The document summarizes how the media product uses conventions from real music magazines in its genre. Key conventions included are:
1. Using a consistent color scheme, fonts, and layout elements like mastheads and page numbers to create continuity across pages similar to magazines like Vibe and Flavour.
2. Choosing photography, styles, and article formats inspired by magazines in the genre to appeal to the target audience.
3. Adapting some atypical conventions like unusual masthead and date placements, pull quotes, and bylines to make the pages more distinctive while still being recognizable as a music magazine.
1. Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
change forms and conventions of a real media product?
• To make my magazine look professional I have used the conventions of existing music magazine in my genre. I based a lot of my
original research on VIBE and FLAVOUR. I did a lot of LIIAR analysis on front covers, contents pages and double page spread…
These are some print screens of my market research. Typical conventions include: masthead, medium close up image, barcode,
issue number, date, price, logo, tagline, website, support images, tagline.
• On conducting my research I realised that there are a lot of conventional things that music magazines do that I also needed to
do in order to make my magazine look professional. The most important thing in my opinion is the house style of particular
magazines. Magazine tend to have a house style which relates to the theme of the mag, their target audience or the model on
the front page. I chose the house style of red, white and black. Due to the fact that there are a lot of different shades of
red, white and black I took a lot of time to find the right shade of colour for my magazine. I tried to choose the glossiest colours
I could on Photoshop and publisher.
• Also in magazines all pages as such look as though they belong together. To make my separate projects
look as though they belong together I have used my chosen house style throughout my front
cover, double page spread and contents page. This makes all of my final products look as though they
are meant to be together in a magazine… also I have done small things such as make sure my page
number I have said my double page spread will be on is on the certain page. Before I started my front
cover, double page spread, and contents page I spent a lot of time to finding fonts on Photoshop and
Publisher that I thought would work well with my RNB genre. I chose a final few and put them on my
blog so I could always relate back when I needed too, or when I felt that a new font was needed. It
wasn’t very often I needed choose a new font as I thought it was important use the same or similar fonts
throughout all of my products to create continuity.
2. Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
change forms and conventions of a real media product?
Similarities and Differences in Regards to my contents, double page spread and front
cover in relation to continuity.
My double page
Similarities Differences spread and contents
page both have a
• Colour scheme • Website neat, tidy, easy to
follow structure to
• Font style • Overall ‘feel’ to the page them whereas my
front page looks all
• Featured artists • Size of fonts over the place and it is
hard to distinguish
• Month of release between things.
• Masthead
3. Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
change forms and conventions of a real media product?
LIIAR analysis-Front cover:
-The conventional shot you would usually
-I have placed the date and price in the
find on the front cover of a magazine is a
middle of my masthead. This isn’t a very
medium close up. I haven’t used this type of
conventional thing to do and a lot of
magazines have the date and price placed
shot, as I wanted the text on my front cover
within the masthead. I chose to do this to really stand out, if I had of taken a
with the date because it shows obvious medium close up if would have covered a
continuity through my front cover, double fair amount of my page and wouldn’t have
page spread and contents page. I chose to been how I imagined it. In this shot though I
do it with the price so that there is an have used the convention that the featured
obvious indication as to who my chosen artist is looking directly at the camera in
social class is. Also not many music order to draw the audience’s attention to
magazines are as cheap as mine so I think the magazine.
it is important and is important to be -In preparation to my photo-shoot I put a
drawn attention to as it will compete in lot of though into the outfit I wanted my
the price region straight away. If you get model to wear. The main things me and
the same genre of magazine but cheaper
my model decided on is that she would
you would be more likely to buy the
cheaper one.
wear a leather jacket, have her hair long
and wavy and have natural but glamorous
-I chose to have my masthead across the
make up. These kind of things are related
left hand corner. This is conventional to
many celebrity gossip magazines such as to my RNB genre.
heat. Although heat isn’t a music
-At the moment none of my features are
magazine I still think the masthead the same font and I think this make the
works in relation to my genre. I chose a page look messy overall. The features kind
very digital simple font ‘poplar std’ for of look all over the place. This sin’t very
my masthead as I think it works well and conventional to a music magazine and I
looks neat on the page. I also think the think it makes it look unprofessional.
size of my masthead works well on the
page. -This is conventional on all genres of
-I have made my own barcode on magazine, it is an interesting way to add
barcode generator. I did this because an extra feature onto your front page. I
when looking at barcodes of existing decided to do this on my contents page I
music magazines I decided just a bog
have a footer that I think works well on
standard barcode wouldn’t be
hat certain page, I didn’t want to have
conventional to a music magazine or my
genre. I have placed a scan code on my two footers on following pages so I
barcode also. decided to use this.
4. Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
change forms and conventions of a real media product?
LIIAR analysis-Contents Page:
-I chose to put the month that my magazine
-My main image was taken at a Take That
would be issued on my contents page as it
concert in 2011. I chose this image as it
shows individuality with my fingers been creates continuity from between the Front
in the foreground and the stage/crows Cover and Contents. I chose to have the word
been in the background. I believe this Contents under the month as looking at my
image works well with the rest of the contents page I believe it is pretty obvious as
page as the colour red doesn’t feature so to what it is. Also some of my articles need to
heavily the image as much as it does on be in date to be relevant. Nobody wants to
the page. I believe this makes this certain read last months news. The title of the page
image stand out against the rest of the ‘contents’ features on many music magazine
page. across a wide genre.
-Although Take That aren’t RNB group I
have made the image seem as though it
-When I was doing some market research
was taken at another concert to make the about contents page I found that on the
image fit with my RNB genre. I have done images themselves they were page number
this by stating in the caption that the in one certain corner and also a caption. I
image was take at a Trey Songz concert. chose to use the colours red and black to
-I used the convention of music magazine work with my house style, although it does
that aren’t particular in my genre but I match my colour scheme I think that if I
really like the look of, for example Q were to do this again I would do more
magazine. I took the convention of the research on how to incorporate the page
way they show their captions with the number and captions with an image on the
red boxes and the black heading. contents page.
-I have used a footer at the bottom of my -This is an image I took at Brid Bash in 2012
page and chose to have four RNB artist of the Rizzle Kicks, who are an RNB band. I
on in bold writing so they stand out. This think this image adds more of an edgy
is usually the kind of thing you would find theme to my contents page, as the image
on the front cover of a magazine or in a looks quiet Smokey and different compared
pop magazine. I decided to use this so to the style I was trying to go for. I edited
that it was obvious to my audience what this I image with a red tint to make it stand
the genre of my magazine is without out.
really reading any main text. I also -I took this image on the London
decided on the festival with the most underground. When I found this image in my
RNB artist on and added it to the footer. documents it reminded me of the MTV TV
I think this promotes the chosen genre show Teen Cribs. This was the inspiration for
also and could possibly attract a new this photo caption.
5. Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
change forms and conventions of a real media product?
LIIAR analysis-Front cover:
-This is the main and only image -This is a pull quote from the article. I have chosen to put it here and make it a main -I got some inspiration from Q
on my double page spread. I feature of the page as I think it works well with my chosen genre for example I can imagine magazine in the way that they have the
chose only have one image as I an RNB star grafiting something that bothers them on some sort of wall ect. This isn’t a featured artists at the top of the page.
wanted the main image to look conventional thing to many magazine and I have only seen this convention in VIBE I think this works well compared to the
very effective and the first thing magazine which I have taken a lot of inspiration from. rest of the page as it defines who the
you see when you open the artist is. Also due to the fact that the
page. A lot of music mags in my page number is small and not very
genre and not in my genre such noticeable I thought it would make it
as Q and VIBE use the easier for the reader to see what page
convention of having one main they are on.
image on one page on their
magazines. I think this, I have -I have chosen to put the introduction
decided to use this image as in above the article so that I could just get
my opinion it relates to the straight into the article in them main
article. body. I have tried to make it stand out
by using the ‘bold’ effect however it
doesn’t really look effective.
For my article I decided to
follow a question and answer
-This is my byline. I have also taken my
structure, I did this because I
inspiration form VBE magazine in order
honestly thought it would be
to make this. It didn’t take me very long
easier and quicker so that I
at all and I think it looks re4ally effective
could spend more time on
and is an interesting way to incorporate
designing my double page
a by line. I have also chosen to do my by
spread. I found when
line like this because I think it appeals
researching double page
more to my chosen audience in relation
spreads the conventional fonts
to the genre.
where ‘Ariel’ and the
conventional size is ‘11’.
Although I do not think this
fonts goes with my genre or will On my double page spread I have -This is my page number, having page numbers -I have chosen to put my masthead on
appeal to my chosen audience I chosen to put the website up there, on a double page spread is a very conventional the bottom of the page to create obvious
have followed the convention this is because I believe my chosen feature to all music magazines and also continuity from my front cover and
due to the fact that I didn’t audience will spend a lot of time magazines that don’t fit into the music genre. As double page spread. I think having the
want to break to many doing things social media related. obviously there would be no point having a masthead where and how I have placed
conventions on my double page Internet and things are what they contents page if people cannot find the contents it is more of a convention to an indie
spread. will be into. This also follows also it creates basic continuity from page to genre magazine but RNB magazines also
conventions of many music mags. page. use this idea just in a different way.