1. Question 1
• In What Ways Does Your Media Product
Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and
Conventions of Real Media Products?

2. • In relation to all my products, I believe that I used existing
conventions well and I believe that I also developed some too to
create an authentic magazine cover, contents page and double page
spread. I think that by using conventions they allow the reader to
identify and relate to the magazine as it doesn’t look out of place.
• I used a continuation of colours throughout my products to create a
house style. This is often used in many magazines to create
continuity throughout the magazine. I linked my colours to the
outfit I had my model wear. I knew that I wanted to include the
colour red as it links with the Christmas theme and I wanted my
model to wear a colour that represented the pop genre, so I chose
yellow so it both linked to the genre of music and went with the
other colour that I wanted to use.
• Other features I used to create continuity were the use of the same
font for my masthead and pictures from the same shoot of my
model.

3. I decided to add a puff to the cover of my
magazine as they are conventional of
music magazines. They make the
information in them stand out as the text
contrasts with the colour of the circle and
that contrasts with the colour of the
background. Puffs in the shape of circles
are especially common in pop/chart
magazines. These are some examples
from Top of the Pops magazine:
When I was taking my pictures for the
front cover I knew that I wanted to make
my magazine a specific issue. To show this
through the image I gave my model some
tinsel to show that it was a
Christmas/December issue. When I was
researching existing magazines that were
similar in genre and style I noticed that
they often did specific issues to do with
seasons and events. Through this I
thought that I was able to produce a
creative cover. To link with my genre I
styled my model Gabby in a bright yellow
top as pop/chart music is seen as fun and
happy and I think that the colour yellow
carries these connotations. For hair and
make-up I put some pink lip gloss and
light eye make-up as I think that the
natural look makes her more relatable to
a wider audience. I curled her hair slightly
and pinned the top back to also give an
everyday look again I think this makes her
more relatable to the audience as they
can see that even though she is a pop star
she is an ordinary person like them too.
Here I included a footer, when I was researching existing magazines I found that most chart
magazines included skylines, however I thought that I was able to include more information on the
cover by including both. I used the same font in both the footer and the skyline as the masthead to
show that the information in them was important. I included a plug in the footer to draw the reader
in, if they wanted a chance at winning the prizes then they have to buy the magazine.
In the cover lines I have included well
known artists to draw the reader in. It
shows that The Mix magazine is
influential in the music magazine trade
as they have articles about these artists.
I used the adjective ‘exclusive’ to
emphasise how this is a one time
interview. Again I think that this shows
that The Mix is a dominant
magazine, that it has a high reputation as
it is able to get ‘exclusive’ interviews
with well known international artists.
I have placed my masthead in a conventional place, at the top of the cover. Having the masthead the biggest text
shows the dominance of the brand. It immediately captures the audiences attention. I also have it in a different
font so that it stands out against the articles on the cover. I have continued to use this font on other pages to
create a house style. The font is called ‘Hobo’ I chose this font as I think it looks quite bubbly, and I believe that
this links with the genre of my magazine, pop music is often associated with happiness.
I didn’t include a barcode or price on my front
cover as usually then come near each other and I
personally don’t like the way they look on front
covers so if I was to produce this magazine I would
have the barcode and price on the back page.

4. I have added thumbnails /smaller pictures as they are
conventional features of contents pages. They often link
to stories so I have included one that links to my cover
story so that the readers can easily find it. I also think it
shows continuity, she is wearing the same outfit which
makes her easier to identify. I chose this image of my
front cover model for the contents page as she is looking
straight down the lens of the camera which I believe
draws the readers attention. I also included 2 other
pictures which relate to other stories, for example the
picture that relates to the story ‘Poppy Spills Her Secrets’
is linked with a pose that suggests she said something she
shouldn’t have done. I like the way the pictures look and I
think that they make the page look more interesting and
colourful.
I have included social media links to
engage with my target audience. If my
magazine was to compete in the market
today it would have to be available on
many media platforms. These sites are
very popular and they allow the
audience to become more involved.
They also allow the magazine to be
promoted in different ways.
When I was researching existing products I noticed that
music magazines often include these letters, they tell the
reader thoughts and opinions of the editor on the issue.
I included a letter as I think that this makes the magazine
more personal. It directly addresses the audience and they
are a conventional feature of my genre of music magazine.
I came up with this feature myself, I had not seen
anything like it when researching. I thought that it was an
innovative way of communicating to the readers that my
magazine does use social media to interact with their
audience. That they do take into account what the
readers are saying. I decided to put it on my contents
page as it is right at the beginning and everybody uses
the contents page to find what they are looking for so
everybody will see it.
Here I continued the masthead and font style, I did this to continuity and
to create a house style. I think that by using these conventions it makes
my magazine more recognisable. I have seen it used in a lot of existing
products, for example: Top of the Pop’s, Billboard & We Heart Pop.
I decided to split up the pages on my contents
page so that each of the stories were in relating
sections. I saw that an ‘On the Cover’ section
was very popular in existing pop magazines so I
included this in mine to make it look more
professional. I also think that it is helpful for the
reader as they can easily find the stories on the
cover, the ones that the editor thought were the
most important and intriguing. The other
sections that I split my articles into were
‘Features’ and ‘Reviews’ I saw when researching
that these were also used a lot. In my review
section I decided to include some recently
released pop albums that I thought would be
interesting to my target audience I made sure
they were pop albums so that they fit into the
genre of my magazine. And in the features
section I wrote the headlines of articles that
were also eye-catching and interesting, but
didn’t make it onto the cover. When writing the
features I tried to include different types of
stories. For example there is a quiz that the
reader can fill out themselves. A few interviews
with popular artists and follow-me-around
articles. I decided to include a follow me around
with One Direction as at the moment they are a
globally recognised band. The fact that my
magazine was able to be with them on tour
shows their power in the market, as this would
be a great opportunity for any magazine.
I included a subscription box that stood out against
the other features on the page. I used a solid bold
colour that contrasted against the plain background.
Subscription notifications are conventional on
contents pages as they notify the reader about how
they can receive the magazine as often as it comes
out.
As well as social media links my magazine has a
designated website that readers can visit to see other
stories that didn’t get published in the magazine. There
will be interactional features like comment areas in which
reader can post their views about stories. I think that it is
important to have a website as it shows that ‘The Mix’ is
available on different platforms therefore showing they
are keeping up with improving technological advances.
When writing the stories I chose to make the page
numbers they correspond to fairly bigger than the text so
the reader can easily identify what page the story they
want to read is on. I also made some of the words bold so
the reader can scan across the page and pick out key
words in the article title. For example if a story was about
an artists I emboldened their names so they are easy to
spot. I decided to make certain words bold in the
description rather than having a title and then a brief
description underneath as many magazines do. I think this
way I was able to fit more stories on the page and still tell
the reader about them.

5. I used a quote from my article as my headline, I changed the words
slightly as this is what many magazines do to catch the attention of the
reader. I didn’t change the meaning but the verb ‘deserve’ has strong
connotations and makes the artists seem determined and ambitious. I
highlighted it to make it stand out by colouring it in the same green
that has been used throughout my products, it also contrasts to the
black background. The colour green often connotes stability and
endurance, this suggests that the artist is one to watch, that they will
be around for a long time.
I placed a pull quote in the middle
of the article in a bigger an bolder
font so that it stand out against
the article. When the reader
opens the page the will
immediately see it and it gives an
idea of what the article is about.
I decided to make a simple album
cover and put it Album cover, links to
the article and what the artist is
promoting
Page number, corresponds to
number on the contents page.
Allows reader to easily find what
article they are looking for.
Article links to headline, it is a question and answer format which is
very typical of chart/pop magazines. Often when an artist
participates in an interview it is for promotion purposes. I have set
the article out in columns, it is a conventional layout as it makes it
easy to read. I decided to colour the questions and answers
differently so the reader can easily identify who is saying what. This
is a typical style that I saw being used in many existing magazines
such as ‘Top of the Pops’ and ‘We Heart Pop’.
I added a shape which includes the
text ‘cover story,’ it clearly points
out to the audience that it is the
main story from the cover. Other
existing magazines use similar
features. For example ‘We Heart
Pop’ magazine uses a star shape to
identify their cover story.
The main image that I used on
my double page spread is from
the same shoot as my cover
image. My model is in the
same clothing which shows
continuity and allows the
reader to easily identify her. I
chose to have her wear a
bright yellow top to link with
my magazine genre. I believe
that pop music is associated
with the younger
generation, the music is often
up-beat and happy. The colour
yellow often carries
connotations of happiness, joy
and energy which I believe
links with my genre. I used a
prop of a tiny present because
it links to the Christmas theme
of my magazine and I think
that it represents the number
1 that she wants. The present
is un-opened suggesting that
her fate is unknown. My
model is making eye contact
and I think this draws the
reader in.
I used a drop cap at the
beginning of my article. It is a
conventional feature that is
used in many existing products.
The signify to the reader clearly
where the beginning of the
article is.
I added a thin line as a banner across
the top and down the side of my
page to show continuity throughout
my magazine as I included this
feature in my contents page. I made
sure that the colour links to what I
have used previously as it links to my
model.

6. Comparisons – Front Cover
My Magazine
Top of the Pops
We Heart Pop
I took inspiration for my header from these existing magazines. They are showcasing stories by
making them stand out against a contrasting background from the main image. I decided to add a
header as it is a very conventional feature and I think it makes my cover look more professional. I
decided to make the work ‘plus’ is capitals to make it stand out, it captures the readers attention
as it shows that there is more to the story than they first thought.

7. Comparisons – Front Cover
My magazine
Top of the Pops
I got my ‘exclusive’ story inspiration from existing magazines. I made it stand out by having the word
in a different colour to the box it is in. The word ‘exclusive’ itself is a strong word and I linked it with
a very successful pop band ‘Little Mix’. I think that’s this shows that my magazine is dominant, that
it has the power to be able to get exclusive, one of a kind interviews with internationally recognised
artists.

8. Comparisons – Contents Page
My Magazine
Billboard
We Heart Pop
On my contents page I included a website name that the reader can use as an alternative to find
out more about the magazine and see more articles online. I feel that the website name makes my
magazine look more professional and official. I think that my magazine has be available online too
if it was realistically going to compete in the market. It shows that the company has thought about
the different ways in which their audience might want to access their material.

9. Comparisons – Contents Page
I included a letter from the editor on my contents page as when I was researching existing products I noticed that
pop magazines often had them. I think that they show direct address to the reader and this shows personality and I
believe that it makes the reader feel more comfortable as it is sort of an introduction that introduces them to the
magazine.
My Magazine Top of the PopsWe Heart Pop

10. Comparisons – Double Page Spread
My Magazine We Heart PopBillboard
I used a drop cap as they are a very conventional feature in all genres of magazines. They clearly
indicate to the reader where the article starts. As they are used in all types of magazines, not just music
I included one to get a moe professional look.