Final Submission

For my final revisions, I made the title of my magazine a little less brighter red. Some of my peers and I both thought it was slightly too bright and hurt the eyes to look at. I then outlined it in white to make it easier to see the letters. I also revised the second page of my article. I spread the two pictures out more by moving the second one towards the top. Before, the pictures were closer together and I didn't use the space well. My teacher and I both thought that I should move them apart a little bit. I kept my table of contents the same, as well as my first page of the article.

Creative Critical Reflection

https://prezi.com/view/rFNmGvDrU2RSdonTxW9n/

CCR Question #4 Draft

I incorporated a lot of technology into creating my magazine. The main program I used to design my magazine was Microsoft Publisher. Publisher was very easy for me to use and navigate. It made making my magazine an easier process. When I first started working on my magazine, I made my cover page first. I played around with a lot of different fonts and colors to find what I thought looked best and what stood out most. For my table of contents, I had to re-arrange a lot of my articles to make everything symmetrical and have a good use of white space. There are many steps I took on Publisher to make my two page article look the way I wanted it to be. I also used the "justify" option for my text to make it symmetrical and in columns. The software wasn't too difficult to use, but it just took me a while to organize all my text and pictures to make it look a certain way. For practice, I used InDesign to learn the functions to help format my two page article, but I did not end up using this program to actually make the outcome of my magazine. I found it difficult to use and I could not remember all of the tools. The internet was very helpful to me for my research during this whole process. It was useful when I had to research my magazine genre, audience engagement, marketing, and distribution. For my photoshoot I used my phone. I have an iPhone XR, so the camera quality is pretty good and my pictures came out sharp. I tried to make sure I got good angles of all the pictures and framed them well for the photo. The last aspect of technology that I used for my project is Instagram. For my marketing plan, I made an Instagram for my magazine. I am familiar with creating an account on Instagram, so it was fairly easy for me and very quick. I then made a profile picture, a post regarding my magazine, and a caption.

CCR Question #3 Draft

During this process, my production skills have developed and improved. In the beginning, I had to create a schedule to get all of my pictures needed for my magazine, along with scheduling an interview with the interior designer that I know. Creating this schedule for many jobs to complete seemed overwhelming to me and I was not sure which days to set aside for specific aspects of my project, along with the other planning of the design of my magazine I had to make. I eventually picked days for everything and got everything done. For my photographs, I had to make sure they were all at the right angles so that I got everything I needed into the shots. My skills using Microsoft Publisher to edit my magazine have improved. I started out just picking out fonts and colors for my text, to having symmetry in my text and arranging many layouts. Now that we have advanced technology, I was able to make a simple way to advertise my magazine by creating an Instagram account. I learned how to specifically target a certain audience and market my product towards those people. I also started out with little knowledge about the distribution process. After researching many magazines' way of distributing their product, I got familiar with the process. I then made my own plan to make an app for smartphones and tablets. After researching some more on apps for specific magazines, I began to develop even more ideas for my own. I had then completed my whole idea for my app which included many different features. I believe that my editing skills have improved and my knowledge of the business side of magazines has evolved.

CCR Question #2 Draft

The magazines I researched for audience engagement were Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, and Southern Living. They had many strategies for audience engagement that I thought were effective. The Real Simple magazine created a "home idea" in New York. They took a regular townhouse and designed it into their own home. People can go online and take a virtual 360 degree tour of the house. This is engaging because it gives the readers inspiration for their own homes and they can even take the magazine's ideas and put it in their house. The Good Housekeeping magazine uses a Facebook site. This is engaging because people can follow their page and get updates on the magazine almost on a daily basis. They post videos of DIYS and cooking, and also post their own articles. Readers can watch these videos at home whenever they want and have access to many different kinds of videos. The Southern Living magazine partnered with the store "Dillard's" to make and sell their own products. This is engaging because if the readers see something they like in the magazine, sometimes they can buy it from the store. They can use these products to decorate their homes. My marketing plan to get my audience engaged is to have an Instagram account. Instagram is very user-friendly and easy to work with, so it will even work with older adults. It will have links to articles and many videos and pictures of food and decorating.

My magazine will be distributed as a real media text. The traditional method of distribution for my magazine is through print. Subscription letters will be sent in the mail to houses for people to fill out. Then the magazines will be sent to the people who subscribed monthly. For my digital distribution, I also researched Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, and Southern Living.

My digital distribution plan is to use an app. It will be available on any smartphones or tablets. Consumers can subscribe and get access to all issues, or they can pay for individual issues. There is also an option for "sneak peaks" of some articles in the magazines if people do not wish to pay for anything.

CCR Question #1 Draft

My magazine that I made uses many conventions of the magazines in my genre. The title of magazine is in a large, blocky font. The word stretches across the whole top of the page. This type of font is used by the "Real Simple" and "Good Housekeeping" magazines. The color of my title is bright red. Almost all of the magazines I researched had their title in a bright color such as yellow, orange, red, or white. I used the big, bold letters and a bright color for my magazine title to make it stand out. It is easier to see and read and it draws attention right away. My photographs were also very similar as the magazines I researched. For my two page article, I took pictures of the DIY decorations that were explained by the woman I interviewed. Some magazines that have pictures of all the DIY gifts, decorations, and crafts that are mentioned are "The Pioneer Woman" and "Real Simple." I used these type of pictures because it helps the readers understand the descriptions and instructions of the particular decor item. My magazine can be for people who have little to no knowledge about design crafts, so having those visual aids will help with their desired outcome. The layout of my table of contents has some of the same aspects as other magazines in my genre. There are four section headers with a few featured articles under each section. There are two columns and one of them has one picture. I used this layout for my table of contents because I wanted it to look very organized. I also was trying to make a good use of white space. Some magazines I researched have this same format such as "Southern Living" and "Good Housekeeping."

The social groups represented in magazine are mainly women, homeowners, the middle class, and people with hobbies such as decorating, cooking, or baking. My magazine has different ways in which these groups are represented. My main article is about making simple decorations with items you own in the house. One of my articles in my flat plan is about buying gifts on a budget. Most of the fun extra articles are related to fashion and makeup. The woman I interviewed is an interior designer, so her social group would be and educated woman and also someone who has a passion for designing and decorating.

3rd Quarter Submission

My magazine had some changes that needed to be done to make it look more professional and clean. For my cover page, I changed the color of the title and moved all the article names onto the sides. I moved all the articles on the border because it made the Christmas tree the main focus of the page, since it is the only picture there. For my table of contents, I changed some fonts and added a page number ad branding. I changed the font to make it look more creative and decorative. I added the branding so people can know the Instagram username and look it up for more features of the magazine. For the two page article, I added in a picture of the person I was interviewing so people would know who she is and what she looks like. Then I reorganized the text and put it into two columns. The spacing of the text is all the same and it is justified. I did this so that it was easier to read and so that it didn't look messy. I also added page numbers and branding to these pages.

Revision #3

My last revision was for my two page article. I made a lot of little changes to these two pages. First I had to add another picture in, so that meant I had to format my article differently and rearrange all the text. I moved my article title up and changed the color to make it a slightly lighter shade of a "wine" color. After the picture was in, I had less space for my text on the first page. I wanted to get rid of the white space I had previously, since it was a waste of space. I moved all the text closer together. Then, all of my text was aligned to the left, so I changed the setting to have it in columns which made the text end at a specific point. This allowed the words to line up in the same spot and form a straight line down. This makes the article a lot cleaner and professional. I also used this same technique on the second article page.I made the tree picture bigger on the first page to give it more emphasis. I formatted the text differently to fit the second page better. For both pages, I added branding in the top corners and a page number in the bottom corners along with the magazine name and issue.

Revision #2

 This is my second revision for my magazine. I liked the layout of my table of contents, but felt as if it looked too boring and plain. I also had to add some text in it. The first thing I changed was the font of the section headers. It was very basic before, but I changed the font to "Script MT Bold." I realized that since a lot of my magazine has to do with designing and decorating, I should have a fancier font that resembles the genre of the magazine. It is a more creative font. I also changed the font of the actual articles. I changed it to "Eras Medium ITC." It is still a simple font so that it is easy to read, but the letters have a different shape to them than they did before. It makes it slightly more unique than just the basic "Verdana" font I had for the articles before. I also had to add a page number to the bottom corner, along with the name of the magazine and its issue. The last thing I revised was adding in branding. Since I made an Instagram account for my marketing plan, I added the Instagram name into the top right corner.

Distribution Plan

To distribute my magazine traditionally, I am going to be using mailing. It seems like an easy and fast wait to deliver the magazines to consumers. When people subscribe to the magazine, they will choose either a monthly or annual subscription. Then they will receive their printed copy of the magazine at their house. To distribute my magazine digitally, I am going to be using an app. The app can be available on smart phones and tablets, such as iPhones, iPads, and Samsungs. It will be on the app stores on these devices. There will be a subscription option at the top of my screen with a 30 day free trial. Once subscribed, you can set up your account on the app to have full access to every magazine. If you choose not to subscribe, you can purchase an issue separately for $4.99. If you do not want to purchase any product at the moment and want to browse the magazine some more to see what it's all about, there will be one small article from each issue. This acts as a "sneak peek" for the rest of the magazine so that the audiences will be engaged and want to read more.

Distribution Research- Real Simple

A digital distribution method Real Simple magazine uses is an online website. Their website has many different features that make it very accessible. They have an option to subscribe to their magazine. Their explore button can let you choose any category to see small articles from, without even subscribing to the magazine. They also have little social media icons you can click and it will bring you right to their page on that particular platform. The website can also bring you to the Real Simple shop to buy their products. I could use this method to distribute because a website brings people to many other applications for the magazine. There is a wide variety of selections and is easy to navigate. I would have the option of smaller articles for free so that the consumers know what kind of product they will get and it will leave them wanting more.

Distribution Research- Good Housekeeping

A digital distribution method that the Good Housekeeping magazine uses is having their own app for devices. They have a subscription option where you can choose to subscribe for a monthly or annual subscription. You can also log into the app if you already have a subscription. Then they have a magazine option. In the top border, they have a search bar where you can search any magazine you want. At the top of the page, they feature their newest magazine. Under this, you can scroll to find all of their other issues in order from newest to oldest. If you aren't a subscriber, you can get 5 minutes of free access for every issue. After 5 minutes, you can unlock the issue for $3.99. I could use this method for my magazine distribution. I would make an app for my Celebration magazine and include the option to subscribe to the magazine or buy single issues for a cheaper cost. I would also add some other features like having smaller articles to look at.

Distribution Research- Southern Living

There are many methods of digital distribution for magazines now that technology is more advanced. The Southern Living magazine has a way of distributing their magazine digitally through tablets. You have the option to purchase a subscription on their website and then new issues will be downloaded onto your tablet automatically. This is a fast and easy way to read the magazine and you can take it anywhere you want to. It is available on iPads, Kindles, NOOKs, and some Android devices. It is available on a variety of tablets so that it is easily accessible. I could incorporate this method into my distribution plan. I would have an option to make the magazine available on tablets and smart phones. This way, if you are subscribed to my magazine, you can take it anywhere with you to read.

Traditional Distribution

The main traditional type of distribution for magazines is through print. Subscription letters are sent in the mail to the house's address and people fill it out and send it back to the magazine company. The magazines are then distributed in the mail to all the people who are subscribed. They send a printed copy of the magazine to you that will come monthly. Magazines are also available to buy at grocery stores, book stores, and many other stores. Some common distribution agencies are Hearst, Meredith Corporation, and Penske Media Corporation. I would utilize this model of distribution by also sending subscribers a magazine in the mail. It is easy because their product is delivered right to them every month.

Revision #1

I made my first revision for my magazine. I started with my cover the magazine. I expanded my picture so that it took up the whole screen, since there was a white border around it before. Then, I changed the color of my title because I wanted the red to be a little more bright than the original color. I changed the fonts of the smaller articles because I thought my old font didn't go with my magazine and I didn't like the way it looked. I changed the font to go more with the title font. They are similar, but different. The last thing I revised was the placement of my articles. I moved them off towards the sides because my classmates, teacher, and I decided that the picture should not be blocked. I tried to move the majority of the words off the picture and put them on the edge of the tree, towards the top of the page.

Marketing Plan

Based on my research in to the marketing of other magazines, I plan to market my product by using social media. I am going to use Instagram to market my magazine. Social media is a very current form of advertising for magazines and to get people to notice their product. As technology advanced, social media is taking over other forms of marketing. It is a fast and easy way to find the product and can be used by all ages. Parts of some current articles, new, smaller articles, and updates can all be posted on the Instagram. My visual aid shows one of my posts made, promoting my December issue of the magazine.

Audience Engagement Research- Southern Living

78% of the readers for Southern Living are women and the median age is 54. It is meant for adult women. Also, the median household income is $70,209. This income level is in the middle class. Our target audience is similar because it is meant more for adults, since they have their own home. Both of our magazines are aimed more towards women because of the types of articles featured.

A marketing strategy that this magazine uses is partnering with Dillard's, an American department store, to sell their own brand. Once people see and buy the type of products associated with the magazine, they might want to subscribe to them to find out more.

To market my product, I would use aspects from this. I could have my own brand with furniture, decorations, clothes, and much more. Then I would partner with a big store, like Macy's, to sell and advertise my brand, Then there would hopefully be more subscribers to my magazine.

Audience Engagement Research- Good Housekeeping

Good Housekeeping has a total of 6 million readers. 84% of these readers are homeowners. The median age is 53 years old and 43% of the readers are women ages 25 to 54. A majority of the readers have a household income of $50,000+ which means most of them are in the middle class. Our target audiences are similar because most of them are homeowners, which the magazines are designed for. Most of the homeowners are in the middle class because of the types of articles featured in our magazines. They are both mainly targeted for older, adult women.

A marketing strategy that this magazine uses is social media. They use Facebook to post videos relating to their magazine, such as DIYs, and they post their own articles. This encourages people to follow their page and eventually subscribe to the magazine.

To market my product, I would make an Instagram for my magazine. The posts would include some new, short articles that anybody could read to get inspired to redesign their home or better themselves. I would use Instagram because it would also target younger adults, as well as middle aged adults. This form of social media is user friendly to everyone.

Audience Engagement Research- Real Simple

Real Simple has a total of 7 million readers. Most of the readers are women since they advertise it as a "women's magazine." 82% of the readers own a home. The median age is 52. Our target audiences are similar because the magazine is meant for homeowners since most of the articles are about improving your home, cooking, and decorating. Our target age is similar because it is meant more for adults, since they have their own home.

I researched how this magazine markets their product. They have a press release saying that Real Simple launched their own online shop where consumers can buy clothes, furniture, and more. Another marketing technique was an event created by Real Simple. In 2019, they had their own "home idea" located in Brooklyn, New York. They transformed a townhouse into their own designed home that give strategies to other homeowners. People can take a 360 degree video tour of the house.

To market my product, I would create an event with other magazines of my genre and other home decorators to sell our very own products. Some products would be the ones featured in the articles, while others could be newer. At the event, I could subscription papers there so people can subscribe to the magazine if they liked the event.

InDesign Class Activity

Today in class we utilized Adobe InDesign to lay out our 2 page spread. The features on the software were very useful and it had many different options for editing. We learned how to use the select tool, type tool, and picture box tool. These are the main tools we would need to create the basis of our article. It was a bit overwhelming for me though. I did not feel fully comfortable working with this software on my own because there was a lot of features I did not understand. Also, the tools we used in class were kind of confusing to me. There were a lot of steps to fix the text we put in and adding in the pictures confused me and I didn't get to it. I don't think I will be using InDesign to make my revisions or the third quarter submission. I will probably keep using Microsoft Publisher because I am familiar with it and know how to use it. My layout that I made using InDesign is not complete or the final look I want. I was just practicing putting in pictures and formatting text, so the pictures I chose are not the correct ones.

My Target Audience

My magazine has a target audience with many different qualities and characteristics. My magazine is aimed at people who are aged between 25 and 60. It is not really meant for younger people. It can be for all genders, although much more women may want to read it than men. It is meant to be read by homeowners so they can spark up their house. It is also aimed at people who are part of the middle class because the magazine has simple ideas that can be used by those who might be on a budget and don't want to spend money on elaborate decorations. Personal interests of the audience could include cooing, baking, arts and crafts, fashion, and personal care. The product will be appealing to the audience because it has a variety of decorations to make for the current holiday, it is easy to read, and it is relatable to help people better themselves.

Feedback and Revisions

After getting some feedback on my magazine from my midterm submission, there are revisions I need to make before my final submission. For my cover page, I need to expand my picture so that it fills the whole page instead of having a white border. Then I need to move my article titles so that most of it is not covering the main picture. I want the picture to be seen so I just have to move my title up and some of the articles to the sides. I don't want to much revision with my table of contents because I felt that it was formatted well. The only thing I need to add to it is a page number in the bottom corner. For my two page article, I need to get a picture of the person I am interviewing to show who she is and to add to the variety of pictures. I think I should also add a main photo to the top of the page above the title. These changes will improve my product because it will make it look more organized and professional. To make these changes happen, I am going to start working on the cover page first and then keep going from there. I am using Microsoft Publisher to create my magazine and make any changes.

Use of Conventions

My magazine that I made uses many different conventions of my genre that I am able to recognize because of the magazine research I did. On my cover page, the font of the title of my magazine was very similar to other magazines that I saw. They both have a clean, simple look that is bold and stands out. I have some other features on my cover page that were similar to other magazines, such as having a colored circle around one of the featured articles. I put the main article on the cover in a bigger font, since the other magazines in my genre also had that. My table of contents is very organized and symmetrical. The other table of contents' in other magazines I looked at had multiple sections that had different articles listed underneath them. This is what I did with my magazine because I have four different topics related to my magazine genre. My article is similar to the other magazines because there are pictures scattered throughout the article. I do not have a main picture at the top on the first page of the article, even though some of the magazines I saw did have this.

My magazine is meant for homeowners who are most likely in the middle class because my magazine has articles that are for people who want to buy or make things on a budget for their home.