AS Media Studies EvaluationQ1: In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms & conventions of real media products?

Front cover(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

Cover lines, headline & sub-heading

All of the cover lines are bold and stand out from the background, which is the picture of the artist that’s featured. The cover lines are written in clear & easy to read fonts and in colours that contrast with each other.

The colours I used are inspired by magazines such as Kerrang! and other pop magazines which tend to use bright and contrasting colours.

I’ve created a colour scheme to illustrate the type of colours I’ve used on my front cover.

Headline & sub-heading I have written the name of the artist & the quote in a different font and colour from the coverlines so that it catches the reader’s attention and so that it stands out from everything else.

(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

Text (font style, colours & effects) and picture of artist

(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

Different fonts & colours add emphasis on certain phrases and words. An example of this is how I used a font to write ‘The return of’, and put the band’s logo underneath it. It makes it easier for readers to recognise which band is mentioned instantly. Also adding a coloured shadow to the text makes it stand out from the page, and looks more colourful and interesting.

In this example, a quote that was taken from the article the artist was featured in is in a very different font than everything else on the page. It draws the reader’s attention to it.

The picture I’ve used for the cover makes Luna (the artist) seem more playful and grabs the reader’s attention as it is different than most pictures magazines use for their front covers. In the example above from NME magazine, the artist has a serious expression whereas in my music magazine, it makes the artist look carefree and young, which suits my target ages (mostly teenagers).

Barcode, date & price of magazine

(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

These details are quite important, especially the barcode. Every magazine has them.The date is more for organisation and so that readers know which issue they’re buying.

Masthead(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

A masthead is also essential as it tells the reader what magazine this is, and also reflects what music genres the magazine covers.Mastheads make each magazine stand out from each other as each masthead and magazine is unique. It gives magazines a sense of originality.

Contents page(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

Sub-headings & text style(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

I have made the sub-headings the same on the contents page to make it more consistent and organised. They also make it easier for readers to find the category they’re looking for quickly.

This screenshot is taken from an issue of the NME magazine. The categories that they decided to split the magazine in to are also bold and contrast with the background.

Every main artist that is featured in the music magazine is written in a black font, along with a short description of what the article/feature is about. This makes the contents page look more organised and useful as readers will want to know what the articles are about. The summary is in a different font & colour so that it stands out. I’ve added colourful shadows behind most text to make the contents page more colourful and alive.

Almost any magazines out there include an editor’s letter. This makes it easier for readers to find out what the editor was up to, and it can also build a kind of relationship between the reader and editor the reader may relate to what the editor has experienced, what kind of music they like or what hobbies they have, and so on.

Images & graphics(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

Including a picture of the artist that has a special feature in the magazine is common amongst any type of magazine. It brings readers in and tells them a bit about what the article may be about.

I have added a picture of the magazine front cover in my editor’s letter as I’ve noticed it’s very common in magazines. It reminds the readers of what issue they’re reading.Putting in pictures of the two albums that would be reviewed makes it easier for the reader to recognise the artists and albums instantly.

Using graphics such as these makes the text stand out and makes it seem important. For example, adding the graphics behind the page numbers helps make them more readable.

In this Kerrang! contents page, the wavy banner or the semi-circle at the top are used to highlight or bring attention to certain words/phrases, just like I’ve done.

Feature page(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

Images of artist & graphics(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

I have placed a few pictures from the photoshoot into a transparent image of a film strip/tape to bring attention to the images and to bring the article to life. Magazines tend to place one, or sometimes multiple pictures of the artist that is featured.I have placed another image on its own on the pink strip that is placed at the bottom of the page. I felt as if the shape would be too empty and simple without an image placed in it.As this magazine is aimed at younger people, I decided to leave the images as they were, without adding any filters such as the black & white filter. I found it to be unnecessary, and filters like the black & white filter would be too serious.

In this example, a bright yellow strip is placed on the page, and highlights parts of both the images and text. This is a good way to bring attention to the article, or certain sections as it’s very striking and bold.

Graphics (continued)(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

Magazines sometimes use shapes or images to emphasise certain words or phrases, or to bring attention to the article. I’ve used this technique on the word ‘bones’ in my article title, and placed a bone behind the word to make it distinctive.

In this article from Kerrang!,the claw marks, picture of a dinosaur and the messy font link back to the title of the article. These details also help the reader guess what the article may be about by just reading the title of the article and looking at the images.

Name of article & summary(USE) : What conventions have I followed/used?

Every magazine article has a title, and most likely some sort of summary. I went along with this convention because it would be difficult for the reader to work out what artist was featured if they didn’t know them very well, or what kind of article it was going to be. If I didn’t add a title and a summary, my article would look very bland and it would possibly look unprofessional or rushed.

Front cover(DEVELOP) : What conventions/ideas have I developed?

Colours & text(DEVELOP) : What conventions/ideas have I developed?

I have used both handwritten and brush stroke-like fonts to help convey what kind of music genres my magazine will cover. This is different from other music magazines as they rarely use fonts like these.

In this issue from the Q magazine, a combination of both serif and sans serif fonts are used. (Sans serif fonts don’t have extending features called ‘serifs’ at the end of strokes). This helps in keeping the magazine looking professional and sophisticated. My magazine is aimed at younger people, which is one of the reasons why I’ve chosen such different fonts.

The colours that I’ve used on the front cover are more muted and pastel than what we can see on most front covers of music magazines. Colours such as red, white or black are very commonly used. I think that colours that appear on my front cover appeal more to younger people (such as the orange or dusty pink), which is why I used them. They also grab your attention, just like the colour red or black as they contrast with each other.

Contents page(DEVELOP) : What conventions/ideas have I developed?

Images(DEVELOP) : What conventions/ideas have I developed?

I’ve noticed that in most music magazines, the editor’s letter includes a picture of the editor themselves (sometimes a photograph of an artist that is mentioned in their editor’s letter is added instead), and not the picture of the front cover. I thought it would be better if I put a picture of the front cover itself as it would remind the reader of what it looks like and what issue of the magazine they’re reading.

A picture of Andy Biersack is included in this example, as he’s mentioned by the editor in his editor’s letter.

Adding in pictures of albums that will be reviewed/mentioned in a magazine isn’t very common. Magazines tend to use mostly text on their contents pages, which is understandable – a contents page is supposed to tell the reader where every article is, and what can be found in the magazine.

I have developed this idea as I think it adds slightly more colour to the page, which is mostly made out of text. It also reminds the reader of what albums the reviews will be on, and makes it much more easier for them to recognise them instantly.

Theme & choice of colours(DEVELOP) : What conventions/ideas have I developed?

I have decided to go with the same kind of theme and colours as they appear on my front cover. This is because I wanted the magazine to look organised and sophisticated. During research, I have noticed a common occurrence amongst music magazines, which was that the cover seemed much more complex and appealing, and the contents page was more muted and simple. This could be due to the fact that the contents page doesn’t have to attract readers, as that’s what the front cover should do. The contents page should be there to inform the readers of what’s going on in the most recent issue of that magazine.

The cover is much more vibrant and detailed than any contents page. This is because the cover is essentially what sells a magazine; it has to be eye catching and intriguing.

Feature page(DEVELOP) : What conventions/ideas have I developed?

Choice of fonts(DEVELOP) : What conventions/ideas have I developed?

In my feature page, I have used fonts that contrast and compliment each other so that the page looks organised.I’ve used a simple font for the actual article only, as I thought that using it on anywhere else on the page would make it look more bland. As this is a magazine aimed at teenagers, I think that the fonts I’ve used are a good choice as they’re very bold and aren’t used very often in magazines.

The NME magazine has used two to three basic fonts in its article, whereas I have used a total of five.

Front cover(CHALLENGE) : What conventions/ideas have I challenged or went against?

Masthead design(CHALLENGE) : What conventions/ideas have I challenged or went against?

My masthead seems quite different from mastheads that appear on several other magazines. I noticed that mastheads are very often written in a line, and don’t look very much like a logo.I wanted to go against this convention as the genres that my magazine covers are different and bold (especially the alternative genre, as it’s the most similar to rock).

The Kerrang! magazine is a good example of this. The magazine name is written in a straight line, and doesn’t resemble a sort of logo.

Contents page(CHALLENGE) : What conventions/ideas have I challenged or went against?

Examples of challenging conventions

(CHALLENGE) : What conventions/ideas have I challenged or went against?

As my contents page doesn’t challenge any conventions, here are a few examples of magazine which do break some conventions in their contents pages.

The Billboard magazine puts together a list of tracks, albums and artists to show the reader what position a certain artist is in on the music charts.Whilst researching music magazines, I haven’t come across this feature anywhere else. This is an example of challenging conventions as very few magazines include this.

In this example of the Q magazine, there is only one column of text which is placed on the left. The pictures take up most of the page. This is unusual as most contents pages have either more features listed, or they have an editor’s letter.This feature makes the contents page not as full and overwhelming, and doesn’t spoil completely what’s inside.

Feature page(CHALLENGE) : What conventions/ideas have I challenged or went against?

Layout(CHALLENGE) : What conventions/ideas have I challenged or went against?

The two elements of my contents page that I’ve included on this slide are what I think are the most vital. This is because they are what you see first, most of the time, due to their colour and shape.I haven’t seen a lot of articles with the title & summary at the bottom of the page, which inspired me to make one. My magazine is aimed at teenagers, who try their best to stand out from the crowd and to seem different from everyone else. I think that my article layout is a reflection of this.