Final Submission

The final revisions to my magazine include moving the page numbers more into the corners as well as proofreading the text for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Candidate 4296 CCR

CCR Draft #4

From what I partially mentioned in the previous question, I used multiple sources of technology, both of which I had used before as well as some that were completely new to me. For one, I used my iPhone camera (iPhone 10 plus) for all the photos. Being familiar with my camera was useful in that I didn't need to completely learn something new but I got more practice and I was able to learn new angles and shots such as a high angle that was integrated into my magazine. To edit the photos, I used an app on my phone called, Photoshop Mix which allowed me to adjust the brightness and color correct the photos as well as crop the photos. Throughout this process of creating a magazine, I have used blogger to digitally journal my experience and steps of creating the magazine. One final use of technology is the software Publisher which I used to design and put together the pages of my magazine. I had never used this software before so I went in blindly. However, by using Publisher exclusively to design all four pages, I had become proficient in all things Publisher and feel confident if I need to use it again. Overall, the multiple types of technology and software I had not only learned but used in-depth, helped successfully create my magazine and brought my vision to life.

CCR Draft #3

My production skills increasingly developed throughout the process of creating my magazine. I not only learned how Publisher works but became proficient in designing pages. Another skill I developed was how to outline and plan. For my magazine pages, I needed to have a clear understanding of the layout of each page so I could plan the length of my article and pictures. Each page of my magazine was outlined and designed before I had even taken pictures or written the article. A third skill I learned through the process of creating my magazine was how to creatively look at things. What I mean by that is that I learned to "break my comfort zone" of doing just what I know and try and do creative things such as creating shapes for my article page which I would have not done before this project.

CCR Draft 2

My magazine is engaging and entertaining in that it includes easy to follow, desserts that require minimal work which is perfect for the target audience of mid-aged women or men who are busy but want to live a gluten-free life with delicious and easy to make food. I have found digital marketing to be the most used and most successful. I plan to create a banner ad that will be marketed on fitness and health websites. Another marketing idea that would be beneficial to my magazine is an app that would allow viewers to read past issues and be interactive with features to view tips on eating and living the celiac lifestyle. A third marketing idea to engage the target audience is to sponsor an Expo such as Richard's FoodPorium, Annual Health Expo. By sponsoring the Health Expo, the Celiac Living Magazine gets exposure which benefits the company.
From researching different distribution plans for magazines with similar target audiences, I would incorporate the multiple forms of downloading my magazine which would increase the digital distribution of my magazine. Allowing the reader to download the issue on their iPhone, iPad, tablet, Android, or computer provides all accessibility of the magazine no matter what device they are using. I would also have an app for my magazine that would include current and past issues as well as featured articles on current beauty, fitness, and diet tips for those with Celiac that are not featured in the magazine. I would also include a way of tracking diet and fitness on the app so users can learn fitness tips and health tips as well as track their progress all on the same app. The overall goal of my digital distribution plan is to make my magazine available to everyone as well as offer exclusive material that engages my audience.

CCR Draft 1

My magazine uses the conventions of healthy lifestyle magazines in that the font of the title on the cover page is large and covers the top quarter of the page. I also include high angle photo of the main dish that is being featured like the covers of Vegan Life Magazine. Similarly, the coverlines are found on the edges of the cover page, leaving the center of the page empty to fully display the dish. Conventions of the table of contents page include a large, single photo, large font for page numbers, and using just "contents" as the title rather. My table of contents focuses on a single photo of the dish but with a more natural and bright background than the cover page photo. The page numbers are bolded as well as larger than the text below which is a technique to get the reader to remember the page numbers and therefore, go to that page and read it. The final convention for the table of contents page was the title "contents" rather than "table of contents" or another name. The inspiration for this convention came from other lifestyle and cooking magazines where they use minimal words for the title to keep the page from looking overwhelming. Finally, the conventions for the two- page article are: one page entirely a photo with minimal words, ingredients separate from the recipe, and small font for the text. My first page of the two- page is another photo of the dessert but with a different angle and background. It takes up the whole page but contains a small paragraph describing the dessert. The second page contains a section that lists all the ingredients and a section that gives a step by step of how to create the dessert with a small artistic picture of all the ingredients. The font for both the ingredients and recipe are smaller to ensure all the details were included as well as it follows the conventions of other recipe magazines. My magazine represents my target audience, which is people of all ages, mainly mid-aged women, who are going on a gluten-free diet. The bright, summer colors with a fruity dessert as the featured represents women in the summer who are wanting something sweet but also healthy.

Quarter 3 final submission

Two-page article Revisions

Before Revisions

After Revisions

One significant change I made to my two-page article was I added words to my first page. Most food magazines I studied, either contained minimal words and a large image of the food or no words and only the image of the food so I compromised and added a synopsis of what the dessert is on the first page to draw in readers to the actual recipe. I also changed the font and font color to again, make the words more readable. Another modification was I added page numbers to the bottom of the pages. The final change to the first page of the two-page article was blowing up the image so the reflective table did not show at the bottom of the page; hence why there is the green plaid at the bottom now. The only change to the second page was the font of the headers for the ingredients.

Table of Contents Revisions

Before Revisions

After Revisions

The revisions I made to the table of contents page include changing the font from Dante to Georgia which made it more readable for the viewer as well as adding a pop of pink font color to the two subtitles which is the same I used on the cover because it brings out the pink from the dessert. Another revision I made was I added a page number to the bottom corner of the page. The last revision I made was bolded the words so they popped from the bright background which also made the words more readable. Overall, the subtle changes I made make a huge difference when looking and reading the pages. 

Distribution Plan

From researching different distribution plans for magazines with similar target audiences, I would incorporate the multiple forms of downloading my magazine which would increase the digital distribution of my magazine. Allowing the reader to download the issue on their iPhone, iPad, tablet, Android, or computer provides all accessibility of the magazine no matter what device they are using. I would also have an app for my magazine that would include current and past issues as well as featured articles on current beauty, fitness, and diet tips for those with Celiac that are not featured in the magazine. I would also include a way of tracking diet and fitness on the app so users can learn fitness tips and health tips as well as track their progress all on the same app. The overall goal of my digital distribution plan is to make my magazine available to everyone as well as offer exclusive material that engages my audience.

Cover Page Revisions

Before Revisions

After Revisions

For the revisions to my cover page, I changed fonts, font color, and placement of words. The font before was illegible, especially with the font colors which made it hard to read with the background. I also changed the placement of the previews of featured articles to cover less of the dessert in the middle and essentially framed them around the picture.

Digital Distribution Example 2

The healthy living magazine, Shape, utilizes different forms of digital distribution which adds to the success of the magazine. One popular form of digital distribution is the app, which allows viewers to see current as well as previous issues of the magazine and provides exclusive articles about fashion, beauty, and fitness.

The second form of digital distribution used is through the website. The website allows access to all things Shape magazine related. From diet, fitness, and beauty, there is an entire community that is found on the website. 

The final major form of digital distribution of Shape is the multiple forms of downloading. This allows any platform or device to download the magazine and view it. The benefit of having many forms of downloading is that the opportunity to read the magazine increases for anyone and therefore, increases the distribution of the magazine. 

From researching the digital distribution of Shape magazine, I would incorporate the multiple forms of downloading to make my magazine available to everyone while increasing the distribution of my magazine.

Digital Distribution Example 1

The Vegan Life Magazine, with a similar target audience as my magazine, Celiac Living, has multiple sources of digital distribution. The first use of digital distribution is through an app that can be downloaded on devices for free. The app offers the availability to view each magazine issue, vegan-friendly fashion, food, and products to live the vegan lifestyle.

Another digital distribution opportunity is through their website. The website gives access to subscribe and view the magazine digitally as well as view other Vegan Life-related information to stay plugged in. 

The third use of digital distribution Vegan Life Magazine takes advantage of is the availability to download on a multitude of devices such as phones and tablets. With the accessibility to view the magazine on all mobile devices, it broadens the range of who all can view the magazine, increasing distribution. 

With my similar target audience as Vegan Life, I would incorporate the app, distribution method, for my magazine. With a target audience of those in early to mid-life looking for a healthy lifestyle, an app is perfect for that age range because of the accessibility of technology and the constant use of technology. 

Traditional Distribution for Magazines

The conventional distribution model for magazines is publishers to work out a deal with a distribution company who then works out deals with retail stores, college campuses, supermarkets, and other local stores that are tailored to the specified target audience. I would utilize this model for distributing my magazine in that I plan to work out a deal with a local distribution company to get my magazine, Celiac Living, in local stores.

Marketing Plan Blog Post

Based on my previous research on popular magazines with the same target audience, I have found digital marketing to be the most used and most successful. I plan to create a banner ad that will be marketed on fitness and health websites. Another marketing idea that would be beneficial to my magazine is an app that would allow viewers to read past issues and be interactive with features to view tips on eating and living the celiac lifestyle. A third marketing idea to engage the target audience is to sponsor an Expo such as Richard's FoodPorium, Annual Health Expo. By sponsoring the Health Expo, the Celiac Living Magazine gets exposure which benefits the company.

My banner ad that will be displayed on fitness and health websites will look like this:

Vegan Life Magazine Marketing Research

Vegan Life is a lifestyle magazine based in the UK that gives the inside scoop of living the Vegan lifestyle. One marketing strategy they use is the option of newsletters. Customers who sign up for the newsletter are signing up for daily advertisements of the magazine and more exposure to the magazine increases the profit or number of magazines sold. Vegan Life also has a promotion where the customer saves 25% by "subscribing today." Everyone enjoys a good deal and saving money so offering a discount for first-time readers is an appealing way to sell the magazine.

Furthermore, Vegan Life has an online clothing store that sells shirts and bags that say "Vegan." Apparel is a strategic way of selling the magazine because when it is worn, they are promoting the magazine company to anyone who sees the shirt. Lastly, Vegan Life has a free app that allows users to subscribe and view the current and previous issues of the magazine. With an increase in technology and people who use technology, this marketing is perfect for tech-savvy people who enjoy healthy living.

Shape Magazine Marketing Research

       Shape is an international magazine focused on fitness and healthy living for women. One marketing strategy they use is the use of current female celebrities. For example, this issue pictured below contains Gina Rodriguez who is the star of an upcoming Criminal Thriller which is said to be a huge success globally. By using current celebrities, they are appealing to the public and marketing to a largely female audience who are currently "obsessed" with this actress.

 



















     Shape magazine also has a deal on their website where the "first issue is free." This marketing is appealing because it requires no money up front to view the magazine and if the viewer enjoys it, they will subscribe and pay for the additional issues. An additional marketing strategy is that Shape offers six different digital ways to view the magazine such as through the Kindle Fire and Nook. This broadens the availability to view the magazine which ultimately increases profits.

Cosmopolitan Marketing Research

The magazine company, Cosmopolitan, is the source for all things women related. This being said, they use several marketing techniques that amount to their success. For one, they use worldly-known celebrities such as Ariana Grande and other female inspirations to attract those who are familiar with them which is a large part of the world. They also have the ability for viewers to sign up for newsletters and monthly subscriptions which to an extent is marketing. This keeps people coming back to their website and magazines because Cosmopolitan is frequently sending out emails and e-magazines drawing the viewers back in each month. Lastly, it is an international magazine, making the content available to any woman worldwide. This naturally improves profits because by marketing it internationally, they are increasing the availability of those who can purchase the magazine. 

Feedback/Revisions

The feedback given to me was useful in that different pairs of eyes were able to see that flaws that I had not seen. The compliments of my magazine were that the photos were clear, the color scheme and layout were consistent with each page, the cover was organized and eye-catching, and the dessert looked great. The constructive criticism given was that the words on the cover need to be moved to not cover as much of the cup of dessert, to fix the font color so it is more readable on the cover, add page numbers and branding to all four pages, and incorporate a variety of photos rather than just different angles of the same dessert featured.

Revisions I plan to make going forward are to change the color of the text on the cover to where it is more readable than the yellow. I am also going to move the text on the cover so it blocks less of the dessert. For the table of contents, I am going to change the font/color of the text to make it more readable as well. For the first page of my featured article, I am going to add more text that relates so that way I'm not taking the shortcut by having one page just a photo. From the comments of my peers, there is nothing that needs to be changed on my second featured page. The last thing I plan to revise is to go through all the photos from my photoshoot and change one of the photos on the pages to stop the cycle of strictly just the dessert photos. This will bring diversity among the photos as well as showcase the different types of photos I photographed.

Uses of Conventions

My magazine uses the conventions of lifestyle magazines in that it encompasses health, beauty, food, and fitness. The edition I created had articles that ranged from recipes and fitness guide to how to dine and shop with Celiac Disease. The structure of my magazine also used the conventions of most lifestyle magazines where it is full of color and not crowded with words but enough to entice the reader.  However, it challenges the conventions in that it is a magazine dedicated to those with Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance which is a small population compared to most lifestyle magazines that are geared to larger populations.