Question 1 (Improved)
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My media product challenges some conventions of music magazine front covers while developing and using other conventions. It challenges placement conventions by adding a coverline to the right third of the page instead of just the left. It develops conventions by increasing the masthead size and placing it across the top. It also uses conventions like placing coverlines above the masthead to draw attention and using colors that reflect the target gender. The inside contents page similarly challenges some conventions like omitting some pages but develops conventions like including a 'band index' and pull quotes to entice readers.
Question 1 (Improved)
- 1. QUESTION 1: AS MEDIA STUDIES EVALUATION In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- 2. CONVENTIONS OF FRONT COVERS IN MY GENRE The background The artist in the The masthead is located is one colour, image often in the top left corner and often overlaps the is larger than the rest of determined by masthead.This the content to show it’s the gender that highlights importance. the magazine is importance and aimed at, so that superiority. There is dominant use of the left third to text is clear. The artist in the make the magazine image strikes a appear ordered and Coverlines are pose, or has a professional. placed above facial expression the masthead so which makes it The cover story is that attention is The barcode is easy to identify distinguished from the drawn to it. hidden in a less that they are a rest of the content important area so musician. due to it being larger there is more in size. space for content. Often the barcode is found in a corner of the page.
- 3. CONVENTIONS OF MY FRONT COVER USED CONVENTIONS DEVELOPED CONVENTIONS CHALLENGED CONVENTIONS I have placed a coverline on top of the The vast majority of Mastheads appear in My image challenges convention with use masthead. The coverline is in the form of a the top left corner. I developed this by of the right third of the page. Coverlines quote taken from a main article, so by increasing the size of the masthead on my appear on the left third, below the placing it in close proximity to the most cover and placing across the top. This masthead. I decided to reduce the amount important part of the page, attention is increases how well it stands out and of empty space on my front cover by drawn to it. enhances it’s ability to draw attention. adding a coverline on the right third. Even Mojo Magazine also develops this with this extra text, I achieved a layout that convention does not look clogged up. Contrasting colours have been used for my My coverlines also develop convention I have opted against placing some sort of coverlines. The heading is a different colour because I used additional formatting to offer to potential readers on the front to the descriptive text that follows so that create distinction between the two cover. Normally, the offer appears in a distinction can be made between the two. different types of text within coverlines. I coloured box or in a circle shape. I tried The headings are in black, the same as the decided against making the headings bigger, this on my front cover and did not like masthead, so that their importance can be because I felt that making them bold would how it effected the aesthetics of the page compared to that of the masthead. The look more professional. as a whole. Instead, I chose to maintain descriptive text is in burgundy. These convention on the contents page by placing colours are central to my house style. an offer there instead. I have used a colour for my background On the front cover, I have taken the that reflects the gender of my target information that gives the price one step audience. My magazine is mixed gender, so further. I also added the price in Euros at I used a gender neutral colour, and the the top below the masthead, and on the best choice for my magazine was a silvery- barcode have included the price in Pound white. A secondary effect of this is that my Sterling, Euro, US Dollar and Australian photo looks more like a studio shot, so it Dollar. This tells people my magazine is one enhances the professionalism of the page. that caters for a wide population of English speaking people.
- 4. ANNOTATED CONVENTIONS OF MY FRONT COVER The masthead is concealed slightly A coverline has been placed at the top behind the image on the front of the front cover. Attention has been cover. This helps signify the drawn to it because it is in close importance of the person in the proximity to the masthead, which is a image, because she is front of one very important component of the page. of the most important parts on the whole page. Contrasting colours have been I have made use of the left third, most of used for the coverlines. The use of the coverlines are placed in the left third different colours means that it is which helps to create a layout that looks easy to tell the difference between clean, ordered, uncluttered and the heading and the descriptive conventional. text. The background reflects the gender of my target audience. I didn’t intend to be biased towards a particular gender, so I used an accepted gender neutral colour that would enhance how parts of the page stand out.
- 5. CONVENTIONS OF CONTENTS PAGES IN MY GENRE Many music magazines The contents is split The masthead include a ‘band index’ into different appears at the top of that shows readers in sections to break it the page, as in the quick time where up and make it an front cover, to build a their favourite artists easier reading brand image. It is appear in the experience. proven that by seeing magazine. something more often, it sticks in In some cases, special Not all the pages are someone's head. It treatment is given to a included on the becomes more main article. The fact contents page. familiar. that it is shown in Regulars are larger text with a sometimes larger image overlooked, and the underlines this. most important articles remain. An offer to subscribe to the magazine is included in a A pull-quote is used from a main article The page number is to draw people into to reading it. It different colour scheme to formatted in a different makes the reader ask questions that will the rest of the page so that colour to the rest of the move them to find the answers by it stands out and draws in text, making it stand out and reading the whole article. new customers. easier to see what page the article appears on.
- 6. CONVENTIONS OF MY CONTENTS PAGE USED CONVENTIONS DEVELOPED CONVENTIONS CHALLENGED CONVENTIONS I have split the contents page into sections, Most contents pages have a subscription I have decided to show every single article for the same reason as all other magazines offer to draw in fresh readership regularly. I that appears in my magazine. The do: to show what sort of article it is. It also have also integrated this into my contents magazines I have looked at opt against makes the page easier to read because it is page, but I have decided not to sacrifice including every single article that appears not all one massive stack of text. This the house style and use different colours. in its pages, but I chose to go against that makes the page more aesthetically pleasing. Given that my background is a fairly plain and give the readers the full package. This colour, the burgundy for the subscription was so that readers knew there would be offer still stands out when looked at quality in the magazine right from the start, indirectly, so it still has a purpose. and no surprise articles. I have used a pull quote, twice, which gives I have taken the idea of including contact I have also included an image of the front insight into what readers can expect from details on the contents page a step further cover on my contents page. This is the articles. It also reveals a little about the by modernising it. The contents pages I standard practice for most magazines, but personality of the artists featured in the looked at included web addresses. My not on the music magazines I looked at. I article. I also made the colour of the text magazine also includes that information, therefore class the inclusion of the front different to the rest of the text in the but also has Facebook and Twitter cover on my contents page as challenging contents list. This makes it stand out from addresses, thus ensuring that my magazine convention. I chose to do this because it the rest of the page. meets the demands of modern readers. would be more convenient for readers to stay on the page they are on rather than flicking the page to look at the front cover. I have distinguished the page numbers from the text on my contents page by using different colours. The sole purpose of this was to make the page numbers easier to find, so that they don’t blend in to the text that can be found right next to it.
- 7. ANNOTATED CONVENTIONS OF MY CONTENTS PAGE I have added various contact details which aim to show the various ways The page has been organised into that the audience can get in touch different sections. This is with the magazine. By including social advantageous because it breaks the media details, it shows that my page up so that it isn't one big block magazine adapts and responds to the of text. It also identifies more clearly modern demands of readers. what sort of article is what. The page numbers have been separated from the rest of the text by means of using different colours. I have pull quotes on the page to give This makes the page numbers easier insight into what readers can expect to find and therefore makes the page from the article. Furthermore, it gives more convenient to the reader. a small insight into the sort of person the artist in the article is. I have placed an image of the front cover on the contents page which reminds people of the front cover without having to turn the page. People can also see where pages from the front cover appear in the magazine.
- 8. CONVENTIONS OF DOUBLE PAGE SPREADS IN MY GENRE The background is simple due to the fact that nothing is going on in it so it doesn’t detract from what is happening in the foreground, such as the artists and the text. A standfirst is used to give a brief description of the article and what people can expect from it. If the name of the The double page spread is The body text is The headline is A kicker is used to artist is used, it is often often split in to two. On organised into often made of a signpost the start of highlighted in a different one page, there is the columns. This makes mix of formatting the article or colour that suits the image, and on the other, the text seem easier to make certain paragraph.This article. the body text is found. on the eye and more parts stand out. usually appears in a Even despite this, the comfortable to look These examples font that is the same heading can overlap on at than if it was one use different fonts, as the font used for both pages. big block of text. though colour also the headline so that plays a part. the page looks cohesive.
- 9. CONVENTIONS OF MY DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD USED CONVENTIONS DEVELOPED CONVENTIONS CHALLENGED CONVENTIONS The background colour of my double page I have developed the convention of using a For the kicker, I decided not to use a spread (DPS) is a simple neutral colour standfirst to give information about the different font than the rest of the body that again has the effect of making it look start of the article. The magazines I looked copy, so as to maintain a more consistent like I have shot my image in a studio. The at used highlighted colours to show the style of presentation. Looking back, had I principle reason for this colour choice was name of the artist if included. I also used a sans serif kicker, I think it would to make the text and images as a clear as included the journalist who the artist have made it match up more with the possible. spoke to for the article, so I decided to headline, but I preferred the resulting highlight that as well to make it look like aesthetics from a kicker that matched the he is a well known journalist. body copy more. I organised my text into columns to make The magazines I looked at split their pages More often than not, the artist in the it a more easy going reading experience. into two parts, with an image on one side image looks directly at the camera. The My research into similar products showed and text on the other. Occasionally, the artist in my image is instead looking that text presented in one big block was a masthead overlaps across the pages. I upwards directly into the path where my technique seldom used, so right from the decided to fill some empty space and headline falls. My headline is in the form of start, organising my text into columns was include a box of text which showed the a quote, which gives the impression that he in my planning. career history of the artist in my article. is looking at his thoughts. I think this helps This box appeared on the page that to establish a good relationship between housed the image. the text and the image that is quite clear. I used formatting on my headline to make particular parts stand out. The parts that I wanted to make stand out have been finished in a slightly lighter shade of red (to preserve the house style) and have also been made bolder. My overall impression of the headline is that it still looks professional without serif font inclusion. This could also be a developed convention.
- 10. ANNOTATED CONVENTIONS OF MY DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD Formatting has been used on the heading to make different The background colour of parts stand out. I have used my DPS is a neutral colour different shade of reds and so that there is no bias to bold to make certain words any gender and also so that stand out within a piece of text is clear and easy to see text that already stands out on the page. quite well. Each page has been assigned a The text body copy is different role for the double organized into columns page spread. The left page which helps to make the functions as the page that page appear easier on the houses the image and gives eye. extra space to certain text. The right page houses the majority of the text. I have used a kicker which signposts the beginning of the article. This makes it easier to find which is a convenience to the reader.
- 11. COMPARISON BETWEEN TYPICAL MAGAZNE AND ENCORE SIMILARITIES: • Both use the left third heavily, to create an ordered layout • The masthead is at the top of the page, and a coverline has been placed immediately above it • Colour distinction has been used on the coverlines; the heading is one colour, the description another • There is a clear house style of colour and font • The barcode has been placed in the right corner, a less important area. • A neutral, plain background colour has been used so everything takes on extra clarity • The coverstory is far larger than the rest of the text on the page (with the exception of the masthead) • The artist in the image is looking directly at the camera to connect with the audience DIFFERENCES • The camera shot is different. I used a mid-shot whereas the shot type for Q is more of a medium close up. • I included the logo of the publishing group on the barcode. Rarely used for music magazines, I borrowed this from magazines of other genres • I placed a coverline across the bottom of the page in a different colour instead of using a box of text somewhere else on he page.
- 12. COMPARISON BETWEEN TYPICAL MAGAZINE AND ENCORE SIMILARITIES: • The masthead has been carried across to the contents page to enhance the brand image. • The page has been split into sections to improve the clarity of the page and distinguish articles. • A subscription offer has been placed at the bottom of the page. • The date of the publication has been included in close proximity to the masthead DIFFERENCES • NME has used a band index to quickly guide people to where their favourite bands appear • My subscription offer does not use opposing colours to the rest of the page and is much smaller than the one used on the NME contents page • On main article takes up most of the page in NME, I opted against this to include every single page that appears in my magazines pages. • I included more up to date and comprehensive contact information that delivers to the requirements of a 21st century audience, e.g. twitter and Facebook details • NME only uses one image. I used two because my contents page might have looked too text-heavy otherwise
- 13. COMPARISON BETWEEN TYPICAL MAGAZINE AND ENCORE SIMILARITIES: • Both magazines use columns to organise and present the body copy in a clear and easy to read manner • The body copy is set in a serif font, due to this type of font being easier to read at small sizes • Colour highlighting has been used to show the name of the artist in the standfirst • A byline has been used and placed above the body copy • A neutral colour has been used for the background of the image to make the text clear DIFFERENCES • The headline on Mojo uses a combination of font styles, I used a combination of formatting instead to make different parts stand out • The kicker used on Mojo is a different font to the rest of the body copy and resembles the headline font. I opted for the same font for the kicker and body copy • The headline for Mojo takes up far more of the page than my magazine • The artist in the image on Mojo is looking directly at the camera, in my magazine, my artist is looking at the headline, which is a quote attributed to him, so they relate to each other.