Focus Group Sessions
Monday 15th January
My first focus group began with an introduction from myself - discussing the idea behind my magazine and the main platform and role I want it to have in the magazine industry for the local area. I then handed out images of four front cover drafts that I had created to gain their overall feedback on the products. From initial thoughts the final draft that I completed (pictured below) was the design which was unanimously chosen to be the best for its "unique simplicity and use of different artistic technique". The colour scheme and positioning of the shadowing on the masthead was also preferred on the design below. However, when discussing improvements everyone agreed they wanted the image to be darker to then be more visible and eye catching for the audience. Overall, this focus group gave me more inspiration and factors to take note of to make improvements.
Friday 17th February
My second focus group was help with the same four individuals in which I showcased the final design of my front cover which they all really liked. However, the main aim of this focus group was to discuss my contents and double page spread as there were a few factors which I needed and wanted opinions on regarding images used and the inclusion of a pull quote on the double page spread. In regards to the contents page the preferred image was that of the pumpkin skull rather than the galaxy- themed image. The issue raised with the galaxy image was it looked out of place compared to the skull and the image also looked to stretched out. This helped finalise my decision about which image I should use. Moving on to the double page spread, the main debate I had was whether to include a pull quote and if so, where on the two pages would it look best. My initial idea was to include the pull quote amongst the main article but enlarge it so it stood out however, it was raised in the focus group that it could potentially distract the reader and also make the article around it harder to read. Then I suggested moving the quote onto the image on the left hand side of the page, to which was agreed looked better and ensure the quote and meaning behind it was effective.
Overall, holding two focus groups allowed for discussion and development of my ideas, alongside helping make final decisions in which I felt need others opinions. Focus groups create a relaxed environment which allow for free-flowing ideas as well as allowing for debate on what looks best.