My music magazine evaluation

My Music Magazine Evaluation

‘In what way does your media product use developer challenge forms and conventions of real media products?’

Talia Smith

Front Cover Comparison

Main image,Rule of thirds

Masthead

Pull quotes

Barcode

Plug

Coverline

Strapline

Articles

These are the main conventions and forms of a successful music magazine which I used to base my magazine on. By using these techniques to build my magazine I was able to make it look real and professional like a real media product.

My Front CoverI placed my masthead at the top of the page where its predominantly located. My masthead is easily readable even though the main image is overlapping it. Many popular magazines use this technique as it shows how iconic it is, people can still recognise a magazine even when part of the title is covered. E.g. ‘Company’ Magazine.The style of the masthead fits with the theme of the magazine by using feminine colours. The font indicates the type of magazine, and the genre of music it derives from as it’s simple, soft and girly. The music note also gives indication, along with the curls and twists in the font which match with the name of the magazine.

The main cover line is in a larger font and a different colour to the masthead, two conventions music magazines use. The cover line is the celebs name which would be recognised by the target audience easily.

Successful magazines use plugs which promote free gifts, the gifts offered match the target audience, giving them something they would be interested in.

I used the rule of thirds to make to cover more interesting than putting a picture just straight in the middle. I used an image where the model is looking straight into the camera as it looks as if she’s looking out which is engaging to the audience.

I used another plug with language that promotes to the audience, emphasising certain words making them bold so they stand out, including a competition on my front cover is a plug as it makes people want to look inside the magazine and find out how they can win such a good prize.

Costume is important in making the model look authentic, I made sure she was wearing something fashionable that’s in todays market, which is girly and ‘cool’.

Barcodes are a practical convention needed so the product can be bought and sold. I placed it in the top corner out of the way of all the important images and texts as this is how it’s done on real media products. I also included the date and price, these are in small font as they are again not as important. If the magazine is expensive putting it in small font will mean when someone picks up the magazine and are instantly attracted to it the price wouldn’t matter. If I was to put the price in large font it could put the reader off buying the product.

In todays society media convergence is greatly used joining products together with different types of media, so I thought it would be a good idea to include web apps showing the magazine is adapted to the online world through social networks.

The main image used is of a girl the age of a stereotypical pop star teenage role model, I used her as my model as she would be a figure the target audience would look up to with her good looks and long hair. Using somebody teenage girls don’t aspire to be like wouldn’t be following typical conventions for this genre so I made sure I chose carefully who my model would be.

Pull quotes give a teaser of the content inside. Using this type of language makes the reader want to buy the magazine and read more.

Using buttons make this text stand out greatly, emphasising the importance of the words, highlighting it’s a world exclusive and the 100th issue which are special to the magazine.

Contents Page Comparison

Buttons and Plugs

Email address

Clear page numbers

Pull quotes

Images of artists inside

Letter from the editor

Features page numbers shown

Title of contents page links using the ‘we love’ part of the magazines name.

My Contents PageArticles are organised into categories rather than ascending in page number order, this makes things easier for the reader to navigate through the magazine to their desired pages of reading. A vital part of any contents page, fulfilling its primary purpose.

A smaller version of the front cover is a convention I found common in many real music magazines so I decided to include the same.

Using girly feminine pastel colours in the masthead reflect the target audience who will be reading the magazine, using colour schemes that the target audience would be attracted by is very appropriate.

Page numbers on the images is another way of organising the contents page effectively. The reader would simply look at the image of interest and would go straight to that page, regardless of whether it was an interview, story, quiz; just because it contains that celebrity.

After the editors letter I used this font for the editor signing off, the font looks like handwriting and I included a girly ‘kiss (x)’ making the message seem more friendly and personal.

I included another image of the main cover star because the issue is based around her so the readers will want to see her as much as possible.

The subscription offer is a common convention you would include on the contents, as it’s not important enough to be its own article or on the cover, plus those who buy the magazine would be the ones interested in seeing it and typically they would be the only ones looking inside.

Terms and conditions make the magazine look professional. They are always printed in very small font as they are not important for the layout of the magazine, but need to be included for legality reasons.

Including the band logo because it’s iconic and readers will recognise it.

I included an editors letter talking about the contents of the latest issue. This is a common convention in magazines, but less popular in music magazines therefore showing myself recognising I am challenging the conventions.Like the front cover including the web apps is important in todays socially connected society so I included them on the contents but with further details of the actual usernames and links.

The colours of the masthead co-ordinate with the image background which makes the contents as a whole look neat and not too cluttered.

This line at the top is practical and includes the date and issue number, general information like this is a good thing to include to make the product look professional and informative for the reader. Many other magazines I looked at included such things.

Double Page Spread Comparison

Use of columns

Use of small font for the article.

Sub-headings

Masthead, Bold, States who the article is about, catchywording

Use of pull quotes

Main image of band the article is about

Additional Imagery

My Double Page SpreadPull quotes areused to draw attention to a dramatic or key part of an important piece of text. When a reader is flicking through the pages and notices this quote would subsequently make them go back and read

The background gradient picture of the girl band performing is a wide photo to fit the page.

I used an interview which is a common convention of a magazine article, particularly in the music genre as audiences love behind the scenes access to their favourite artists.

The masthead is bold, with catchy wording that links with what the article is about, the band name is lipstick linking to lips, pouting, kissing etc. which the masthead shows with its wording. Also the background of lips gives good imagery.

This large plug links with the article so it’s appropriate to use on this spread. The yellow button makes it stand out extremely well against the colour scheme of the page.

Because it’s a music magazine I made a album cover for the girl band and placed it on the page for the promotion element.

The double page spread colour scheme denotes love, romance and beauty. These are essences of femininity that girls have and aspire to have more of. It also links with the band name the article discusses.

Drop Capitals are a common convention of a magazine, done by putting the first letter of text bigger than the other text making it look more professional.

The use of columns is crucial to a magazine so it’s organised and easy to read. Every magazine uses this convention and it’s also used in other article based products such as newspapers.

I aligned the text around images as I saw this in other magazines in my research. This way it still has the desired column effect.

Including contact details for the competition is a practical convention, you need to include how to enter a competition so the reader can enter it, or it would be pointless.

This is the iconic logo I made for the girl band matches the colour scheme effectively.

I edited images to blend and enhance them to make them look professional. Using one member of the girl band alone because that’s who the main part of the interview is about. Images are large so they stand out to attract the reader.

The strapline is a subheading that summarises the content of the interview in a catchy way, emphasising words in a way that attract the reader and sell the story.

My main image is central to the double spread showing its importance.