1. In what ways does your media product
use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
By Natasha
Stapleton

2. Large masthead that
Front Cover
stretches across the top
of the page. The font is The sell lines are on the
unique and the colours side of the page which is
make it stand out. The normally the place to put
font looks like it’s them in real music
dripping, leaving it looking magazines. They are
original and rebellious. short and only take up a
bit of the room but they
still stand out with the
The main image is complete band stroke.
taking up the majority of the front
cover, all with eye contact giving The main sell line stretches
direct address to the audience. across the front cover as well
The lead singer is standing on but in the centre. It stands out
something to make him seem with the black font and white
taller, therefore more dominant. stroke and it has the effect of
They all have serious expressions cuts through the font, giving it
which is normal for a rock that extra bit of attitude. The
magazine as it shows attitude. sell line underneath
describes what the article is
about which is similar to real
The flasher doesn’t take up too magazines.
much room on the cover The barcode, issue
however it makes it look more number, date and price
interesting and the colours are all at the bottom of the
match the rest of the colour page, showing that they
scheme. are important but not that
important that they take
up a lot of space on the
The footer of the magazine page.
includes bands that are all
shown in the contents
page, they are all of different
genres of rock, attracting a
wider range in audience.

3. FRONT COVER; SIMILARITIES
Large masthead
spread across the
top of the page
Image of a five
piece band. One
member looks
slightly more
dominant than the
others (the vocalist)
Barcodes both in
bottom right hand
corner along with
date and price etc

4. FRONT COVER; DIFFERENCES
The sell lines on my
cover are at the top and
are more noticeable, I
did this because I
wanted my magazine to
look more interesting.
The sell lines on the AP
cover are in the header
and at the bottom of the
cover in small writing
My main sell line is
spread out across the
page and therefore
stands out a lot more. I
did this because I wanted
the band’s name to be
seen and to be clear from
afar. The AP cover’s main
sell line isn’t in large font
and is just in the bottom
left hand corner of the
page, perhaps to make
the image the main
attraction
My footer is different to AP’s
header as it just names bands
inside that week this is so I
could fit more bands onto the
front cover and make it more
attractive to a wider audience.
AP’s contains information in
more detail about what is
inside the magazine

5. Contents Page
The image at the top of the
page is very unique. I’ve
made it look like an advert The masthead from my
for an album but it is also front cover is used again
related to my magazine as it is the magazine’s
because this album is trademark. Instead of
being reviewed. Both of ‘contents’ I’ve used ‘this
the girl’s eye lines are week’ to make it a bit
direct address and the more original.
image is extremely eye-
catching.
I have used headings for my
list of pages to show the
I have kept the same regular sections of my
sell lines from the magazine. I also haven’t put
cover and added in a a lot of detail in my contents
few more bands and page and just written band
artists. I have used a names, this is because as
variety of different soon as someone see’s a
genres of rock to band they like they’ll want to
buy the magazine to read
attract a wider
the article.
audience.

6. Contents Page;
Similarities
There is an image at
the top of the page
that looks like a
banner.
The masthead and
the ‘This Week’ is
further down the
page, around half
way
There are images of
the bands inside the
magazine to appeal
to the audience
There are headings
to cut up the
different pages. If
you like a particular
section then you
can find it easily

7. Contents Page; Differences
The word ‘Contents’ is at the
top of the Kerrang! Contents
page, however I decided I
didn’t want to put both
‘Contents’ and ‘This Week’
as I believed it was
unnecessary. This is
because I thought it took up
too much room and I wanted
more room to put as much
information about my
magazine on there as
possible.
There is an introduction
from the editor on the
Kerrang! Magazine which
is something I also didn’t
think was necessary
because I could use the
space for more sections of
the magazine.
The list of articles in Kerrang!
Is more cramped and filled
with images and some
articles names have more
detail. There is also
subscription information. I felt
like I wanted my contents
page to have more space
and I wanted it to be easy to
read. I didn’t want it to be too
packed with information as I
still wanted it to be clear to
read.

8. I wanted my heading
for my double page
spread to be
Double Page Spread extremely eye-
catching. Most
headings in double
page spreads take up
a lot of the room on
I wanted to use the idea the page and I wanted
of a collage because to do this but still
the article is about a leave room for my
‘journey to fame’ so I article. Having ‘We
wanted to put across are the Loveless’ as
that these images were the heading puts
taken at different times across that this band
are strong and
of the year.
united, therefore
attracting rock music
fans.
I wanted a pull
quote to break up
the article and make
A lot of rock it look less like an
magazines have essay and more like
images of bands an article. I wanted
playing live so to make sure the
therefore I put some reader was still
images of them on engaged in the
stage. magazine so I
chose a pull quote
that would interest
the audience.
I have put a date, the magazine name and page number on the
bottom of the page to make it look more professional as all
magazines have this feature on every page so that the audience
can identify the magazine.

9. Double Page Spread;
Similarities
Collage; Different images from different
times
Pull quote Drop caps
Captions

10. Double Page Spread; Differences
The images on my magazine are all set out neatly, all fitting well
however on the Kerrang! Magazine they overlap each other and there
is a dominating image at the top. I wanted to make sure I had a lot of
space at the top of one page for my heading so it would stand out on
the page.
The article isn’t broken up with
pull quotes in the middle of the
text as the pull quote is
Layout is different. On one page is the article and the overlapping the images. I didn’t
other are the pictures however on the Kerrang! want my pull quotes to overlap
Magazine the article is spread over onto the first page
my photos because I want to
aswell as on the second. I wanted mine to be seperate
ensure that you could see the
so that they were clearer to see.
photos.

12. HARD ROCK, ALTERNATIVE ROCK
Originally, the term ‘rocker’ was used for bikers predominantly men who were
normally seen wearing leather jackets with studs who listen to rock ‘n’ roll
music. The stereotype has developed dramatically over the years into several
subgenres.
A Stereotypical ‘Hard Rocker’ A Stereotypical ‘Alternative Rocker/
Gender: Predominantly male. Scene’
Clothing: Leather Jackets, black clothing, leather Gender: Both male and female.
trousers, denim jackets with patches and Clothing: Converse, piercings, tattoos, multi
pins, combat boots, studded jewellery, long coloured hair, skinny jeans, coloured jeans, eye
hair, tattoos, piercings. liner, ear stretchers, doc martens,
Activities: Creating music, consuming Activities: Anything music based, skating.
alcohol, taking drugs.

13. IMAGES, COLOURS, GENDER
The main image relates to the particular
social group I have chosen because they are
all wearing leather. One band member has a
bandana and is wearing leather trousers and
the others are wearing band t-shirts apart
from one who is wearing a t-shirt with an
alcoholic drink on it. All of the men on the
cover have a serious expression, connoting
attitude and rebellion.
The colours are mostly dark, the black is
there within the image but also in the text and
the masthead to stand out. The colour purple
I have used is a dark shade which matches
the colour of the bandana. This colour
scheme looks dramatic and almost gothic,
attracting people interested in rock music and
fashion.
There are only men on the front cover
however advertised in the sell line are the
‘Rocker Sisters’ confirming that there are
females inside, therefore attracting both

15. IPC MEDIA
IPC Media is a magazine and digital publisher from the
UK that sells over 350 million copies of their
magazine’s a year. They publish many different
genres of magazines;
womens, music, homes, soaps, sports and
business.
I would get IPC Media to distribute my music
magazine. This is because the magazine that my
magazine is similar to (Kerrang!) is distributed by
another publisher (Bauer). The only other music
magazine that IPC Media distributes is NME which
is a different genre to my music magazine.
Therefore, my music magazine would be
distributed widely, increasing the chance of beating
the rival magazines (Kerrang!, Q).
My magazine would be distributed in
shops, supermarkets, festivals, gigs and specific
music shops like HMV.

17. TAZMIN PYE
Age: 17
Occupation: Student
Favourite Colour: Red
Interests: Music, Film, Writing.
Favourite Bands: Metallica, The
Strokes, Paramore, Arctic
Monkeys, Slipknot, Guns N’
Roses, Pink Floyd, Green Day,
The Beatles, The Ramones.
Wears a lot of dark colours,
band t-shirts, skinny jeans,
shorts. Likes to cut up her t-
shirts and experiment with her
hair colours.

18. CHRIS DOCKER
Age: 17
Occupation: Student
Works part-time at a
butchers
Favourite Colour:
Interests: Music, Writing
Favourite Bands: Fall Out
Boy, The Kooks, Jimmy Eat
World, Kings of Leon
Wears a lot of skinny
jeans, band t-
shirts, checked shirts. Has
long hair.

20. I attracted my target audience by using dark colours like black and purple. I
used these colours as they would be appropriate for both genders and the
clothing that the stereotypical ‘rocker’ would wear is dark, mostly black.
Purple (dark purple not light) isn’t really seen as a specific gender’s type of
colour and I chose to use this because of the colour of the band member’s
bandana.
The band are dressed in leather and dark clothing which is the hard rock style
and therefore would attract someone who likes that particular music. They are
wearing band t-shirts showing that they are also passionate music fans
relating to the reader. Every member has a serious expression on their face
looking almost intimidating and one of the members have no shirt on
underneath their leather jacket, conveying the attitude and rebellious
behaviour of rock stars, again attracting the target audience.
Using the word ‘ROCK’ on the cover in big bold capital letters with a drop
shadow would attract a reader because straight away they would know what
genre of music this magazine includes and in the footer there are 3 bands who
are different styles of rock, creating a wider range of readers who like different
types of rock.
A hobby of the stereotypical ‘rocker’ is to listen to new music so therefore the
use of the flasher claiming that this band was ‘voted best new band of 2012’
would appeal to the reader and make them want to buy the magazine and read
about them.
I also chose to advertise ‘Early Bird Tickets for Festivals’ with would attract
the reader because another hobby of the ‘rocker’ is to go to gigs and festivals. I
also advertised another band and their debut album called ‘the Rocker Sisters’
stating that this magazine isn’t just for males as it has female bands included
as well.

21. My contents page also has dark colours but it is a lot brighter than the
front cover. The masthead is exactly the same as on the front cover
because I wanted it to become the logo of the magazine so when it is
written anywhere it would be in that font, colour and style. I also
added another colour into the colour scheme here; gray. I wanted to use
this colour because it’s not another primary or secondary colour so the
colours wouldn’t clash so it’s a safe coloured background to place
images on.
The images I have used in my contents page show that the magazine
isn’t just for males but it isn’t girly because the girls still have a straight
face and attitude. The other girl (the solo artist) is smiling however she
is wearing a leather jacket, showing the style of rock again. The image
of the band featured on the cover is at a different angle and shows the
band looking dominant and strong, which would attract a rock music
fan as they like bands that are fierce and have attitude.
For the actual list of the contents I haven’t added any detail to the list
and only written the names of the band included as I believe that any
rock music fan only cares about the music and the band and doesn’t
need to see gossip like ‘Look who he is dating’ and just seeing the
band’s name that they like would make them want to buy the magazine
and read the article. I have used the names of different bands from
different subgenres within the genre of rock to attract a wider range of
readers of all ages (for example a Metallica fan would usually be older
than a Paramore or You Me at Six fan.

22. I attracted my audience by using images from
gigs. This would appeal to an audience of rock
music fans because they are usually very
passionate about gigs and an image would
make them want to go to one if the band looks
good live. The other images have fairly normal
backgrounds (of greenery) showing that they are
just men really and that anyone from anywhere
could be part of a band. The captions used are
catchy and short. Using the terms ‘rock’n’ roll’ and
‘rockin’’ again show the reader what kind of
magazine it is and who it attracts. ‘Best mates to
band mates’ show that they are friends as well as
band mates, attracting the audience as they would
know that there is little chance of the band
breaking up. The colours in the live pictures are
dark and connote a certain mood and
attitude, showing the dark element to rock gigs.
The colours of the article page are a different colour
scheme to the front cover and the contents page
however still has gray, black and white, still
showing it’s a rock magazine with attitude. Using
the colour red makes the name stand out and be
seen from afar and that is the intention of the
magazine; to promote this band. The use of the
colour red in the pull quote stands out next to the
white writing and would draw the readers
attention and give them a brief outline to what this
article is about, making them want to read it.

23. AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
Overall Rating of
6
Magazine
4
2
0
Excellent Very Good Good
Best Things about my Magazine:
Colour Scheme
Double Page Spread
Images
Things needing improvements
within my Magazine:
Contents Page
Less Clutter

25. I used Photoshop to
manipulate my I used InDesign
images before putting to create my
them onto my contents page
magazine. I also used and double
this program to page spread.
create my whole front
cover.
I used a digital
camera to
capture my
images.
I used Kerrang.com
to research into
magazine covers.

26. Front Cover
Using Photoshop:
I have changed the levels on this main image to make it look darker and more ‘rock’ like. This
makes the bands faces and therefore their facial expressions stand out a lot more as the rest of
the image is darkened. I also used Photoshop to add text onto my front cover. I added a
dafont.com font and edited it on Photoshop by taking away the white background, adding a
drop shadow and changing the colour to purple to match the colour scheme. I also added a
flasher by adding a shape onto the page and changing the colour.

27. Contents Page
Using InDesign:
I edited the images in
Photoshop by deleting the
background and feather
around the girl’s heads
however I used InDesign to
desgin the layout of my
contents page. I also added
a shadow around all the
images to make them look
blended in more. I also
used InDesign to add
columns for my list of
pages, I used boxes to
place my photographs into
InDesign and used also
used text.

29. Front Cover
Use of
drop
shadow
on font
Use of
levels to
make it
more like
a specific
genre
Adding a
footer to
make it
look more
like a real
magazine
I learned how to manipulate font from dafont.com on Photoshop to
create a certain style relating to the type of magazine. I also learned
how to manipulate my images a lot better in my main task for example
changing the levels of an image to create a mood relating to the genre.

30. Contents Page
Using more
professional
font
Adding a
shadow
around the
edges of the
images to
make them
look darker
and more
rock related
Adding a
black shape
at the
bottom to
show the
I have learned how to edit a picture by taking out the background on list section
Photoshop. I also learnt how to feather round somebody’s face in an image to
make it look more natural and less obviously edited. I’ve also used fonts from
InDesign and colours to make it look more sophisticated and more
professional.

31. Double Page Spread
I have learnt how to add images from Photoshop onto InDesign. I have
learned to edit font in Photoshop and added a stroke. I have learnt how to
add columns in the article on InDesign and also how to add drops caps and
change the colour. I also learnt how to add shapes for my backgrounds of my
captions.