AICE Media Studies

Creative Critical Reflection

Since my last magazine submission, I've made a few changes to my article. These changes included me changing the font size of my article, which left me with a lot of unused space. To fill this space, I decided to include another picture and provide a quote. In order to get the right layout I had to move everything around, until I finally found a layout I was happy with. A significant change in my layout was separating the paragraphs and inserting a photograph between them. Two of my other very minor changes, included of me switching what side one of the page numbers went on, since I had it mixed up. And finally, the last change I made was providing the category title in the top left hand corner of the first page of my magazine article.                                           

On Wednesday, March 21st, I presented my 3rd quarter submission to the class. After hearing their thoughts, I have a few things to fix that they suggested, and some other things I would like to fix as well. First off, I'm going to decrease the font size in my article down to size 14, as of right now it is at size 18. When I was creating my article I had the screen zoomed out, so the font appeared a lot smaller when I was editing it, compared to when I zoomed the screen back to normal size. Although, when I decrease the font size I know that I will have extra blank space in my article and I will need to fill it somehow. I could do this by either adding more content, or rearranging the layout and adding a quote, or another picture. Another feature I need to alter is the page numbering. I noticed that since my article is a two page spread, appearing side-by-side, the page numbers wouldn't both be on the right side of the page. So, I will need to change this so that the magazine ar...

I've made a lot of changes to my magazine since my midterm submission. Starting out with my cover, I didn't make a lot of changes to it because I was pretty satisfied with how it turned out. The only change I made was moving down the contents to the center of the page, rather than having it near the top. By making this adjustment I found the layout to be more balanced. As for the content page, I made two revisions which included me moving the contents title to the center, and adding page numbers with branding. In my table of contents revisions post I mentioned that I had difficulty moving the page numbering all the way over to the right of the page, but I managed to fix this for my 3rd quarter submission. Finally, for my magazine article page, there is a drastic difference between this post and my last revisions post. I wasn't very satisfied with my whole layout or photo selection, so I decided to change the photo to match the color scheme of the photos on my next...

 4. How did you integrate technologies -- software, hardware, and online -- in this project? For my project I integrated the technologies of using a digital camera and the online editing processor,  Microsoft word. The digital camera I used for my project was the Canon EOS rebel T6. This  camera was extremely beneficial for producing crisp photographs of the grounds at Ringling. When I captured the photos I kept the camera in automatic setting since most of the photos I took were long shots of the scenery. However, it was also bright outside and whenever the conditions are bright, the flash on the camera shuts off. So, all the photographs I took were either in automatic or the no flash setting. The colors in the photographs that I took were very vibrant, so it wasn't necessary for me to add a filter to them, although what I did on some, was I increased the brightness a tad.  For my online editing software, I integrated the use of Microsoft Word. I chose...

  3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project? My production skills have developed immensely throughout this project. Before beginning the production of my magazine I didn't know very much about graphic design. I was worried I wouldn't be able to produce a magazine because I had never done much online editing before. For example, I had to learn how to add footers, how to justify my text in columns, how to save my document to a jpeg, etc. I noticed that by knowing how to do these small little adjustments, it played a huge role in the production of my product. Looking back on my midterm submission and now my 3rd quarter submission, I noticed a dramatic difference between my articles. In my first submission, I didn't know about justifying my text, so the lines appeared all ragged. So when I  adjusted this in my 3rd quarter submission my article looked a lot more professional and authentic. By researching these techniques, playing around with all the mech...

 2. How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text? My product engages with audiences by appealing to their interests. In my magazine I tried to incorporate activities that I thought people would come to visit Florida for. For example, we have some of the best beaches in the country so I incorporated a large section on that. Also, theme parks in Florida are a major factor, people all around the world travel to Orlando, just to come to some of our best theme parks like Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens, etc. I also tried to engage with my audience by providing content so that both genders and people of all ages could relate and have something appeal to them. To successfully distribute my media text I plan on distributing my product through newsstands. So you would find it in airports, supermarkets, convenience stores, hotel lobbies, etc. Also for further exposure I think it would be a good idea to also produce a website, and have oth...

 1. How does your project use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups? A few noticeable conventions my magazine challenged that I can pinpoint are; having some of it's content  on the cover while going further into depth on the content page, adding a top line above the title, as well as an underline, and having a unique content page layout. I chose to have some of  my magazine's content on the cover so I could give the viewer a general idea of what is to be included in my magazine. While viewing other magazines I tended to find that when contents were listed on the cover, something brief would be stated about the topic. However, I reinstated the contents found on the cover in my table of contents page and then gave a description. With my magazine I decided to chose four main topics; beaches, arts & culture, theme parks, and state parks. On my content page I gave a brief explanation about the topic, trying to capture the readers attention...

The National Geographic Travel Magazine is the second magazine I chose for my distribution research. National Geographic is very well known by the public because they have various topics of magazines, they do not only have travel magazines but also photography, science, adventure, animals, culture, environment, etc. Within the print edition of their travel magazine the main thing that stands out to me is the abundance of photographs, across two whole pages one photograph will be spread across the entire thing. From what I observed the print edition will include an article and then have 3-4 pages of photographs. I also noticed that the articles appeared pretty long, however I would say that their are more pages filled with photographs then there are pages filled with content. Their website features many of the same aspects found in their magazines. Such as; travel guides to places around the world, photo galleries, and the latest stories of events happening right now. The website includ...

   When I first started my project research I looked at the magazine "Conde Nast Traveler", Conde Nast Traveler is a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine. After researching this magazine I found that I was intrigued by their style, and I wanted to try and mimic it, while also adding a little twist of my own. However, I still wanted to make sure my magazine would be unique. Throughout the production of my magazine I came to this magazine for inspiration. While I was observing the style they portrayed, I got to see what contents they included in their magazine, the pictures they selected, and many other aspects of their magazines layout. In Conde Nast's print edition they include articles that appear simple, and uncluttered. Their content does not fill up the pages completely, as the viewer can still see plenty of white space. My take on this, is that it provides an effortless, modern feel, captivating the readers attention because of its appearance and easy reading access....

Magazine distribution has drastically changed over time, traditionally people had to rely on distributing their product personally in public areas such as Newsstands, Specialty outlets, and Key Sampling venues. However now, that is not the only option with the newly digital distribution choice. Often, magazine distributors use both the traditional method along with different digital resources to further enhance a larger audience. Traditionally, distributing magazines through newsstands seemed to be the most successful and desired way to go. Across the U.S over 3,300 stores are accompanied with magazines between newsagents, airports, supermarkets, and convenience stores for sales. As for key sampling venues you can find magazines being distributed in restaurants, airline lounges, and 5-star hotels, between these key sampling venues over 500 locations sell magazines. Another option which is less common but still existent is distributing through specialty outlets such as art galleries/m...

For the second page of my article revisions I also decreased the font size, rearranged the text columns, and added page numbers with branding. Due to the decreased font size, I was left with excess blank space so I had to add more content to my article. Since originally I ended my article with the Ringling Museum's hours, I decided to also include information on their prices. I also noticed the columns in my first draft appeared a little sloppy so I fixed this in my revisions as well.

For my magazine article I made many revisions. For the first page of my magazine I decreased the font size, rearranged the text columns, and finally added the same page number and branding I used for my table of contents page. Before I submit the final copy of my midterm draft, I definitely want to improve my content even more, by either adding more information, or making sure I don't have any grammar mistakes. 

The page on the left is my first draft, the first revision I have made to this page consisted of moving the contents title to the center, rather than having it on the right. I discovered the technique of the title being positioned over to the right side of the page from the Conde-Nast Traveler magazine while I was doing my research. Although, at a second glance I found that this technique made the page look a little off balanced. The second revision I made to my content page was adding page numbers with branding. For the branding, I decided to use the same blurb that you can find on my cover page; Travel, Explore, Live. However, it was difficult to get the branding exactly where I wanted it to be on the page. Because, once it got to a certain point it wouldn't allow me to move it over any more to the right. I would like it to be centered underneath the photo at the bottom right of the page. So, I will continue to try to get it positioned where I want it so when I submit my ma...

The last magazine I decided to research for my target audience was the magazine Sunset. I chose this magazine because it includes an outdoor recreation feature that I also included in my magazine. When researching other travel magazines I discovered this feature wasn't very common, so I thought the Sunset magazine very much related to my magazine in this aspect. Sunset magazine includes sections on camping, national parks, and outdoor adventure. Sunset magazine is based in the United States, focusing mostly on the Western states. Although Florida is located in the Eastern/ Southern part of the U.S, the magazine still includes sections on these states but it does not center around them. However, I still chose this magazine because it targets the same audience in many of the other categories such as income level, age, gender, etc. Sunset magazine uses two forms to market their product; their website and their newsletter. On their website "Sunset.com" you can find the best r...

    The second magazine I decided to research for my target audience is the Travel + Leisure magazine. I selected this magazine because its magazine contents are very similar to mine. This magazine was also one of the magazines I used for inspiration when constructing my own magazine. Both magazines, include travel guides, popular attractions to visit, beach vacations, how to pack, and more. Although, the Travel + Leisure magazine does not focus on just one location like my magazine did, it focuses on few select locations, and matches a theme.      The target audience of the travel and leisure magazine consists of a higher male audience percentage at 53% while the female audience is at 47%. My magazine doesn't have a specific gender target audience, although I would expect it to be either balanced between male and female, or a slightly larger female audience. The median target age range is 51 years old because of jobs and income, since traveling ...

On Monday 2/5/18 we watched super-bowl commercials, focusing on the target audience and persuasive techniques used to advertise the product. The three commercials that I found to be most appealing were the NFL ad, the Winter Olympics ad, and the Ice Mountain dew/blazin hot Doritos ad. The NFL advertisement targets teenagers and adults since they are most likely to get the reference to the scene they were recreating from the movie, dirty dancing. Through this technique they were able to capture the people's attention through humor and celebrity appeal since the people starring in the commercial have either been in the NFL before or are currently. The next ad, advertising the winter Olympics used emotional appeal to advertise their product. During this advertisement it shares the story of a true Olympian "Lindsey Vonn" who had gotten injured and worked through her struggles to regain her strength, so that she could return to the point where she had left off. This choice o...

      My magazine "Abendrot", is a very neutral magazine. It is not necessarily directed towards a certain age or gender since travel can be enjoyed by all kinds of people. Although, I would like to point out that there would definitely be a larger audience over the age of 18, and the median age range would be middle to late adulthood because of income. An older audience would probably be common for people traveling from out of the state or country, however there may be more of a younger audience for people living in Florida. Since bored teens are always looking for things to do, they might find my magazine helpful. Traveling can be very costly, however most of the activities I included in my magazine are very affordable or free. Such as going to the beach, state parks, art museums, etc. Although other activities like going to theme parks, or enjoying water recreation can be a little more on the costly side. According to your income level you can easily adjust your r...

During the second semester I will be working to improve my article. I would like to add page numbers with branding since I left that out in my first draft. I also will work to improve my writing, and add more content. Another thing I need to change about my article is the page size, my articles page size does not match the size of my cover and content page. This was due to difficulty I had when I tried to convert the document into a JPEG. When I converted my article into a JPEG all the font changed along with the font size, so I had to improvise and take a screenshot from my laptop. It is important to match the size of all of my pages, so I will work more on the mechanics of this during my third quarter revisions. I also may play around with my pictures I had chosen for my article to try out a few different varieties to see which combination I believe blends better with the theme of my magazine.

My magazine used the convention of having some of its content on the front page, while going further into depth on the content page. By using this convention I thought it would give the viewer a general idea of what is to be included in my magazine, without having to flip through at first. I also challenged the convention of adding a top line above the title, as well as an underline. While doing my research I didn't find this technique in any of the other travel magazines, but I thought it was a nice addition, adding a fancier effect to match the theme of my cover photo. My magazine can represent a variety of different social groups. It could relate to people who are visiting Florida from other places, people who live in Florida but are in need for some new activities, or travel lovers looking for a new destination to visit. This magazine gives these groups insight of what there is to do in popular cities in Florida such as Sarasota, Miami, St. Peters-burg, etc.