1. In what ways does your product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Front Cover

I have made the layout suit the natural eye flow of the reader, the first thing they would see is the masthead, thus I have made it big, bold and eye-catching to attract readers. They would then see the image and cover lines on the left hand side which include some of the main features in the magazine. The final thing they would see would therefore be the main headline which I have also made big and bold and placed it in a box to make it stand out and leave a lasting impression on the viewer to persuade them to buy the magazine.

Like most magazines I have placed the masthead in the centre of the page and have

enlarged it to create a dramatic impact. In addition to that, I have decided to make the masthead red as it is a very dominating and eye-catching colour and many

magazines have previously done so too

I have included an exclusive banner above the masthead

as this is one of the conventions which has made my magazine look more real

I’ve used a kicker in order to create

diversity within the coverlines and also to make my magazines

content appear modern and intriguing

I’ve decided to use a mid shot of the model facing

forward and making direct eye contact as all three

magazines which I analysed had this type of photo. This

helps to establish a connection between the reader and the model,

successfully encouraging the reader to purchase the

magazine

I have attempted to keep to most conventions of front covers of magazines in order to make it successful. I have included all the main features such as the barcode, masthead, exclusive banner, cover lines, a kicker and a main image.

However, one way in which I have subverted from conventions is by having a very limited colour scheme. The front cover only consists of four main colours (red, white, blue and grey) which could potentially have negative feedback as most conventional front covers have more colours to attract viewers. However, as I was going for a much cheaper magazine, I thought that keeping the colour scheme minimal and simple would be appropriate. The red in particular is also a very dominating colour thus my deciding to have most of my coverlines and headline in red could have detrimental effects.

Content Page

My content page also follows the natural eye flow as the reader first sees the title, then the main image on the right hand side with the editorial pillars, then the small image at the bottom left hand corner and finally the editor’s note. In addition to that the constant colour scheme creates consistency and makes it look more professional as it does not make the reader question whether it’s from the same magazine as the front cover.

I have kept to most conventions as I have included various editorial pillars, images, a subscription box and an editor’s note.

Having various editorial pillars makes the magazine appear content heavy and intrigues the reader to want to read what the magazine has to offer.

The diversity of images used on the content page makes the it look more conventional as the majority of content pages I’ve looked at and analysed had a minimum of 3 images. The images which I have used differ in angles and shot sizes which makes the magazine look more real as most content pages have differentiating photos.

A subscription box appears in every magazine and thus I have included one to stick to conventions and make my content page look professional.

An editor’s note is an important feature as you are able to find one in every magazines content page. It allows the reader to connect more with the editor and for the editor to convey any important messages.

DPS

I think I have kept to most conventions of double page spreads but I have also tried to subvert a few to make it look more unique and memorable. I have included the key features such as a drop cap, the page number and a snug to stick to conventions.

Like most double page spreads I have made my image large enough to spam over both pages because I believe this makes the page look more like a double page spread rather than just two separate pages. I have also made my title spam over both pages too, I have used two different contrasting fonts for my title to create a more dramatic effect and to add energy to the page.

I have used 2 columns to organise my text into a more easily read format and used a reasonable gutter between the columns, exactly how other magazines have done. In addition to that, I have used 2 pull quotes which I have made sure to distinguish from my body text by changing the font to a more cursive one and changing the colour. I have used font size 8 for my body text because if it was bigger, it would look unprofessional and smaller text would be harder to read.

I have subverted from conventions by deciding to use a black background for my double page spread. After receiving feedback I have noticed that a lot of people have said that perhaps the black background is too dark. Unlike vibrant colours, black seems to suck the colour out of the page. However, because it is an R&B magazine and some of the themes in the interview include the artist’s tough upbringing I though that it would be an appropriate colour to use. In addition to that, it creates a stark contrast with the white and red title.