The document discusses conventions in rock music magazine design that the author followed and challenged in creating their own magazine mock-up. Some conventions followed include using red and black/white colors, a central photograph on the cover connecting to the main article, photographs of musicians looking at the camera, and layouts of articles across double pages. Some conventions challenged include not using a busy front cover, alternative fonts and layouts, and connecting headlines and images across pages.

1. Birte G. Barsch

2. COLOURS
 The clearest convention for rock
magazines is probably the quite strong
colours that they often use for the
front page. The colours found on most
of the rock magazines are Red and
yellow as well as black and white. I
partly followed this convention as I
used red as well as black and white. I
did however decide not to use yellow
as it would not fit with my idea of the
magazine being simplistic and more
sophisticated than the magazines
already on the marked. So rather than
using two colours as well as black and
white I decided to use different shades
of red in order to make the front page
look more simplistic.
My front cover
Kerrang

3. PHOTOGRAPH
 Most magazines also have a splash
image on the front cover that
somehow connects to the main article
or main story of the magazine.This is
also something I decided to follow as it
helps connecting the Image with the
magazine a little more. Another
convention used to draw the audience
towards the magazine is using
photographs of people who are
looking directly into the camera.This
is something I also decided to follow
as the eyes create a connection with
the audience and make the audience
feel like they are a part of what they
are reading.
Mine
Kerrang

4. PHOTOGRAPH
 Yet another important convention
for the images I have used is that
the mise en scene is connected to
the connotations and conventions
of a rock musician. For instance
the model I have used for my front
page and double side spread is
wearing quite dark, black and grey
cloth, as well as having quite an
unusual hair colour, which is often
linked with rebelliousness.
Rebelliousness is also often
connected to rock music, so my
model fits with the music genre
my magazine represents.
Mine
Kerrang

5. LAYOUT
 Rock magazines also often include plugs that
advertise some kind of freebee or a chance to
win something. I decided to do this as well as I
felt like it would attract my target audience as
well as it fitting nicely with how I wanted my
magazine to look. Having the barcode quite
small and in one of the downer corners is also
quite usual for magazines like mine.The reason
for this would be the fact that you want the
audience to notice all the features of the
magazine before noticing the barcode so that
they would already have made up their mind
about whether to buy the magazine or not by
the time they see the barcode. I followed this
convention by having the barcode, with the
price, in the downer right corner so it would be
the last thing that people would notice. As
audience in western countries read from the
top left corner to the bottom right corner.
Mine
Kerrang

6. LAYOUT
 One of the conventions more
typical to rock music magazines
is having a busy front page.This
was something I decided not to
follow with my magazine as I
wanted my magazine to look
quite sophisticated and
simplistic. So what I decided to
do was only using two fonts as
well as a certain font for the
masthead. I also decided to not
use any images on the front
cover, apart from the splash
image.
Mine
Kerrang

7. LAYOUT
 One of the conventions I found in my
research regarding the contents page was
that most of the magazines divided their
contents page into different parts so that it
will get easier for the reader to find exactly
what they were looking for. I decided to do
this as well as it helps creating a simplistic
look for my contents page. I also decided to
do a similar layout to what “Rocksound” &
“classic rock” use as I have put all the
contents in to one Colum rather doing like
“Kerrang” using multiple columns. My
contents page also includes an ad for
subscribing to the magazine which also a
convention for “throw-away magazines”
such as “Kerrang” as you would expect the
audience to buy more than on issue of the
magazine.
Rocksound
Mine
Kerrang
Classic rock

8. FONTS
 I have also used my mast head again on my contents page
in order to remind the audience of which magazine they are
reading. Both Rocksound and Kerrang do the same on their
contents page. I also used a banner in order to make my
head line (Contents, main featured, every month) stand out
more against the black background I have decided to use
for my contents. I challenged the convention by not putting
date and issue number. I did this because in my opinion this
is not so important that it has to be on both the front cover
as well as on the contents page. I have challenged the
convention by not placing the font largely onto or beside
the images used on the contents page. I decided to use this
because I used two different photographs and wanted to
use connect them, I did this by having a little text just
between the two photos and included the page number in
this text. I have however followed the convention by only
using two fonts for my contents page, one of them only
being used for the masthead. I decided to use a serif font
which is quite unusual but not unused in rock music
magazines. Magazines that are a bit more sophisticated like
“Classic rock” often use fonts with serif. As I wanted my
magazine to look sophisticated but still appeal to the rock
audience I decided to use a font with serifs but making it
quite bold so that it would still be recognised as
representing the boldness of the rock music.
Kerrang
Mine
Classic rock

9. PHOTOGRAPHS
 I decided to use two images for my contents page
rather than using one big photograph as well as a
couple of smaller images which is what most rock
magazines do. I did this because I felt like it looked
quite a bit more sophisticated and did fit better with
how I wanted my magazine to look. However I did
follow the convention as the two images I use for my
contents page are connected to one for the cover lines
I promoted on my Front cover so it would help the
audience find what was promoted. I also decided to
take in use another convention, this being the use of
images in connection with the headlines in order to
create some kind of expectations for what is actually in
the magazine & draw the audience into the magazine.
Most rock magazines include a mix of studio shots and
shots from a performance for the contents page.This is
something I decided not to follow as it would make the
lay the magazine more interesting to look at and could
be connected with the articles in my magazine. I also
chose to do it because it fits with what my magazine is
all about, rock music and the passion the artist put into
their music, as you can really see how much they love
what they do when you see a shot from a concert.
Mine
Kerrang

10. HEADLINES
 I put my headline on the top of the page as this
would logically be the first place the audience will
look. So the headline will draw the audience into
the article as much as possible.This fits in with
what “kerrang” and “classic rock” have used for
their double side spread. I have also put the name
of the artist as part of the headline to make it clear
to the audience who the article is about.This is
similar to what rock sound has done. Also I have
spread the headline over two pages which
challenges the convention as the magazines I
looked at all have the headline on one of the
pages. I did it over two pages because I found this
would connect the article one the first page to the
photograph on the second page. For the double
side spread one convention is using a font for the
headline to somehow to connect with the article
and the photographs used in the article.This is
something I decided to follow by using the colour
of my models hair for the headline of the article. I
did this as I thought it would bring the article
together more nicely, as well as creating a more
interesting layout.
Kerrang

11. LAYOUT
 I have placed all of the text one page,
and the photograph on the other
page.This is the same way “Kerrang”
and “classic rock” have done it. I have
challenged the conventions a little by
placing a quote on the page of the
photograph and a little photograph in
the page with the text. I did this
because I thought it would change up
the article a little so that it would be
easier to read. I also decided to do it
because in my opinion it connected
the two pages so that it would be clear
for the reader that the two pages are
one article.
Mine
Kerrang

12. FONTS
 I have also used the same font that
I used to announce the article on
the front cover as the headline for
my article. I did this to help create
a connection between what was
promoted on the front cover and
what is actually inside the
magazine. As well as I have used a
different font because this is a font
that is connected to the artist as
this would be the font she uses for
her albums and merchandises, so
this would be a font that her fans
would already be familiar with.
Kerrang
Mine