media consumptions. This can be shown through all different kinds of media, but all slightly illustrated differently. Film for example, a candidate such as myself can represent wider patterns of audience behavior. This can be shown through the distribution, marketing, production and more. If someone like myself were to view a trailer for a new film and dislike the trailer, this can represent an audience rather than only myself, as it is not likely for only one person to dislike the trailer. Another example is the distribution of a film. Whether the film is playing at cinemas, streaming or downloads, where I find it most convenient to watch, will represent a larger group. If a film is available for download on a streaming service, this may be more convenient for a large audience rather than at a cinemas. Which can be shown through the stats after the movie is released. This shows that a singular candidate not only represents themselves but can represent larger patterns and audiences of media consumption.
1. Setting- The setting is the place where a scene takes place. This can give the audience an idea or perspective about the charcters.
2. Decor- The decor is the smaller details within the setting. It can be used to show a deeper meaning of something usually relating to the characters. Such as the colors and textures of things in the scene. 3. Lighting- The lighting contributes to how the audience may percieve a scene and how it feels and looks. Lighting is normally connecting to a feeling so this used for that effect. For example, if a lighting is low key it could show that something dramatic, sad or scary is about to occur. 4. Depth of space- This is the depth of something on the screen, this is shown through the distance between objects and characters. Camera angles usually follow along with this to help the depth be shown. 5. Costumes and makeup- Costumes and makeup are what the characters are wearing in scenes, this is used to give the audience an idea about the character and follow with each scene. The continuing developement of digital technology has great impacts on media institutions and audiences. It has a large impact on the marketing, mainstreaming and selling of a product. This means that because of the development of media technology it has transformed to way audiences view a product, also making it easier to do so. Companies have had to change marketing and selling strategies to maximize the amount of viewers seeing their product. The development of technology has made it easier for companies to do this because the internet and media allows easy access to everyone. It also allows companies to view the success of an advertisment. This can be tracked by the amount of views, likes and dislikes of a post, so the company can then strategize on how to improve and create better content for its audiences.
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