feedback of my magazine

To get the best feedback for my magazines final product I arranged to have a group discussion, with 3 other people, 2 of which fall within my target audience but the third did not which I thought would help as it shows how it appeals to people outside of my target audience, I recorded the discussion, but unfortunately two of the people involved asked me not to post their voices, why they objected I do not know, so I have constructed a script of the conversation, in which I asked several questions, allowed them to answer and then ask me questions and then they give their opinions, I handed out a copy of each part of the magazines final product, and I also gave them copies of my mock ups so they could compare if they so wish.

(names have been replaces by member 1,2&3 which will be shortened to M1, M2, M3 and I will be seen as Dan or D) the conversation went as follows:

After thanking them for attending and handing out the prints of the magazines,

Dan: so is my product recognisable as a magazine?

M2: yeah, you can tell it’s a magazine and that it’s about music.

M1: definitely yeah.

M3: yeah it looks like something you could see in a shop in the music magazine bit.

Dan: ok, well, but what genre would you say the magazine is and why?

M1: well it says "sod calm and let’s rock" so I would go with it is a rock magazine...

M3: but on the from cover and contents page you talk about The prodigy and their techno punk, and you also talk about Kasabian, muse and the arctic monkeys and their all more indie, so it is a little hard to tell but the look of the magazine and the other bands mentioned I would say it’s more rock and punk.

M2: I think the same, also you talk of British bands, like older rock bands like Pink Floyd so I would say more rock then punk but still the punk theme too it.

M3: but the band on your bigger two page article, they seem a more punk rock band, 'cause they say about pubs and not wanting to be seen and generally it’s the more punk bands that are like that.

M1: yeah, I was going to say a similar thing, they seem to be more punk because of the same things as "M3" said but also they say they like playing small gigs and pubs which rock tend to go for as bigger audience as possible.

Dan: So what are your favourite features of the front cover?

M1: I would say the title of the magazine and the "sod calm and lets rock" with the way it goes under one letter and over the other makes it look like something a professional magazine would do, and it is a catchy kind of motto for the magazine, which would make it easy for people to see in shops and find even if the title is covered in a picture.

M3: I would say the same but I also like the mastheads font, it really shows the magazines genre of music.

M2: I really like the find us online at the bottom because the people who are going to want to read this will be like teens and so they’re going to use the internet allot so it makes it more fun and easier to do.

M1: also the will make it more interactive and people can use it more easily than having to go to the shops to buy the magazine.

Dan: ok, so what could do with improvement on the cover page?

M2: well there’s not really that much content so an extra coulomb of articles of something would make it better.

M1: I think that could help a bit yeah, also the font of some of the writing could do with being changed, but other than that looks fine to me.

M3: I would agree with the other two things but that’s about it.

Dan: how does it compare to the mock up of the front cover.

M2: it is similar in allot of ways but the few things that have change are noticeable, like the way the featured band is on the front cover of your mock up I prefer to the actual front cover, but you did well to get rid of the side coulomb about the cd.

M3: you can easily tell it is the plan for the magazine you made, apart from the fact they have the same name for the magazine, it is quiet close to how you’ve made the final magazine, just it does have the changes that "M2" has said, also the settle little changes to make it look better.

M1: what I was going to say has basically been said now, but I was going to say also that the colours used in the final magazine work well.

Dan: how about for the cover page, what do you like most about it?

M1: I just got to say I think the like sound wave behind the "Amped up" looks really good.

M2: yeah it really does, but also the whole page looks the most professional out of the pieces, it has a good colour scheme, it is nice to look at, it’s informative...

M3: it has bands that relate to the genre of the magazine.

M2: yeah it has the bands, it has all the sort of things that you would find in a normal magazine, the subscription bit especially looks good, it looks like it’s been cut out of a proper magazine.

M1: also having a picture of the front cover on it is a nice feature to have it also means if like the reader loses the front cover or it becomes detached then the magazine is still recognizable.

M3: also the picture of the band member that features on the front cover and in you double page spread, it does look like he’s on like a Polaroid so it is cool how it matches the name and what he’s wearing and the way he looks give a rough indication that it’s not a pop band on the double page spread.

Dan: so what could be improved on this page?

M1: not much.

M3: I would agree, not much could be made better for this page, just maybe more pictures.

Dan: unfortunately copyright prevented me somewhat for using pictures on there.

M2: well I still think it looks good, maybe just some more writing and more about some other articles instead.

Dan: and how does it compare to my mock up?

M3: of the three it is probable the most dissimilar to the mock up, quite a bit has been changed, mainly because of the copy right thing I take it, but most of the changes are improvements.

M2: yeah it is quiet a big change but it is for the better, but the addition of "the gear" part is a big improvement, and also having information on both side of the page, not just pictures on one side and info on the other makes it much better too.

M1: it is still similar in its basic aspects, like the title of the page and the rough layout but what you have changed between the mock up and the final piece it a great improvement.

Dan: so now form my double page spread, what do you most like about this?

M1: the way you’ve put the band members pictures on the page to me looks really good, especially the two you’ve "cut out" and stuck at the bottom right corner, the way they are kind of made part of the page looks very good.

M2: I like the content of the page itself, not too much writing but not too many pictures either, just the right amount of content, so it’s easy to read, it doesn’t bore the reader but also gives the enough information so if they do enjoy the article and are interested in the band they know where they can go to get more information.

M3: The headline of the page matches the genre of the magazine and the band, which is a good feature, the content of the written pieces on the page show that it is a punk rock band and it does keep the reader wanting to read more, as "M1" said, the pictures on the page especially the two band members in the bottom right corner does look good, and it gives you the information that any decent magazine would, like where to find more information and who we see in the pictures, or in the case of Dan, who we don’t see, which also is a good feature adding to the argument to it being a punk rock band.

M2: also having quotes from the members of the band is a good feature, most music magazine articles would include quotes much in the same way you have.

Dan: so what could be improved on this page?

M1: unlike what M2 & M3 said I think maybe a bit more writing would be nice on the page...

M2: with what in it though?

M1: maybe something about some of the music they play like if they make their own or play other bands music.

M3: well I thought I was kind of implied by what is said in the article that they do make their own music, like where they say "your only chance to buy their music", which is kind of a big hint that they make their own.

M1: still I just think a bit more writing would be nice.

M2: one thing I could think of is that where the page would fold, that may affect the writing, so maybe just moving the writing around a bit would help, also the magazine does seem very patriotic, so maybe the use of blue so you have the red white and blue of a union flag would be better, as you also have the "sod calm and lets rock" on the front in blue just some more blue colouring would be good.

Dan: ok, good, and how does it compare to the mock up of my double page spread?

M3: the only real difference I can see is the fact that you’ve added the extra segment of writing which improves it, and two of the pictures have swapped places, other than that it relates well so looks like you had a clear plan of what you were going to do and you did it and improved along the way.

M2: I would say the same thing, also you missed out the "god save the Queen" which isn’t important but I think would have looked kind of cool and also kind of makes a reference to the sex pistols, them being a punk band and patriotic British, with the song god save the queen, so that may have been good to keep, other than that it is well followed to the mock up and looks good for it.

M1: I also think it would have been cool for you to keep the "god save the Queen" but doesn’t really matter that it’s not there, and it is good that you added the extra coulomb or there definitely wouldn’t have been enough writing, so that is a big improvement, other than that, well thought out design, a good plan and you stuck to it well.

Dan: thanks, that’s good to hear, now, out of the three, which is the best?

M1: the contents page...

M2: i would say the double page spread.

M3: for me it’s the contents page as well.

Dan: why would you say the ones you have picked then?

M2: well I obviously think differently to the "M1"&"M3", I just like the layout of the double page spread, it is a good read, it has more pictures then the rest of the magazine, and I just like it the most.

M3: to me the contents page looks the most professional, and it looks the neatest, like it took the most time and like it very well could be in a real music magazine.

M1: same thing for me, it does look the most thought filled piece, and it is well laid out and looks the part.

Dan: given that you’ve seen these pages, do you think the magazine is overpriced?

M1: not really, because in your content page it does list allot of content and the people to buy the magazine would be the sort of people to really enjoy what you’re providing and so I don’t think they would mind paying that amount of money.

M3: although cheaper is always nicer, especially today, I think it is the right price for the size magazine it is and the content you provide within it, so I think it is a good deal.

M2: especially as you provide the free cd, it does make it seem a very good deal and the people who are going to buy it will be the more avid musician and will want to attend concerts and other events so the price set is a good price I think.

Dan: does the magazine seem to you like it could be successful as a magazine in the way of popularity but also as a business?

M2: it does appeal to a large audience, so I think it could be very successful as a business and in popularity yes, but it may just take a while to be noticed, as there are already large rock magazines, like major, but none I know of are mainly based on British music so that could be a USP (unique selling point) of the magazine and could really help it succeed.

M3: yeah if the magazine sells similar magazines to this issue, maintains its identity then it could become very successful.

M1: I’m not totally sure how successful the magazine would be due to the fact that there are such big magazines like mojo out there and I’m not sure just how large the audience that would read this would be, but I think possibly if the magazine can continue to provide its audience what it wants the yes it could.

Dan: now are there any questions you would like to ask me about the magazine and the pages I have handed you?

M1: would the "sod calm and lets rock2 appear on every issue?

Dan: yes it will be on the cover in every issue, not necessarily in the same place, but it will be there, to try and maintain the brand identity of the magazine and be a focal point so the magazine is noticed and then hopefully result in more people purchasing the magazine.

M3: and the magazine will be sold monthly?

Dan: yes the magazine will be sold monthly, with 11 regular copies and then every April a special copy, which may be larger, or have special features, inside the magazine and possibly also a larger cover mount.

M2: why a special copy in April and not like December when you have Christmas?

Dan: in April due to there being less sales of magazines, as show by studies of other magazines, thus hopefully by making ours stand out almost as many people should by it and also those who do buy magazines although less of them will want to buy ours.

M2: I see, so how much advertisement will be within the magazine?

Dan: well advertisement is a key feature to make sure the magazine stays successful, so it would have to be enough so that the magazine does make a profit, but not so much that the audience is deterred from reading it due to the amount of advertisement, also of course the advertisement within will be tailored to the target audience so they will have some interest in it, so adverts such as music equipment and concerts will be included, also although it may not seem it there is quite a bit of area for fashion within the magazine, of course not on the scale that you would find in a pop magazine or something like Cosmo, but being a rock and punk magazine does provide an area of fashion as the reader will probably like to form their own identity away from others.



*At this point we ran out of time and I had managed to ask all my questions, so I thanked them for their help and the discussion was finished.*

So from my discussion I learned what was good about my magazine, how I could have improved it further and also what they thought of it, I also answered their questions giving them a better idea of the magazine.