Eval q1
- 1. Evaluation - Question 1 In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- 2. Front Cover Masthead Sell Line Features Date of issue Feature s Barcode
- 3. Masthead A large bold serif style font (showcased in the top 3 masthead examples), seemed to be the more common in the fashion regional magazines, however they were more high class magazines aimed at an older target audience. The bottom 2 mastheads that were more unique caught my eye the most, this is why I wanted to use a font that I hadn’t seen before to make my magazine stand out against the existing media. Overlapping the main image establishes importance along with the large font for the masthead. Positioned at the top in the middle to draw attention to the audience and give instant recognition of the producer reinforcing brand awareness.
- 4. Main image I followed the front cover convention of having a mid shot over image of a person. According to Mulvey women are used in media for the male gaze and are quite often sexulised. I wanted to challenge this convention of her being for the male gaze by putting her in a more casual outfit and not wear anything provocative that could easily by sexulised. However I followed the convention of the model wearing makeup to enhance the aesthetic appeal and attract the female target prudence to my magazine. Image suggests that the model is an icon/celebrity - star theory (dyer) promotes an image of a person as a selling point in a production. This will appeal to hegemonic youth, they may feed into this ideology as they are stereotypically more interested in celebrities. The high key natural lighting and the mid-shot showing the model is conventional to the type of fashion/regional magazines, I wanted to base mine off. They’re are examples and inspiration (absolute magazine, icon and the cheshire magazine) I used when taking the photos for my front cover as I like the style of them.
- 5. Features I stuck with the convention of using minimal punctuation but made sure it was still short sentences that capture the reader's attention and keep them informed with what's inside the magazine (uses and gratifications theory). I stuck with my house theme with the grey font and added a yellow and blue wording to go with the colours in the background of the beach in my image. The wording I put in the different colours (blue and yellow) is to emphasis them. I chose to use a conventional sell line ‘seaside living’ - relating what is included in my magazine (uses and grats). I used a contrasting colour to the background in an attempt to stand out. I used the same font to match my house theme, this is challenging a convention as the magazines I've researched have made it a different font, this will differentiate my magazine.. I added this to give some insight into what's inside the magazine and what its about. All the features keep the audience wanting to read into the magazine. This fits under Roland Barthes: Enigma Code, which leaves the audience guessing and makes them want to read on and find out more. This is a very common convention of magazines so I decided to include it.
- 7. Fonts & Features Titles are used to organise the text neatly, it also creates easy guidance around the page. Short and snappy insight into articles offered. Allows for range of needs to be covered, also informs reader (uses & grats) and gives an insight into the magazine. This is a common convention of all magazines not just regional ones (fashion magazine for similar examples shown) therefore I decided to include it in mine. I used a white background with black writing to make the writing as easy to read (common convention) as there is a lot shown on the page. Simplistic layout makes it easy for audience to find and locate their individual needs (cognitive needs). I also added the social media accounts of the magazine at the bottom of the page to help the audience interact with the magazine between issues. I added the date to the contents page, as it keeps the page informative and makes the audience aware of what issue they are reading. This is often used in magazines.
- 8. Images For the images I had a variety of shots and kept them relevant to the articles and the text which helps create a connection. I also added page numbers onto them to create easy navigation to the rest of the magazine, this is a common convention of regional magazines. I followed the convention of using images to break up the text on the page. Images of the local area creates a regional identity amongst audiences, the images have Barthes connotations to a regional product which is prefered reading (uses and grats). I used an image of a model, using direct mode of address creates a personal relationship with the reader, encouraging them to read on. Even though I used inspiration from the past 2 examples in the last slide for my contents page (top example), I have challenged the traditional convention layout of the contents pages that I’ve researched (bottom example), as the photos the photos cut the text and there is no page number.
- 9. Rows & Columns Organised text allows for easy reading, as clearly accessible can lead for fulfilment of individuals needs, informs the audience (uses and grats). The simple layout of columns is often used in regional magazines to make it neat and aesthetically pleasing for the reader. I have followed the convention of making the title a larger font and the descriptions in a smaller text, to highlight the importance of the title to the audience and also split the text up. Tabs separating each section conventionally large which I went on to replicate in my own production as it clearly distinguishes articles from each other. Advertisement of social media accounts follows typical codes and conventions. This is so I can keep a younger audience interacting with my magazine as my magazine is mostly targeted to a younger audience.
- 10. Numbering Numbers lay on the left of the page, in a structured vertical line, which is conventional as seen by the images of examples. Allows for easy navigation to fulfil individuals needs, also informs them (uses and grats). Placing numbers over images is also a common convention that I’ve found, it links the images with the articles and informs the reader what page they’re on so I followed that convention in production.
- 11. Editorial Page Image of editor Website link Editor’s signature Main text Features of workers from the magazine More images relating to the page and text
- 12. Main Article I stuck with the common convention of regional magazines of having an editorial page with text written by the editor to the readers. This creates a personal relationship between the editor and the reader (uses and grat). This uses and conforms to hegemonic morns, so conforms to my audiences beliefs making it more relatable to them. I kept the common conventions of having the editors signature after the text. This makes it more personal and creates personal relationship with the editor. I also put website to connect it to the magazine and create wider audience. It will also help to appeal more to the younger side of my target audience as they’re statistically more involved with the internet.
- 13. Images I included a picture of the editor (the largest photo on the page), this is a conventional picture. This breaks up the text and makes it more interesting than a page full of text. It also creates a more personal attachment to the audience as they are able to see who wrote the article (uses and grats), as well as making it more aesthetically pleasing. I also used other photos from around the area of editors favourite spots in the local area, giving the reader a sense of location, the photos relate to the text which is a conventional method used to keep to continuity. Unlike common conventions I decided to use more images and let the images take up a large part of the page to make the page more eye catching as a preferred reading (Stuart Hall). The layout and where I placed the images on the page was based on the examples I have included.
- 14. Layout I used this sussex style magazine as my main inspiration as I really liked the layout as its eye catching and the section down the left hand side made it stand out for me, I also thought it suited the style and theme of my magazine. I feel like my layout is convention following typical trends to similar magazines. This will appeal to my target audience as it creates similarities between magazine and audience. This is due to factors such as the images assist in promoting and making the text more visual. I included the features of the coast team on my editor's page so the audience can connect more with the people that make the magazine (uses and grats) and makes it more personal. There is also a feature of being able to join the coast team as I am targeting a younger audience their may be people wanting to join the team who make the magazine, again connecting and relating the magazine to the audience even more.
- 15. Language I decided to go against the usual conventions of regional magazines and make the language more casual, almost as if the editor is talking to the audience in person. I did this to make my editor's page more unique and stand out from the others, as well as making it more personal to the audience (uses and grats) which could make them feel more connected and create a sense of a relationship between the audience and the editor.
- 16. Ad Page Cafe/store name Cafe slogan/descriptive text Cafe address Main image Website to link to further details
- 17. Image In order to appeal to the audience, I followed the conventions of using high key lighting in my image. This allows the audience to clearly visualize the product offered, and therefore receive the preferred reading (hall reception theory) of wanting to look more into the service. I wanted to include both a coffee and a laptop in my image to try and display what the advert as for. I used deep focus to focus on the main products I am attracting the reader too.
- 18. Store Name The name of the cafe is the largest on the page as it is the aspect that needs the most attention. It is bold and has a unique font, to make it stand out as the company want the advert to be noticed. The dark colour against the light background makes it stand out an allows the audience to read it clearly. Existing media example;
- 19. Contact details I used the convention of contact details of the company. This will appeal to the target audience as it allows them to visit the associated website store, which should appeal to them as it is an internet cafe. In doing so, they are abiding to the surveillance factor in uses and gratifications theory. I also added the address of the company so it easily accessible and informative for the readers. Existing media examples;
- 20. Logo & Sell Line I used the convention of having a large, bold logo relative to the rest of the text. I used a unique font to make it stand out to the audience. The positioning is conventional as well as I think it attracts the most attention there. I also followed the convention of using a sell line. This establishes the product available. The target audience can then compare and discuss amongst their social peers, which links to the uses and grats theory.
- 21. Billboard Sell line Masthead Website link Logo to show it is available on app store Images of front cover and show’s what devices you can view the magazine on Social media images to show the audience we have those social media accounts Billboards aren’t to common for regional magazines so it was hard to create a billboard mainly based on codes and conventions. I did find one for The Resident so I used it to help me create it.
- 22. Images I decided to include and follow the convention of having the information that the magazine can be found on a variety of different platforms. This can create a wider audience and keep readers up to date between issues. I got most of my inspiration off of the two examples show as I liked what they put across.
- 23. Text I put the logo as the biggest font on the page, this helps to catch people's eyes and create brand awareness as in the Resident and other billboards for thousands of other brands. I also included the sell line as it is something that is put onto every magazines and gives an indication of the content of my magazine, which fulfils cognitive needs (uses and grats). I included the website and the image to show its available on the app store to appeal to a hegemonic young adult audience, due to their stereotypical interest in the internet.
- 24. Layout As in the Resident I stuck to having a plain background. This will help to create brand awareness if people keep seeing it and therefore will associate the colour to the brand everytime they see it. This isn’t just a common convention of regional magazines it is a very common convention in most media productions and advertising. However one thing I changed was I made everything slightly larger and closer together as I felt like there was a bit too much space in the Resident billboard and that the images hadn’t stood out as much as they could.
- 25. Website - Homepage Header Articles Mailing list/subscription
- 26. Website - Dreamland article & gallery Article Gallery
- 27. Layout Firstly I conformed to typical conventions of having the logo/masthead at the centre top of the page. This allows the audience to clearly recognise who the product is produced by and therefore begins to build on brand image. Furthermore, having the tab section lying underneath is conventional as it allows the audience to seek specific details about a topic (cognitive needs, uses and grats). As in other magazines I have added pictures with links to articles this makes the page aesthetically pleasing and interesting to look at. If the audience is also attracted to the pictures there more likely to click on it and read the article. A social media tag attracts a younger audience and keeps the audience interactive. This is a common convention of magazine websites. I included the common convention of having a subscription sign up form on the Homepage to build a more permanent reader base. By keeping it simple it also makes people more likely to kill it in as it won't take long. Advert is included in one of the articles to click on, as a form of revenue, common convention in regional magazines - most websites are free to use so adverts are a common way for the magazine to make money, due to the high amount of website visitors they generate. Similar examples in existing media;
- 28. Gallery Page Once this hyperlinked page has been clicked, it still has the same header as the home page with the masthead and tab section so that the audience can easily navigate themselves around the website to suit their needs (uses & grats), as well as it reinforces brand awareness, this is a common convention in the magazine websites I have researched. The images are all from the regional area of the latest issue of the magazine. A wide range of photos will make it appeal to a wider audience. All the images have a caption once the mouse hovers over the photo, to give more insight into the image.
- 29. Article The white background with the black writing makes the text easy to read and conforms to conventions. This article includes video links and photos to give further insight into what the article is about, which gives more information than a magazine can as the audience are able to interact with the video. There is also a comment section at the bottom of every article so the audience can interact with each other and the people who make the magazine, it lets the audience read real reviews/opinions about the subject of the article and lets them discuss any thoughts or questions about the subject matter.