Conventions

Front CoverWhen creating my magazine I have tried to make it as conventional as possible for each page by use of page layout, design, genre and mode of address. I have made my front cover page layout conventional by including several headlines on the left third of the page, my masthead in the top left corner, a cover story/line and slug in the centre bottom third of my page and a central main image.

Front Cover

By having several headlines on the left third of the page it attracts the reader’s attention which they can then follow down into the cover story which is focused in the centre. I have also filled empty space with headlines in order to make the page look slightly more cluttered but with some order as this is a typical convention for an Indie/rock genre. The masthead is placed in the top left of the page as a house style as it will make it recognisable for my target audience but is also included in the route of the eye layout.

Front Cover

My image is conventional for this genre as it is a mid-shot of my feature artist in vintage colours which connotes the Indie genre. The mode of address on my front cover is very bold and out there by lines such as “greatest band ever” and aggressive/harsh wording such as “cheats”, this is conventional for the rock genre as it is stereotyped as a powerful and dominant genre, so therefore the dominant words like “ever” connote this powerful genre.

ContentsI have made my contents page conventional by an ordered layout, quotes, list of contents, a range of images and shots, captions, advert and an editor’s letter. By having an ordered layout split into columns and boxed areas the page is easier read which is conventional for a magazine aimed at teenagers as they can’t be bothered to search for information so prefer an ordered layout in order to quickly find articles that they are interested in.

Contents

The quotes I have used are conventional as they give the reader an insight into the featured articles and also give them a page number so they can find the page straight away and understand the “unique” quote in the right context. The range of images I have used help to make my magazine conventional as they are a mixture of wide shots, long shots and mid shots, with a range of artists but keeping a dark colour theme throughout to fit one of my house style colours – black.

ContentsI have also included a subscription box out with an image of my front cover on as in my research I found out that it was a common feature on contents pages for an indie/rock genre so therefore making my contents page more conventional. The mode of address of my contents page is conventional as the pull quote and standfirst are very conversational so the audience can relate and feel apart of the interviews and conversations such as “they are such a lovely group of people”, and the contents text is straight forward and to the point such as “Deerhunter reunite.”

Double Page SpreadFor my double page spread I have used an ordered layout with symmetrical columns for my paragraphs, a live image of my featured artist and a bold headline with a standfirst. By having a clean uncluttered layout the text is easy to read and follow which is conventional for this target audience as explained above. The live image is conventional as it relates to the body copy of my article and uses a mid-shot to connote aggression and authority.

Black and white live image

Double Page Spread

The bold headline followed by a standfirst is conventional as I have used a quote from the body copy as the headline in order to draw in attention as the readers will want to know what the artist means which is very conventional for a music magazine to do in order to appeal to their target audience. The mode of address is very conversational as it is common to include readers into interviews so I have used a very casual mode of address to make the audience feel like they can connect more with the artist.

Overall my magazine is very conventional for a rock indie magazine as it fits into all the categories and conventions I found when researching into NME and similar magazines.