RNB/HIP HOP GENRE CONVENTIONS:

RNB/HIP HOP CONVENTIONS IN RELATION TO MY MAGAZINE:

Big, bold masthead

Strapline

Dominant use of left third

Cover story in a different font to coverlines: bigger and bolder

Bold Makeup

Big hair

Fashion

Jewellery

Red, blue, grey, gold and black colours are used

Mid shot image used

Lack of clothing

Front Cover

Front Cover

Masthead:The masthead of VIBE magazine tends to be black or red. It uses a serif font style which does not have decorative lines; it is quite plain and bold. This is a conventional element of RnB/Hip Hop magazines. This relates to my own masthead which is big, bold and black in colour. Also, I have used serif font styles which is a conventional element of the RnB/ Hip Hop genre.

Strapline:Most issues of VIBE magazine have a strapline placed above the masthead which appeals to the reader and therefore engages them. So, I decided to place a strapline above the masthead of my magazine also. This shows my magazine meets the conventional element of the RnB/Hip Hop genre.

Housestyle:The main colours used in RnB and Hip Hop magazines are red and black which are relevant to the genre. Other colours are also used though. However, the main colours on my front cover are red and black along with grey, blue and gold.

Makeup:Generally the female cover artists wear quite a lot of makup- natural on the face along with bold eyes and sometimes bold lips too. My magazine uses the makeup conventions of RnB/Hip Hop artists (heavy makeup; bold eyes and lips).

Cover story:Usually the cover story is quite large compared to the other coverlines and in a different font so that it stands out. This is typical of the RnB/Hip Hop genre of music. So, on the cover of my magazine the cover story is in a larger, different font. Also, it is red in colour, as often the highest points of interest are red in colour.

Bling:Cover artist on the cover and within the magazine usually tend to wear a lot of jewellery which suggests their wealth. Also, this is conventional to the RnB/Hip Hop genre. The model in my magazine wears a thick bling watch as well as a gold chain around her neck to show conventional elements.

Dominant left-third:Most RnB/Hip Hop magazines tend to have a good use of the left-third as the coverlines of higher interest to the target audience are placed here. This is because this is the side which is on show when placed along with other magazines on a shelf in a shop. So, my magazine also has a good use of the left third as it is where the audience of the magazine looks immediately.

Type of shot:The type of shot used for the cover image depends as it can range to long to close. However, I found that it is mainly conventional to use a mid shot so I decided to place a mid-shot on the cover to show conventional elements of the RnB/Hip Hop genre.

Hairstyle:Usually, RnB/Hip Hop artists have big and volumised hair (sometimes with a traditional bouffant to add volume). So, the artist on my magazine cover tends to have pretty long hair which looks quite full due to the bouffant/quiff at the top. However, it is not as big as it could have been. This shows it is partly conventional to the genre of RnB/Hip Hop.

Magazine logo to establish pages are of the same publication

Box out to advertise Concert tickets to be won.

Page number

Caption of image in serif font

Pull quote from cover artist in serif font

Heading/Title of page is in serif font

Advertisement for subscription

Long shot image Flesh showing

Black, red, blue and gold colours have been used

Headlines are in serif font- points of interest such as artists names are in red/blue

Fashion

Front Cover

Contents

Heading/Title of page:Usually a bold serif font in either black or white is used. My title is partly conventional due to it being black in colour, however it uses sans serif font which means it is not conventional.

Coverlines:Normally the coverlines have standfirst underneath explaining more about the article. However my magazine doesn’t do this which means it is not conventional to its genre. Usually they are in sans serif font also, but mine is not. However usually a black or white font as been used and I have mainly used a black font.

Pull Quote:Often, if a long-shot image has been used, a gap around it is filled with a pull quote from the cover artist. My magazine shows this convention because there is a pull quote on the left side.

Image:A long-shot or a mid-shot is conventionally used for the contents page. So, my magazine uses a long shot in order to meet the conventions of the RnB/Hip Hop genre.

Headlines:It is conventional for the ‘Feature’ and ‘Fashion’ headlines to be in a serif font with decorative lines. So my magazine uses serif font for these headlines.

Housestyle:The conventional housestyle of a contents page is: white, black and red along with shades of blue as seen in image 3. So my magazine meets this convention due to it using a white background, black red and blue writing along with some gold.

Caption:Often captions are in sans serif font because it is a small amount of text. Often, bulk text is in serif font. However, my magazine uses serif font because it is said that this style is more appealing to the eye and therefore the audience actually tend to read it. Eventhough this statement is true my magazine is not conventional to the RnB/Hip Hop genre as the caption is in serif.

Sex Appeal:Cover artists on the contents page of RnB/Hip Hop magazines tend to show sex appeal by wearing a lack of clothing and showing seductive facial expressions. So, my contents image meets the requirements by the model wearing very little clothing along with the model ‘pouting’ in order to give across a sexual look.

Logo:It is conventional for a RnB/Hip Hop magazine to have a logo in order to establish which publication the page belongs to. So, on my magazine I have a logo called ‘URBAN’ along with a music note just like Vibe uses a ‘V’. This shows my magazine is conventional to the genre.

Double Page Spread

Long shot image placed on left-side

Logo for establishment of publication

Headline in sans serif font

Wide shot image

Logo for establishment of publication

Pull quotes in serif font

Mid shot of cover artistsBody copy

in serif font

Caption of image

Caption of image

Page number

Kicker

Caption of image Headline

continued in serif font

Double Page Spread

Headline:Usually they vary. But often, two types of font have been used. So I decided to use two different font styles for my own. I used sans serif for the bold part of the headline which will be eye catching and then for the other I used serif font style.

Body copy:It is conventional for the body copy to be in a black serif font style. This is because it is supposedly easier to read bulk text in a serif font style and black stands out on a white page. It is also conventional for there to be a kicker at the beginning of the article. So according to this the article in my magazine (double page spread) has used serif font style which is black in colour. It also has a kicker at the beginning. This means my article is conventional to the RnB/Hip Hop genre.

Pull Quote:Often, pull quotes are in a bright and bold font in order for them to stand out. This is conventional to the RnB/Hip Hop genre. My magazine uses a bright red font in order for it to meet the genre conventions. This bright colour stands out on the white background.

Image:It is conventional for the image relating to the double page spread article to be placed on the left-hand side of the two pages. So, in my magazine the main image relating to the double page spread is placed on the left-side.

Image:It is also conventional of the RnB/Hip Hop genre to have an image or a series of images placed along the top of the page in order to fill the gap. This inspired me to make mine similar to this. So, my double page spread is conventional to its genre because of the image placed along the top.

Layout:Generally the main image is on the left hand side and the body copy in serif font is placed on the right which are both conventional elements of the RnB/Hip Hop genre. The byline is placed toward the right edge and the standfirst is placed underneath the title which are also conventional to the genre. My magazine shows all of these elements therefore meaning it is conventional to its genre.

Housestyle: Usually the colours of red, blue and black have been used on the double page spread. Black is used mainly for the body copy and sometimes other text and headlines. And then red and blue is used for other text such as pull quotes or even for the clothes the cover artist is wearing. So, my double page spread is conventional to the genre because it meets the housetyle/colour schemes used.

Sex Appeal:It is conventional for the cover artists within RnB/Hip Hop magazines to wear as little clothing as possible and pull serious and seductive facial expressions. This appeals to the target audience as it draws them in. My double page spread is conventional to its genre because of the sex appeal shown through the image.