Evaluation part1

Leanne Westbury

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

Conventional puff offers something free to attract the audience. Header

is sometimes used for this

Conventional list of bands to attract the appropriate audience- shows the genre of the magazine

and the type of music the magazine focus’ on

Main image is a mid-shot with the subject showing direct address to draw the audience in and create reader intimacy. Shots on covers

conventionally vary widely therefore this shot could be

considered conventional

I have used an AutoShape to create a strip of colour to background some cover lines and applied a

smudge tool to the end to soften the edge and create an interesting shape. This develops conventions as it is a design element which is

not convention

Barcode conventionally found in the corner of the cover


I have applied a gradient to the background in order to add depth and prevent the background from being block white. The gradient on the example magazine is applied from the bottom of whereas it

comes from the right hand corner on my magazine

Cover lines are bold and designed to catch the attention of the

audience by addressing subjects they would be particularly

interested in (e.g. festivals and bands)

Date and price is conventionally found above or below the

masthead in a small font with does not particularly stand out

Masthead is bold and large as is typical of a masthead as it is the

recognisable and defining feature of a magazine. I purposely chose a font that is slightly dishevelled to reflect the attitude of the target audience- young, care-free and

partially rough around the edges


Instead of using a conventional bullet point I have taken a photo of

a plectrum and resized it in order for it to be an appropriate size

I have used a conventional grab quote on the cover to entice the

audience to want to read on further about the cover star rather

than a typical strapline

Although the puff is conventional from the aspect of offering

something free, it challenges conventions as the background to the text is not a shape as usually found but a series of rectangles used as strips behind the text

The ‘S’ in my masthead is a photo I have taken of guitar lead- this

challenges conventions as mastheads are usually just made up

of text

I have included the web address of the magazine’s website on the cover subtly by positioning it

horizontally on the last letter of the masthead- this is not conventional

of a music magazine


The layout conventionally conforms to the rule of thirds. The main image largely

dominates the right two thirds on both covers- leaving the left third free for cover lines. This challenges conventions as the image is usually found in the middle of a

cover. The eye line conventionally falls on the line of the top third.

There is a mixture of fonts which provides variety- some bold and some more sparse.

Majority of fonts are sans serif to connote the colloquial tone of the magazine which would

target the indie-pop sub-culture

The colour scheme of my magazine follows the convention of using only black and white combined with one colour. I used the colour purple as the dark shade is subtle and adds

sophistication to the cover

On my magazine the colloquial tone is created using language such as ‘the new kid

on the block’ and addressing the reader using pronouns such as ‘you’ and ‘your’. This would

target a sub-culture who are more likely to respond to the use of conversational

language. It is conventional to address your audience in the appropriate manner


As my magazine is monthly, I have added the text ‘This Month’ next to ‘INSIDE’ to

indicate that it is released monthly. This is conventional as some magazines such as

NME use ‘this week’ on their contents page

Conventional anchoring text indicates the relevance of this image. It is also common

for the size of anchoring text to be very small

Use of subtitles organises page references and provides the reader with ease to find

particular features they want to read.

I have challenged conventions with my subtitles by making the text so large that it goes over the edges of the shape behind- making it blend in with the background.

However, the size, font and contrast between the black and white ensure the

text still stands out

My editor’s letter is in the form of a photo of an actual piece of paper which I have

digitally added text to. It is conventional for an editors letter to be featured on a

contents page however they are not always present. I have developed conventions by using a photo of an actual piece of paper.


It is conventional for the issue to be dated on the contents page- this usually consists of the month and year but sometimes includes a specific date. I have positioned the date on my cover horizontally, next to the text ‘THIS MONTH’ so the information is clear. I have challenged conventions by positioning it in this way and using a photo of a guitar strap behind it as a background/ design feature

It Is conventional for a contents page to feature a reference to the masthead in

some way- whether it be a small version of it or text in the same font. I have used the

same font for the title ‘INSIDE’ and also used the photo of the guitar lead as the ‘S’ to

create consistency

I have incorporated a background on my contents page which I manipulated first in Photoshop. It appears to be a splatter of

paint and adds interest and texture to the design. This is developing conventions as it is

an original image that I have creatively incorporated

Minimal use of serif font is conventional for magazines such as mine to display an

informal/ colloquial tone


The layout conventionally conforms to the rule of thirds in some aspects. The image on the right mainly falls in

the right third however the page reference section and editors letter

fall into two halves rather than three thirds therefore this challenges

conventions

There is a mixture of fonts which provides variety- as there is on the cover. I have used mostly the same fonts as what can be found on the cover in order to create a house

style and prevent the overall product from looking untidy or

unprofessional.

The colour scheme is also consistent with the cover however I have

incorporated more purple on the contents than what can be found on the cover. This is due to the colour of the background and the adjustment of colour to the image on the right

hand side


A colloquial tone is consistent in order to ensure I am addressing

my target audience: a sub-culture who are more likely to respond to

the use of conversational language. Colloquial language can be found in both the editors letter

and in page references

It is conventional to find a ‘subscribe’ section on contents page which offers special offers

and free gifts to anyone who signs up. This sections often features

small images of previous magazine covers- I considered this but

realised it would not work as well due to this being the first issue of

Released


It is conventional to find a headline on a double page spread- this may sometimes

just say the artist’s name. My large, ambiguous headline challenges conventions

through the layout of the words- some horizontal, some vertical- and the use of

varying fonts

It is conventional to find a byline when an article is featured in order to credit the

journalist- this is often in small font which does not particularly stand out. My byline

follows these conventions

A conventional standfirst can be found underneath the headline on my double page

spread which indicates the content of the article

A convention that I haven’t incorporated into the article is a crosshead. I did not use a

crosshead as I felt the article was already appropriately organised using paragraphs

Attitude shown by the subject of the main image appears laid back yet intense due to

direct address- this type of pose is conventional of a main image but varies

depending on the story being told my the image


I have used a conventional drop-cap. However, after looking at other real media

products I feel using a more interesting font for the drop-cap would be more successful

I have used a conventional grab-quote to break up the text in the article so that it is not one large block of writing. I have used

purple text and large speech marks to indicate that it is a grab-quote. I have

developed conventions by using an unconventional font for the speech marks

Photo credit can be found horizontal to the image. Conventional small and discreet font used for the photo credit as to not distract

from the content.

Font used for the article is Times New Roman. It is conventional to use a small serif

font for the article


A link can be found between the colours in the subject’s clothes and the colours used in the design- this creates consistency and links the image well within the piece. The

colours used in the design are minimal and are consistent with the

house style

The tone of the double page spread is created using colloquial language

within the article and the light-hearted headline- ‘Here’s to the lives

of the young and foolish’ which conjures images of a group of people

raising their glasses. It is conventional within a magazine such as mine which aims to connect with

a young audience for a colloquial tone to be used.

The layout follows conventions as it is common to see a double page

spread which is made up of a page containing the article and the

opposite page displaying the main image. The layout of the article is conventional as it is sorted into

three columns- articles of this kind are always split into at least two

columns


Inspiration

I got the idea of using a large opaque letter behind the text/ content of the double page

spread from this double page spread featuring Lady Gaga in Q Magazine. Q have developed

conventions by creating this design feature- this is not a common convention therefore I am also

developing conventions by doing so.

I was inspired by the editorial letter in NME that featured on page of reviews. A small picture of

the editor is conventionally found with an editor’s letter however using a Polaroid form

and paper clip develops this convention. I decided to use the same format for the picture of my editor. I took a picture of a paperclip and edited it in Photoshop to make It appear to be

actually attached to the paper

This picture of Pete Doherty influenced the shot type I wanted to use for my double page spread.

When I saw this double page spread featuring Friendly Fires from Q magazine I wanted to

combine the shot type with a photo that had a narrative of a police line up. I developed

conventions by combining the two ideas and using paint to create a suitable background.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

‘Indie

’

A particular social group that has developed quickly recently within the younger generation is ‘indie’

which stands for individual. ‘Indies’ are generally associated with indie music and attempting to stand

out from the crowd- whether that be through their attitude, the way they dress or their general

appearance (piercings, unconventional coloured hair, etc) I have attempted to represent this sub-culture by

challenging conventions by using original photos and AutoShapes in a creative way.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

AGE

The people featuring in my magazine range between 16 and 17 years old. Since the target audience of Released

is 16-24 year olds there should be a more varied age range featured in the photos

in order to represent this particular social group.

ETHNCITY

The people featuring in my magazine are all white British. This does not address ethnicity

in the way it should as the social group my magazine

should aim to represent should be of a diverse nature which encourages multiculturalism. This shows I need diversity of

ethnicities photographs instead of just one ethnicity.

GENDER

Diversity in gender is provided with the presence of a photo of a male. This represents social

groups of both females and males and therefore targets

the correct audience as Released aims to appeal to

both genders.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

IPC Media have extensive knowledge on publishing a magazine such as mine due to being the publisher of the music magazine NME. This would be an advantage for my

magazine and I feel IPC Media may benefit from publishing Released as it is aimed at a different demographic (aged 16-24, C2, D, E profile). However, IPC would be unlikely to

publish a magazine so similar to NME due to the possibility of compromising the sales of

their already successful and established magazine.

Also, NME is the only music magazine that IPC publishes, and although it is a successful

magazine, this would mean that they do not have as extensive knowledge on pitching a music magazine to a younger audience as

perhaps other publishing institutions.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Bauer Media are the publishers of a wide variety of magazines- varying from those that

target niche markets such as golfers and gardeners to those that appeal to a wider

audience such as Q and Heat.

I think Bauer Media would be the right publisher for my magazine as their extensive knowledge

regarding pitching to a certain age group/ market would assist in marketing my magazine. Also, they publish a variety of music magazines such as Q, MOJO and KERRANG; proving that

they can successfully market several music magazines designed to target varying

audiences.

Who would the audience be for your media product?

My target audience is both males and females aged 16-24 years old. Since my audience is fairly young they are unlikely to be high earners

due to the fact they are either still in education or currently working their way up in the working world. Taking this into consideration, my magazine is aimed at a C2, D, E profile. The ethnicity my magazine targets is widely varied because it would be distributed in the U.K: a

place where culture is diverse and multiculturalism is prominent. Most of my audience would have an aspirer’s psychographic profile,

however some may be mainstreamers. This is because younger generations tend to aspire for a higher social status and may feel that

conforming in some aspects as reading a magazine like Released may grant such social class.

Evaluation part1

Technology

Transcript of Evaluation part1