Question 1:

In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge forms and

conventions of real media product?

In this essay I will be looking at the magazine pages I created (front cover, double page spread and contents) and comparing them with a magazine similar in genre to one I created. I will look at the two magazines together and compare how my product uses, develops and challenges forms and conventions of the real magazine I am comparing it with.

Below is the front cover of and issue of “Q” magazine, featuring Florence Welch on the cover. Also is the front cover of my magazine “Six Strings”.

Both covers have a close up image of the face and are placed central on the page.

Both magazine titles are place at the top right of the page on the background of a bright color.

Cover stars name is in bold and another color, placed just below the image.

Cover stars name is in bold writing placed to the top left of the page, above the image.

The subtext is place around the edges of both covers, this puts focus on the central image.

Barcode at the bottom of pageBarcode at bottom of the page,

along with issue number and price

Issue number and price is at the top of the page

Tagline is to the right of of the title and not directly near itTagline is directly

underneath the title

I compared my front cover of my magazine to the front cover of an issue of Q magazine. I chose this magazine as I feel it is similar in the genre of music I wanted to portray in my magazine. After looking at them together I realized that compared to another magazine, mine used, developed and challenged the forms and conventions, depending what these forms and conventions were. The forms and conventions I used that are typical to most magazines are having the title in the top right corner, having one picture on the front cover and the picture being a headshot of an individual. Also typical conventions I used was having the subtext placed around the central cover image, to the sides of the page.

A form and convention I feel I challenged in the process of making my front cover was to do with the subtext that said the name of the cover star. On the Q cover the type is bolder and bigger where it says the name of the cover star. Most magazines do this on their front cover as they want these particular words to stand out. I thought for when I came to put the name of my cover star I would take the same idea. I made their name bolder and bigger. However I developed this idea of making their name stand out by also making the font a bright colour that contrasted with the image behind it so that the words would stand out. I chose the colour pink as it is a bright colour but also appeals to my target audience of late teen girls. I also developed the placement of the barcode although it wasn’t a big change. I simply moved the barcode to the bottom right, rather than the bottom left which, including Q magazine, is where most magazines place their barcodes. I did this simply because it’s the place on the page where it could’ve gone and looked right and also because I didn’t think it mattered where on the page the barcode went as long as it was tucked away and not the main focus.

When it came to comparing my front cover I realized I had actually challenged quite a few forms and conventions. The Q magazine front cover had the issue number and price of the magazine next to the barcode. I decided to separate the information about the issue number and price from the barcode. I did this because I have had trouble looking for the price of a magazine as it is place in a small font at the bottom of the page near the barcode. Because of this I decided to place the information at the top right of the page where I feel it is much easier to find. It may be challenging what is normal for a magazine but I feel it would help people. I have also placed the tagline not directly underneath my magazine title, unlike Q magazine. I instead placed it at the top right near the issue number and price. I did this firstly because I think that the area at the top left where my title was would’ve looked to busy with more writing and may have become confusing. I also did it because I feel the tagline, as long as it’s on the same level as the title, can be put separately.

Altogether for the first part of my comparison which is the front cover, I feel that compared to a real music magazine I have kept the forms and conventions that should be the same on all magazines for example the picture and title placement. However for areas such as the subtext presentation, barcode placement and where the tagline is I have developed and challenged their forms and conventions as I think they should be able to change.

Below is the contents page of an issue of Q magazine and the contents page from my music magazine, 6 Strings.

Both magazines have a ‘features’ and ‘every month’ section

Page numbers relating to the image

Title and name along the topTitle and name along the side

Larger ‘main image’

Multiple smaller images relating to different features, including image relating to double page spread and cover star

Issue date

After comparing my contents page with the Q contents page I noticed in this case, compared to a magazine similar in genre to mine I have noticed that I have developed and challenged forms and conventions of real media products as well as using some.

After making an annotated comparison I could see the forms and conventions that I used in my magazine that are typical of a magazine similar to mine. In this case it’s Q magazine. The first thing which was similar is the use of a ‘features’ and ‘every month’ section of my contents page. I used this because I knew that every magazine I had come across had sections which appeared in every issue and features. In my case, one of my features was the double page spread. So to have a part in my contents page which listed the every month features and one of features, I thought was necessary. Both contents pages include pictures, which is a convention I took but haven’t kept similar as the image size is different and are placed differently. Also both contents pages include the magazine title somewhere on the page, just as a reminder of who the magazine are and what they will feature. Although both magazines have a similar genre, which is alternative/acoustic/rock music the target audiences are different so the colour scheme of my contents page will be different. Mine is aimed at girls aged 16+. I used a light pink colour as the ideology is that it is a stereotypical colour connected with girls but, I chose the lighter colour as it’s not in your face and to bright. People this age aren’t attracted to the brightness of a magazine page but instead something with a sleek, simple, modern design. Another convention similar in both magazine is the use of numbers in a small type size , placed under each image to show which page you should turn to to read the feature which the image is connected with. Both are also placed on a coloured background.

There are forms and conventions I developed from a Q contents page, to make it more suitable for the style of my magazine. Q magazine has the title ‘contents’ along the top of the page in a medium size. Obviously I would include the title ‘contents’ on the contents page somewhere, but I developed it differently by changing the size a placement of my page title. On InDesign using the line tool I created a writing path that meant I could write the title horizontally. I did this and made it stretch the whole length of the left side of the page. I did this because it felt like a modern twist on the typical way of presenting things and would suit more to my target audience of females in their late teens. This way a made a personal development of the way Q magazine laid out their title. I stuck to the colour black however, as I feel it’s an easy stand out colour and contrasted well with the light pink background.

There are also forms an conventions that I challenged when it came to my contents page. Q magazine included the issue date at the top right corner of the page. I however didn’t include any text that gave this information. I thought it through and decided it was unnecessary as this information was already on the front cover and I felt there was a place where it could go. Both contents pages include images. The Q contents page only includes two. One of them would be considered a ‘main image’ and is enlarged taking up space on the page. I included images also but I sized them all the same medium size and chose three images instead of just two. I did this because I liked this clustered design better than a simple one with fewer image. Also I have the images places around the text as it lasts across two columns, whereas Q magazine has placed it out of the way of interfering with the text.

In conclusion, when it came to comparing the contents page I feel that there is an even split between the forms and conventions I used, developed and challenged.

Below is a double page spread from Q magazine and the double page spread from my music magazine.

Both have a faded background image

Text is on the left page and in three columns

Text is on the right side and in three columns

Quote from the text

Feature has a title using alliteration

One main image covering page. Medium shot

Multiple images like a collage

The title is simple with just the name of the act featured

I looked at a double page spread featuring Lady Gaga from Q and my double page spread and compared the two together to look for forms and conventions which are used, developed and challenged in my magazine compared to Q.

There were a lot of similar forms and conventions that I used. The first was the text presentation. On both magazines the text runs across three columns. I think this gives the idea of a modern classic structure and makes it easy to read clearly. Also both magazine spreads have a dedicated page for a picture/s although they are presented differently, the main idea is that it makes the article more interesting to have an image of the person the spread is featuring and almost helps the reader connect with them more with the band or artist. Another form used is the use of an image faded behind the text which transparency’s been altered so the text is obviously still visible. This simply makes the page a little more interesting as the text isn’t being read from a plain white page.

There are also many forms and conventions of my magazine that have been developed, compared to Q magazine. The first is the use of pictures. Although both magazines feature a page dedicated to picture/s the way I have done it is slightly different. I decided to collage the pictures I took to use for my double page spread as I felt it suited my artists style, which is a bit out there and using a jumble of pictures would help represent this. Q magazine however uses just one simple medium shot from the shoulders up of Lady Gaga as the feel of the article is quite sophisticated and the picture represents this. Something else developed is that for my spread the text is on the left page and for Q the writing is on the right. I feel this was just a choice made without much meaning behind it. My feature has both a title and a quote from the interview. I thought this was a convention lots of music magazines used and also introduces the reader to what the context of the interview might be. I also used alliteration in my title as I think this is a good text form that will interest the reader. Q magazine however uses a very simple title which simply states the name of the interviewee at the top right of the page. The way the interview has been adapted to be readable is also different. Q magazine writes it in paragraphs, whilst talking about what Lady Gaga says rather than it being written like a question and answer. My article however is written in a question and answer form. Because its written for girls in their late teens, stereotypically they like chatting and having a gossip so as they are going to be the readers of this feature I specifically wrote it like a conversation.

In this case there weren’t any forms and conventions that actually have been challenged, but in conclusion I think for the double page spread I took the vital forms and conventions of a double page spread and used them but where I could I developed them to suit to my feature.

Conclusion• After dissecting each page of my magazine and comparing them with

pages from Q magazine I feel that when it came to typical forms and conventions of music magazines I followed them and developed them more than I actually challenged them. I feel that because there are things you have to keep when creating a magazine or it won’t actually appeal to your target audience let alone anyone as it wouldn’t be a magazine without these features. This includes pictures on the front cover, a list of what’s included in a contents page, and lots of text from an interview to actually provide the reader with what they want. Where I could I developed certain things mainly to attract my target audience of girls aged 16+. So, I could develop my colour use, pictures, text context, making the text informal, using bold words e.t.c. Overall I think that my magazine would attract my target audience as I have really thought through every part of my magazine to make sure it would be what they want.