Question 1

• In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products?

• In relation to all my products, I believe that I used existing conventions well and I believe that I also developed some too to create an authentic magazine cover, contents page and double page spread. I think that by using conventions they allow the reader to identify and relate to the magazine as it doesn’t look out of place.

• I used a continuation of colours throughout my products to create a house style. This is often used in many magazines to create continuity throughout the magazine. I linked my colours to the outfit I had my model wear. I knew that I wanted to include the colour red as it links with the Christmas theme and I wanted my model to wear a colour that represented the pop genre, so I chose yellow so it both linked to the genre of music and went with the other colour that I wanted to use.

• Other features I used to create continuity were the use of the same font for my masthead and pictures from the same shoot of my model.

I decided to add a puff to the cover of my magazine as they are conventional of music magazines. They make the information in them stand out as the text contrasts with the colour of the circle and that contrasts with the colour of the background. Puffs in the shape of circles are especially common in pop/chart magazines. These are some examples from Top of the Pops magazine:

When I was taking my pictures for the front cover I knew that I wanted to make my magazine a specific issue. To show this through the image I gave my model some tinsel to show that it was a Christmas/December issue. When I was researching existing magazines that were similar in genre and style I noticed that they often did specific issues to do with seasons and events. Through this I thought that I was able to produce a creative cover. To link with my genre I styled my model Gabby in a bright yellow top as pop/chart music is seen as fun and happy and I think that the colour yellow carries these connotations. For hair and make-up I put some pink lip gloss and light eye make-up as I think that the natural look makes her more relatable to a wider audience. I curled her hair slightly and pinned the top back to also give an everyday look again I think this makes her more relatable to the audience as they can see that even though she is a pop star she is an ordinary person like them too.

Here I included a footer, when I was researching existing magazines I found that most chart magazines included skylines, however I thought that I was able to include more information on the cover by including both. I used the same font in both the footer and the skyline as the masthead to show that the information in them was important. I included a plug in the footer to draw the reader in, if they wanted a chance at winning the prizes then they have to buy the magazine.

In the cover lines I have included well known artists to draw the reader in. It shows that The Mix magazine is influential in the music magazine trade as they have articles about these artists. I used the adjective ‘exclusive’ to emphasise how this is a one time interview. Again I think that this shows that The Mix is a dominant magazine, that it has a high reputation as it is able to get ‘exclusive’ interviews with well known international artists.

I have placed my masthead in a conventional place, at the top of the cover. Having the masthead the biggest text shows the dominance of the brand. It immediately captures the audiences attention. I also have it in a different font so that it stands out against the articles on the cover. I have continued to use this font on other pages to create a house style. The font is called ‘Hobo’ I chose this font as I think it looks quite bubbly, and I believe that this links with the genre of my magazine, pop music is often associated with happiness.

I didn’t include a barcode or price on my front cover as usually then come near each other and I personally don’t like the way they look on front covers so if I was to produce this magazine I would have the barcode and price on the back page.

I have added thumbnails /smaller pictures as they are conventional features of contents pages. They often link to stories so I have included one that links to my cover story so that the readers can easily find it. I also think it shows continuity, she is wearing the same outfit which makes her easier to identify. I chose this image of my front cover model for the contents page as she is looking straight down the lens of the camera which I believe draws the readers attention. I also included 2 other pictures which relate to other stories, for example the picture that relates to the story ‘Poppy Spills Her Secrets’ is linked with a pose that suggests she said something she shouldn’t have done. I like the way the pictures look and I think that they make the page look more interesting and colourful.

I have included social media links to engage with my target audience. If my magazine was to compete in the market today it would have to be available on many media platforms. These sites are very popular and they allow the audience to become more involved. They also allow the magazine to be promoted in different ways.

When I was researching existing products I noticed that music magazines often include these letters, they tell the reader thoughts and opinions of the editor on the issue.I included a letter as I think that this makes the magazine more personal. It directly addresses the audience and they are a conventional feature of my genre of music magazine.

I came up with this feature myself, I had not seen anything like it when researching. I thought that it was an innovative way of communicating to the readers that my magazine does use social media to interact with their audience. That they do take into account what the readers are saying. I decided to put it on my contents page as it is right at the beginning and everybody uses the contents page to find what they are looking for so everybody will see it.

Here I continued the masthead and font style, I did this to continuity and to create a house style. I think that by using these conventions it makes my magazine more recognisable. I have seen it used in a lot of existing products, for example: Top of the Pop’s, Billboard & We Heart Pop.

I decided to split up the pages on my contents page so that each of the stories were in relating sections. I saw that an ‘On the Cover’ section was very popular in existing pop magazines so I included this in mine to make it look more professional. I also think that it is helpful for the reader as they can easily find the stories on the cover, the ones that the editor thought were the most important and intriguing. The other sections that I split my articles into were ‘Features’ and ‘Reviews’ I saw when researching that these were also used a lot. In my review section I decided to include some recently released pop albums that I thought would be interesting to my target audience I made sure they were pop albums so that they fit into the genre of my magazine. And in the features section I wrote the headlines of articles that were also eye-catching and interesting, but didn’t make it onto the cover. When writing the features I tried to include different types of stories. For example there is a quiz that the reader can fill out themselves. A few interviews with popular artists and follow-me-around articles. I decided to include a follow me around with One Direction as at the moment they are a globally recognised band. The fact that my magazine was able to be with them on tour shows their power in the market, as this would be a great opportunity for any magazine.

I included a subscription box that stood out against the other features on the page. I used a solid bold colour that contrasted against the plain background. Subscription notifications are conventional on contents pages as they notify the reader about how they can receive the magazine as often as it comes out.

As well as social media links my magazine has a designated website that readers can visit to see other stories that didn’t get published in the magazine. There will be interactional features like comment areas in which reader can post their views about stories. I think that it is important to have a website as it shows that ‘The Mix’ is available on different platforms therefore showing they are keeping up with improving technological advances.

When writing the stories I chose to make the page numbers they correspond to fairly bigger than the text so the reader can easily identify what page the story they want to read is on. I also made some of the words bold so the reader can scan across the page and pick out key words in the article title. For example if a story was about an artists I emboldened their names so they are easy to spot. I decided to make certain words bold in the description rather than having a title and then a brief description underneath as many magazines do. I think this way I was able to fit more stories on the page and still tell the reader about them.

I used a quote from my article as my headline, I changed the words slightly as this is what many magazines do to catch the attention of the reader. I didn’t change the meaning but the verb ‘deserve’ has strong connotations and makes the artists seem determined and ambitious. I highlighted it to make it stand out by colouring it in the same green that has been used throughout my products, it also contrasts to the black background. The colour green often connotes stability and endurance, this suggests that the artist is one to watch, that they will be around for a long time.

I placed a pull quote in the middle of the article in a bigger an bolder font so that it stand out against the article. When the reader opens the page the will immediately see it and it gives an idea of what the article is about.

I decided to make a simple album cover and put it Album cover, links to the article and what the artist is promoting

Page number, corresponds to number on the contents page. Allows reader to easily find what article they are looking for.

Article links to headline, it is a question and answer format which is very typical of chart/pop magazines. Often when an artist participates in an interview it is for promotion purposes. I have set the article out in columns, it is a conventional layout as it makes it easy to read. I decided to colour the questions and answers differently so the reader can easily identify who is saying what. This is a typical style that I saw being used in many existing magazines such as ‘Top of the Pops’ and ‘We Heart Pop’.

I added a shape which includes the text ‘cover story,’ it clearly points out to the audience that it is the main story from the cover. Other existing magazines use similar features. For example ‘We Heart Pop’ magazine uses a star shape to identify their cover story.

The main image that I used on my double page spread is from the same shoot as my cover image. My model is in the same clothing which shows continuity and allows the reader to easily identify her. I chose to have her wear a bright yellow top to link with my magazine genre. I believe that pop music is associated with the younger generation, the music is often up-beat and happy. The colour yellow often carries connotations of happiness, joy and energy which I believe links with my genre. I used a prop of a tiny present because it links to the Christmas theme of my magazine and I think that it represents the number 1 that she wants. The present is un-opened suggesting that her fate is unknown. My model is making eye contact and I think this draws the reader in.

I used a drop cap at the beginning of my article. It is a conventional feature that is used in many existing products. The signify to the reader clearly where the beginning of the article is.

I added a thin line as a banner across the top and down the side of my page to show continuity throughout my magazine as I included this feature in my contents page. I made sure that the colour links to what I have used previously as it links to my model.

Comparisons – Front Cover

My Magazine

Top of the Pops

We Heart Pop

I took inspiration for my header from these existing magazines. They are showcasing stories by making them stand out against a contrasting background from the main image. I decided to add a header as it is a very conventional feature and I think it makes my cover look more professional. I decided to make the work ‘plus’ is capitals to make it stand out, it captures the readers attention

as it shows that there is more to the story than they first thought.

Comparisons – Front Cover

My magazine

Top of the Pops

I got my ‘exclusive’ story inspiration from existing magazines. I made it stand out by having the word in a different colour to the box it is in. The word ‘exclusive’ itself is a strong word and I linked it with a very successful pop band ‘Little Mix’. I think that’s this shows that my magazine is dominant, that

it has the power to be able to get exclusive, one of a kind interviews with internationally recognised artists.

Comparisons – Contents Page

My Magazine

Billboard

We Heart Pop

On my contents page I included a website name that the reader can use as an alternative to find out more about the magazine and see more articles online. I feel that the website name makes my magazine look more professional and official. I think that my magazine has be available online too if it was realistically going to compete in the market. It shows that the company has thought about

the different ways in which their audience might want to access their material.

Comparisons – Contents Page

I included a letter from the editor on my contents page as when I was researching existing products I noticed that pop magazines often had them. I think that they show direct address to the reader and this shows personality and I believe that it makes the reader feel more comfortable as it is sort of an introduction that introduces them to the

magazine.

My Magazine Top of the PopsWe Heart Pop

Comparisons – Double Page Spread

My Magazine We Heart PopBillboard

I used a drop cap as they are a very conventional feature in all genres of magazines. They clearly indicate to the reader where the article starts. As they are used in all types of magazines, not just music

I included one to get a moe professional look.