Evlauation Question 1

Evaluation Task

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge

forms and convention of real media?

Conventions of real media

During my research leading to the production of my music magazine it became evident that in the world of media all products have forms and conventions for recognition and familiarity.

To prove this I will look at examples of music magazines and comment on the typical features found on them.

Front CoversUsing a quick internet search it is evident that there are certain features of magazine front covers that will universally appear in a form which is generally classed as the industry standard.

All typical magazine front covers generally contain:A mastheadBannerStrap-LineCover-LinesPuffsPugsMain ImageSecondary ImageAnchorageGrid system

A typical front cover contains: A mastheadBannerStrap-LineCover-LinesPuffsPugsMain ImageSecondary ImageAnchorageGrid system

A typical contents page contains:ColumnsHeadingsSell Lines ImagesEditorialContact / DetailsMotifPage Numbers

A typical double page spread contains:TitleStand-FirstPull QuoteColumnsCaptions

As well as having different conventions for the individual types of pages for a magazine there are also conventions that are used. One for images and one for general layout.

General conventions in a magazine are:

Set house style of colours and textBalance between text and imageUse of whitespaceMode of AdressSet typefaces

Image conventions in a magazine are:

Shot Size and type e.g close up, mid shotUse of lightning / filersIn studio or on location shootingPosed or natural photosMise-en-senceChoices e.g props, make upEditing and Enchancement #

Examples of Conventions being followed

Front Covers following conventions

Contents pages following conventions

Double Page spreads following conventions

How I have followed conventions

Front Cover

Here is my designed magazine front cover. As you can see from looking at the previous example of music magazine conventions it contains many of the expected features of and looks like a typical music magazine front cover. I will take the conventions one by one and apply the evaluation of them to my own front cover.

1. Masthead

As is typical in a music magazine I have used a large masthead in a stand out colour to draw the readers attention to my magazine. I have used a bold, eye catching serif font and position it at the top of the page which is typical to most music magazine. I have also used a large font size of 135pt to emphasise the title.

2. Banner

I have included a banner at the top and bottom of my magazine. This is to draw the readers attention to the content included in them. The top banner contains the strap-line and the bottom one contains sell line.

3. Strap-Line

I have included a strap line at the top of my magazine. A strap-line instructs the reader what to expect from the magazine and helps build a product identity.

4. Sell Lines

There are many sell lines on the front of my magazine. These are used to advertise the content of the magazine are entice the reader to buy the magazine.

5. Cover Image

I have used a large cover image on the front of my magazine to draw the attention to the main article of the magazine. Intentionally through following conventions the cover image is the main feature of the front cover.

6. Secondary Image

I have also used a secondary image to advertise another article in the magazine.

7. Puffs

I have included a puff in my work to advertise a feature in the magazine. I have made it a stand out colour and uniquely used the colour yellow to emphasise the box.

8. Anchorage

Anchorage is used in magazines to link images and pictures so you instantly can recognise that they belong to the same article in the magazine. I have used this to great effect with my cover story and secondary article.

9. Grid System

My magazine front cover has a system that uses three columns with the left side containing the sell lines, puff and barcode and the other two containing the main cover article. The right hand columns also contains the magazine logo, issue no, price and date.

How I have followed conventions

Contents Page

1. Columns

One of the main features of a contents page in a magazine is the layout being mainly focused around columns. As you can see there is a clear three columns layout with the first columns containing the bulk of the text and the other two containing the editorial and the images.

2. Heading

The heading of my contents page follows the house style conveyed by the front cover. It uses the title and the motif of the magazine as well as the issue number and date. The actual heading of the contents page is bold and clear whilst not taking away from the main content of the page.

3. Sell Lines

All the main sell lines of my contents page are included in the left hand column in a list format. The more important images are in the box labelled “features” and have anchorage to images.

4. Images

The images on my contents page all relate to the articles on the front cover and are used to emphasise the sell-lines. This is common for the main magazine features to have multiple images There is also an image included in the editorial of the editor which is common place in magazines.

• Motif• Page Numbers• Grid Systems

5. Editorial

My magazine also has a clear editorial featured on the contents page. This is a well used convention as it allows the reader to see the editors views on the magazines. I have included this in the bottom right side of my contents page to avoid conflict with the sell lines.

6. Contact Details

The contact details of my magazine have been included within my editorial which is also a popular convention in magazines

7. Motif

My magazines motif (a vinyl record) has been included with the magazine title so its instantly recognisable. Also the motif can be seen at the bottom.

• Motif• Page Numbers• Grid Systems

8 . Page Numbers

I have used page numbers on the contents page which is a must have contention due to the page being designed to show you which page number each feature or “sell line” can be located on. My content's page contains very clear page numbers.

How I have followed conventions

Double Page Spread

1. Title

Following typical conventions the title of my double page spread is large and draws attention. It is also fits within the house style and uses two colour. The motif is also incorporated above the title.

2. Stand First

The stand first is the text than can be seen before the main article. This can clearly be seen due to the use of italics and coloured in the articles style.

3. Pull Quote

Pull quotes are usually posited within the main article text to draw the readers attention to a certain part of the article and to entice them into reading the rest of the articles.

4. Columns

There is a clear use of columns in this article with the left hand page consisting of three. Title, middle of image, text and the right hand page having three clear columns of text.

Examples showing how I have used conventions in relation

to actual media products.

My magazine front cover is quite similar to Q due to the placement of sell lines and the location of the main cover story. It also has a similar colour scheme with red featuring in the house style and yellow used for a kicker. Also the appeal of both my magazine and Q magazine appeal to a similar audience.

To ensure I followed conventions for my contents page I took two different designs of Q magazine and incorporated them together as well as using the addition of an editorial to create my magazine contents. As you can see the layout of the first magazine has been used for the column and box system whilst the layout of the images has been done in a way which is very similar to the second page. As mentioned before this is due to the similarities between the magazine audiences.

Double Page Spread

Here is the double page spread template I used to design mine from. As you can see I have mirrored the majority of the connotations for this magazine to ensure mine looks professional.

House Style

My magazine had a clear house style which is emphasised by certain features.

Colour Scheme – The colours Red is used through my front cover and contents page with my double page spread using Blue for contrast.

Banner- At the bottom of my contents and double page spread there is a clear banned labelling the page number, issue and it contains the magazines logo.

Analysis of WorkOverall I feel like through the process of designing my music magazine I have followed conventions in a successful way which fit in with the genre of music my magazine focus’ on and the type of target audience it is aimed at. An example of this is how my front cover and contents page relate heavily to Q magazine as well as my double page spread closely mirroring the design of an article from rhythm magazine.

The reason that I followed these example of magazine and why I used certain connotations was so that my magazine would look professional and be able to relate to professional magazine that are already on the market. The reason it was vital to use connotation is because due to their repetitive use within the industry they have became the standard for magazines meaning anything that doesn’t use them looks alien in comparison.

I feel I have personally used connotations very effectively to produce my magazine to a standard which looks professional. The only regret I have is the lack of image captions I used as I feel it is quite a vital feature I have missed.