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

Before constructing my final magazine I did some research into existing music magazines of my sub genre (alternative). I studied and looked at their codes and conventions in terms of the front cover, contents page and double page spread, I decided to work with some conventions of this genre as it would make the audience feel more comfortable, However, I did in some cases challenge the typical conventions of that genre to make my magazine more unique. In terms of my front cover...
For example, I did follow the convention of the paint smudge box out from company magazine. Company magazine Is a fashion/lifestyle magazine but it targets a similar audience of 1625 year olds, also I believe their layout/ format is very different to anything else on the market. I chose to conform to this particular convention as it would make the secondary lead stand out, also as it is not a regular square pixel sided box out, it reduces formality, therefore creating audience confidence as it converges to them, not restricting.

In terms of my masthead, it does conform to the typical headline of Company magazine. For example they are both sans-serif to create a relaxed feel. I also followed the conventions as my masthead is capitalised, therefore it looks bold and stands out, thus relating to the bold genre of alternative music. Also, most magazines displaying a single artist in front of the masthead to make them look more prominent, I did this for my magazine using a mixture of the

lasso and eraser tool on adobe fireworks so the artist

would take centre stage , company also does this for their covers. However I am not conforming to Q magazines typical conventions of having the masthead on top of the artist, I decided not to do this as Q is such a quintessential brand that they want they're logo to shine through, my magazine is intended to be a new release magazine, so it has not yet built up the fan base to have that confidence in the name yet.

I have followed the convention of the puffs used in Q magazine. I stuck to the similar circle shape as it contrasts the typical angular texts and box outs previously used. I also had the puff tilted at a 25 degree angle to add quirkiness, similarly to Q I included tag words such as WIN to attract the reader, Q uses the tag NEW to attract the reader also. I decided to add the puff as it would add extra detail and promote an effective ploy to get the reader to purchase the magazine. For my Headline, I stuck to the conventions of having it in the bottom left hand corner of the cover, this is similar to Company magazine as it allows room for the main image to have the most cover space, also it is in a better view as if it was printed their wouldn't be in any danger of the spine obscuring some of the text. However, I have not stuck with the typical music magazine convention of having the headline at the top, this is often the case for Q magazine. I wanted to make my music magazine look different from anyone elses, hence reinforcing the idea that my magazine will fill a gap in the market for an alternative magazine for young adults.

For the fonts I have stuck to company magazines conventions by using an informal, sans-serif , handwritten style, this adds a fun element to my magazine and reduced formality. On the other hand, I am not conforming to Qs stereotype as their font is harsh and bold to add a serious tone, however my font is similar as it is white because I wanted the highest possible colour contrast. My fonts also dont conform to any of these magazines as some fonts are different colours, this adds individuality and personality rather than making all of my text clones, the different sizes, colours and styles emphasise the importance of each article in its own right

In terms of graphology, my cover was similar to companys, it includes a catch-line, pugs/puffs, secondary leads and a masthead, it stuck to the rule of thirds which allowed easy navigation as the text is displayed on either side of the image which occupies the middle third. However, Company uses secondary images to preview other articles, I however chose only to use text, adding images only made the page feel cluttered, to reinforce the fact that my main artist is the feature, I wanted a stand-alone image.

My cover uses direct address like the cover of Q this creates a bond between the artist and the reader as it creates trust , also it makes the cover seem more personal and adds personality. My camerawork links to the magazines shown as I use a medium close-up, this allows a detailed shot of the face but still allows some background to be seen to make way for any secondary leads.

Not following conventions? For example, in terms of mise-en-scene I didn't use similar costumes, I wanted my artist to wear black, such as a sultry lace top and fur coat as the artist is the most important connoting to the fact that my magazine is a music magazine, obviously because Company is a fashion magazine the clothes need to be on display and the main focus.

I haven't stuck to the typical colour scheme of a music magazine of this genre, for example Q magazine used strong accent colours like a pillar box red for the secondary articles and the masthead, while I chose a magenta pink to reinforce the fact that the majority of my audience will be female. Q also used yellow to advertise other articles in the form of box outs, on the other hand I chose to use an aqua and cobalt blue to promote the secondary articles, for my magazine, yellow was a harsh colour that looked out of place compared to the purples and blues of my colour scheme. My colour pallet has a more cool undertone, while Q has a warm undertone pallet of reds and yellows. However a similarity is that both magazines use monochrome (black and white) for the text or the masthead as it provides the most colour contrast to the other colours on the cover.

However I have not stuck to conventions in the sense that I have included an editors letter to act as an introduction to the magazine, Q magazine doesn't have one but from my research I gathered that KERRANG magazine (with a rock genre) does have an editors letter) The masthead of my content page conforms to typical conventions, It mirrors the layout of the front cover masthead to create continuity, also it relates to Qs contents masthead as it has a simple black and white colour scheme with a sans-serif font to allow for maximum impact.

Some of my secondary images relate to the specific conventions, for example both Q and my magazine use a long shot to show the full artist, this provides contrast to the typical close up exhibited on the front cover. However I have used a variety of shots such as closeup and a mid shot I a square frame to add interest and a unique quality to my cover, the rule of thumb is that the closer up the image the more important the article is, therefore relating to my target audience as they want a concise guide on which article is the main feature and a no nonsense layout.

In terms of layout, my contents page sticks to the genres conventions, for example I used the text tool to create columns so its easy to read and navigate, like Q it breaks the text up, allowing for different sub headers to split up each article type, Q magazine also does this and used a contrasting colour box out to highlight the sub headers, I have used the colour blue as I used it on my front cover hence creating a sense of continuity.

In terms of the text, I stuck to the conventions of including the issue date at the top of the page for a quick reminder of when the magazine came out. Also I included numerical bullet points in a contrasting colour to the menu, this is like Q magazine as they use different coloured bullet points to distinguish itself from the text.

I have stuck to the typical conventions for my double page spread in the sense that I have used a main image as a focal point, however I have used other secondary images to build up an artist profile, Q magazine has relied on one image alone that covers half the page. I decided to take a fashion magazine approach as music magazines tend to be more minimalist but I wanted a detailed, almost busy effect to keep the audience reading.

I have not stuck to stereotypes because this article from Q does not have a masthead and relies on the image alone, I wanted a masthead to introduce the article as my artist is intended to be relatively new.

My double page spread is similar to Q because of the text arrangement, I have included an illuminated letter at the start of the article to introduce it, Q magazine has also done this to guide the reader on where to start the article. Like Q I have displayed my interview in columns to allow for easy navigation, I did this on fireworks by using the text box tool and clicking/dragging with the mouse pointer until I got the desired shape. But I have used text markers in the form of highlighted questions to break up the text and to immediately connote that it is an interview in a Q/A format, I found that the typical use of a single image overleaf from the article is too simplistic for my magazine, I wanted something exiting and almost busy with colour and images..