Question 1:In what ways does your media

product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real

media products?

Masthead:My masthead for the magazine is shown here; I decided the name of the magazine to be “Acoustic” as I believed this was fit for the genre of the magazine which is Alternative/Pop. This challenges the forms and conventions of existing music magazines and the name of the magazine reflects the type of magazine this is, which is of course a music magazine. Acoustic in science is the studies of sound and in music is the primary instruments that do not need electric amplification to make a sound such instruments include the acoustic guitar/bass guitar. The acoustic bass guitar is used in my masthead as replacing the ‘I’ in acoustic; this visibly shows the purpose and aim of the music magazine. This challenges existing music magazines as this has never been done before; this makes my masthead unique. While researching on case studies I realised that most music magazines have a big bold masthead which is usually placed at the top of the page, this was also used on my magazine as I believed this will attract the audience.

The colours used as the house style are burgundy, black and white. This was not initially the colours I was going to use; however when the pictures of the artist/model were taken I decided to change them as these colours were more suited to her clothing and the type of genre she is in. Most magazines have a maximum of three colours as their house style; this is used in my magazine as this ensures it is organized and makes it look more appealing. I believe I have followed all of the above.The font of my masthead is very simple and easy to read; this allows the reader to clearly read the masthead. From my research, I found that many magazines have use this type of font for the stated reason mentioned.

I decided to place the masthead behind the head of the artist/model. I noticed that almost every well-known magazine do this as their magazine is familiar and recognised by everyone, however many magazines do not begin their magazines by doing this, as they become bigger and better; they tend to vary this according to how well-known their magazine becomes. Although my magazine is new and I used this technique; I believe it challenges these magazines as I decided to do this in the first issue unlike other magazines.

Images: Front CoverThe image I used for my front cover of my music magazine is of the model/artist at the centre of the page looking directly into the camera. It is a medium close up shot of the artist; this is used to show the general body language of the artist/model. This is a common convention in several magazines. The model hands/arms are placed behind her neck which connotes that she looks relaxed and comfortable. This type of body language is used in many magazines which feature female artists. However, the model is smiling at the readers/audience, this challenges existing magazines as many magazines generally have the models not smiling and looking very serious. I decided to do the opposite as I felt this attract the readers more.

Images: Contents PageThe images used in my contents page are shown in the image on the left. As you can see the central image is attention grabbing as the featured artist is the main aim of the magazine. This is a common convention in existing magazines as the person featured in the front is featured in the contents page and double page spread. The other images in the side bar are of the interviews of the other artists that also in the magazine. This makes it easier for readers to see who they are and what they look like.

Images: Double Page Spread

These are the images used in my double page spread. As you can see I used four images that are placed in a montage. This gives the readers a variety of images to look at and because I found it difficult to pick just one image. Additionally, the images of the artists are very casual and she looks relaxed; this reflects the interview and article that was written beside it. This challenges other magazines as they only have one central image of the artist, however my one has four. This technique is used from a music magazine featuring Nicole Scherzinger; upon viewing this I wanted use it in my own word.

The written content is very important in addressing the audience. Since my magazine is aimed at the younger generation for ages 13-21, it was vital that the language used is simple and easy to read as if the language was very advanced some may not understand thus preventing them from reading it. Additionally, I have done this by adding more attention to the things need to stand out, making it easier for the reader to know where to look and what to read; for example, the masthead, the headings and subheadings in the contents page and the title and name on the double page spread. The article featured in the double page spread is in a question and answer method where the question is written in a different colour to the answer thus making it obvious which is which and is in columns. From my research, I figured that most in fact all magazines use this and since this is a common convention in every magazine, I felt it was the best method to be used in my own.

Written Content:

Layout: Front CoverThe layout of the front cover is one of the most important aspects of my music magazine as this is the first thing the audience will be attracted to. One of the key points I had to follow was to ensure that my front wasn’t too crowded and looked organised, I feel I have done which is shown in my cover. I used the common conventions used in all magazines by positioning the model/artist in the centre as I didn’t want any of the attention taken away from her as she is the person selling the magazine. Other common conventions include applying the masthead at the top of the models head as they will attracted to model there attention will then be towards the masthead thus ensuring that they know which magazine it is. The cover lines also followed common conventions as it is on the side and not attracting much attention. The artist is clearly visible so the audience is aware of who she is. The barcode challenges other music magazines many existing magazines have the barcode at the back not at the front. However I decided to have it placed at the front as this gives it a professional look and an actual real magazine.

Layout: Contents PageThe layout of the contents page was also very important as this is where the audience will refer to if they felt they couldn’t find a particular page. So I had to ensure that it looked detailed and depth to as this is a common convention in many magazines. The title of the page ‘Contents’ is clearly visible as it stands out and is placed at the top left hand corner of the page. The name/masthead of the magazine is placed beside the title so the reader is aware of which magazine they reading. This challenges the forms and conventions of existing magazines as not many magazines do this. The featured artist is again the focus of the page as this is the person selling the magazine- this is a common convention as many magazine always use this technique. The layout is relatively easy to read and understand as the sub-headings are placed big and bold before the writing.

This makes the reader understand it further; also there is further information of what the article is about beneath the page number. This is another common convention in many magazines however this normally just one but I decided to have more than one line which gives a bit more detail which challenges existing magazines. An editor’s note is included which is generally used in many existing magazines as this shows direct gratification from the person that created the magazine.

Layout: Double Page SpreadThe layout of the double page spread is very organised and neat as this is the main article where readers are expected to read. The name of the artist visibly shown at the top of the page as this informs the readers who this particular page is about. This is a common convention in existing magazines as many always have the title placed at the top of the magazine. There is also an introduction that written of the artists which tells the reader of who the artist is, what they are expected to

in the following interview. The article is of the interview between the artist and the interviewee. This is in an organised method whereby the question that was asked to the artist is written then her response. The questions are in a different colour then that to the answers so readers can clearly read the answer they want to read- this is a common convention to have the question and answer however since I decided to have it in a different colour it challenges their method. Additionally the images of the artist is placed on a separate page however since it is from the same article it completes the purpose of a double page spread. There is a pull out quote positioned in the centre of the page which gives the readers an idea of what the article will be about. This is a common convention of existing magazines.