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Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Holly Beaumont

When I initially completed my preliminary task I felt happy with it. Looking back I now understand that there are various areas which could be changed in relation to making it look more conventional, contributing to the professional ‘look’ of the magazine.

When I first began creating my preliminary task front cover, all of the technology was new to me, meaning the final product is likely to not be of a high standard as opposed to if I had experience with using technologies such as Photoshop.


Magazines which follow conventions help contribute to ensuring it looks a lot more industry standard as opposed to not having some sort of structure to follow, as this would make it look shabby and unprofessional.

CONVENTIONS:Main Image:

Header:

Masthead:

Selling Line:

Price:

Date Line:

Barcode:

Main Cover Line:

Footer Bar:

Pull Quote:


UNUSED CONVENTIONS:+ Header+ Selling Line+ Price+ Footer Bar+ Pull Quote

During the production of my magazine, from the list of conventions on the previous slide, 5 were not used.

On reflection, I can now see that the use of a header would ensure that my reader find the magazine appealing enough to read it. A header would also potentially lure them in due to it giving the audience an insight into the content within the magazine. Similarly, a footer could have been included for reasons such as this.

A sell line would also contribute to making my magazine more conventional due to the fact that it entices the audience. A catchy sell line would give the magazine a light-hearted, relaxed feel; perfect for college life.

The price is one of the main conventions which should be included on any genre magazine, although, I think the reason behind not using this convention is simply due to not acknowledging this as an important convention. After progressing to the production of my music magazine, I know understand that it is vital.

I decided not to use a pull quote on the front cover of this magazine due to the fact that it is a magazine which is not necessarily article- heavy; it does not feature ‘celebrities’ which can be used as a major selling point; making it irrelevant.

CONVENTIONS:Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Main Image:

Skyline:

Masthead:

Sell Lines:

Price:

Date Line:

Barcode:

Main Cover Line:

Footer Bar:

Pull Quote:

Anchorage text:

Puff:

House Style:

UNUSED CONVENTIONS:

After identifying the conventions of magazines on the previous slide, my magazine includes 12/13 of these. The reason behind not using a footer is due to the fact that I did not feel as though it was necessary in relation to the fact that my magazine already includes a header, giving the audience insight into the features within the magazine. Although, if I was to go back and change something about this magazine it would be to include a footer which includes information about subscriptions/competitions within the magazine as it does not contain any at this point in time.

SPECIFIC CONVENTIONS I CONFORMED TO:

The first convention I conformed to was including the issue date and price twice on the cover of my product. The reason I placed this on the barcode is due to the fact that it makes the product appear a lot more industry standard as a result. This is common within music magazines as if a customer is unaware of its price, they are more than likely going to check the barcode – therefore I have covered all bases.

The masthead is situated to the left had side of the product, this once again conforms to conventions due to it replicating the layout of already existing products once again making it industry standard.

A selection of fonts were used in the production of my music magazine, this gives the product more variation and appeals to a wider audience as a result.

I decided to add a puff to my front cover due to it being another source that is likely to lure in customers as it may appeal to a certain interest of theirs and therefore result in them purchasing the product.

CHANGES I WOULD MAKE:

I would be more likely to add a subscription option to the front of the magazine to attract potential customers as the yearly price is likely to be cheaper as opposed to singular payments, therefore allowing customers to pay for the product in that way, making it even less financially demanding; making it easier for my demographic to purchase and therefore more appealing.

I would also, as stated previously, include a footer on the bottom of the magazine to lure in potential customers due to giving them a brief insight into what my magazine has to offer. This would include the advertisement of competitions or subscriptions due to these areas being one of the highly voted elements which my

audience would like to see. The fact that these

would be presented on the front cover would secure a purchase on their behalf.

OVERALL:

The preliminary task allowed me to become familiar with the software I needed to use for my music magazine in relation to using Photoshop to edit photos, text and manipulate particular features.

The comparison between both my preliminary task, and final products also allowed me to develop knowledge in relation to maintain a house style and create continuity throughout my magazine. My final product follows much more of a strict plan regarding colour scheme and conforming to conventions, this was continued throughout my magazine to ensure continuity was maintained.

The fact that I had this initial experience made me feel a lot more confident regarding conventions of a music magazine and how to use them effectively. The feedback from my peers in relation to my preliminary task enabled me to make changes to ensure I would not make the same mistakes on my music magazine. It highlighted areas with an issue and allowed me to improve them. The improvements helped me ensure my music magazine front cover was completed to the highest possible standard.

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