1. Q1-In what ways does your
media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?
Juwayriyah Bibi

2. • In my research, I looked into many music magazine
covers, contents pages and double page spreads so that
I could get a feel of what the general conventions are.
During my research looked at different genre magazines
so that I knew what the basic conventions were of all
typical music magazines. However, I further looked into
the conventions of Electro-dance music magazines as
this was my chosen genre for my magazine. This
research helped me to find out what was necessary to
include and what was optional so that when I was
creating my own magazine, I needed to consider the
style, layout, the images, the fonts, colours and language
so that they were suitable to fit in with an electro-dance
genre music magazine. Also to fit in with other existing
magazines related to y genre. While I was creating my
pages, I took inspiration and ideas from various existing
magazines as I wanted my magazine to have a range of
features.

3. The front cover
• The typical forms and conventions of a front
cover of a music magazine are:
-masthead
-coverlines
-skyline
-barcode, price, date
-main image
-footer
-flash
-pull quote

4. How is my front cover like an existing
magazines front cover?
skyline
My FRONT COVER-Vivid
Existing magazine-
mixmag
masthead
Main image
coverlines
coverlines
Barcode/ price/ date
Pull “quote”
footer
FLASH FLASH

5. Flash- there are two on the magazine, one on either side of the magazine. The one that is
placed on the left third is an in an arrow and on the CD- “free Mix Cd plus 2 free posters
inside”. This is on the left third because it is a freebie for the consumer. It also says “this
issue” which suggests that it is only limited in this issue so the consumers will want to buy
this magazine so that they do not miss out on their only chance. The second flash is on the
right-hand side of the magazine and says “WIN tickets to every dance festivals’. This is placed
on the right hand side because it is read after the first flash. I have placed it not in the left
third because I thought that a freebie will catch more peoples’ attention rather than to enter
a competition and win something. Also it is not something that everyone may get from the
magazine as it is only for those who enter to win so i8t is less important than the other flash,
which is the reason why is not placed in the left third. Nevertheless, it has been written in a
star and the word ‘win;’ has been written in red so that it stands out to the consumer and the
audience.
Masthead- The masthead of my magazine is ‘vivid’. It is
written in black, yellow and red so that it stands out and
cannot be missed. The main colour of the masthead is
black but with the effect of the yellow and red behind
the black, makes it look highlighted and more vibrant.
The colours red and yellow on their own are very bright
and colourful colours and so mixing them together
brings a more flashy and attractive look. Furthermore
the two primary colours mixed together make orange
and the pull quote is written in orange font which
suggests that the pull quote will complete its function as
people will be pulled to look at it. The word vivid
connotes a bright and vibrant atmosphere, which links
in with the genre of my magazine. Electro dance music
is generally played in clubs and on parties, where the
atmosphere is both vibrant and bright, so this further
explains to the audience that it is a dance genre
magazine. The masthead on my magazine is placed on
the top left of the magazine, I have placed it here
because of the ‘left-third’ feature that many magazines
follow. This left third is where all the main, important
information is placed in a ‘c’ motion as normally you
look at a magazine from the top left to the bottom left
following a ‘c’. The font is simple and is the same
throughout the pages. I chose this font because I asked
20 people which font they thought was most suitable
fort a dance magazine, and out of all of them, this was
the chosen one.
Main cover line- it is written in red. It is the artists name ‘Amanda’,
people will automatically know the link as it is written next to the main
image. The fact that it is in red connotes that it is something that needs
to be seen and it the most important thing in this magazine as the
magazine is based on this artist. It has been written in the same font
type as the masthead to show a link between the both. Although it is
not Witten in a start or bubble, the reader will still make first contact
with this coverlines because it is in red and is written in large, bubble
writing. It is placed on top of the pull quote. This links again back to the
image because just by looking at the front cover, they will know that the
main artist name is ‘Amanda’ and the pull quote is of what she says. This
will attract the audience because they will know that the double age
spread will include an interview on the artist so they will want to buy
the magazine and read it.
Pull Quote- “ I cant believe where I am today”. This pull quote is
written in orange and is the second largest text on the cover. This
makes it stand out and seem like the most important thing about the
magazine. The pull quote doesn’t give it all away; because it is like a
middle of a sentence and yet needs to be finished off. This means that
the reader will know that Amanda will complete her sentence in her
interview. However, with the expression on the main images’ face, you
can see the link as she looks joyful and excited so the reader can make
assumptions and complete the sentence by knowing that she might be
talking abut the change to her life in a good, positive way.
Date/Barcode/Price- this is placed in the corner of the magazine and can
often be missed. This is unlike other magazines as they try to catch
attention by saying how cheap it is. However, this magazine doesn’t go for
the cheapness; the consumer will buy it for its quality. Although this can be
seen as misleading because the audience will buy without realising how
much it costs because it was not noticeable. Also it is not written in the left
third so it can often be totally missed out when the reader is looking at the
magazine.
Header- in the header, it has been said: “the most exclusive electro-dance music magazine in the uk”. This is
suggesting to the audience that if they are interested n dance ,music, then they should buy ‘vivid’ only because it
is the best one that they can buy. This sells the magazine as it is like the title of the magazine and will be the first
thing that people will read. This is similar to the header that is written on mixmag so it can be there to compare
it with other existing, well-known magazines. This makes my magazine look just as popular and successful as
‘mixmag’ is known as the “worlds biggest dance music and
clubbing magazine”
FRONT COVER

6. CONTINUED
Main Image- the image takes up most of the front
cover, with her hand held up high. This connotes that
she is excited and might look as though she is dancing.
This links in with the genre of my magazine which is
electro-dance music. The main image is looking very
dominant on the page as she has her arms out and
making it look as if she is the main aspect on the
magazine. The connotation of the image is that she is
standing out and trying to catch the consumers
attention. Furthermore, the main image is in a way
drawing you into the magazine because it looks as
though she is dancing and having fun. The main image
is wearing black and white as they are two simple, plain
colours but when put together, they look sophisticated
and have a nice combination. Also her clothing
camouflages with the background of the front cover as
the background colours are also black and white.
Although, the background is black and white and so are
her clothes, the main image is still the first thing you
look at because of the placing of the image. I have used
the rule of thirds when making my magazine so that
the face and most of the main image is not totally
placed in the centre.
Footer- the footer has: “get closer to your favourite
artists through vivid only!”. This is telling the
audience that they can get to know their favourite
artists through this magazine. I have written the
word ‘only’ to brig emphasis that vivid is the only
magazine where people will get a real insight to their
favourite artists lives. This again links in with the
header because it makes my magazine seem the
best choice and the most exclusive one out the
range. The footer makes it across to the reader that
they will get a little bit extra from vivid unlike other
magazines. This brings competition and again makes
people want to compare it with other existing
magazines.
I have put the head of the main image on top of half of ‘I’ and ‘d’ so that the images stands out and makes it look like
it is most important and top priority. I got this idea from other magazines and so decided to use it. I think this is a good
way to make the image stand out but also to make the masthead be something that the reader reads and gets
attracted to. The masthead and the main image are both as important as each other because the masthead is there
for the audience and people to recognise the magazine and the main image is there to attract and give an idea as to
what the magazine is about.
One of the coverlines on the left third says “a
chance to win brand new headphones-enter the
competition” which is written in the same font
colour as the other coverlines, is there so that
when the reader is reading from the left third,
they are attracted to it. I have placed it so that it
does not stand out so that the reader feels that
it is normal to get a lot out of ;vivid’ magazines.
This makes the reader want to buy this
magazines and other ‘vivid’ magazines as they
will think that they will always get the most out
of them. Although, it is not in a star or different
font colour, it still cannot be missed because it is
the second coverlines in the left third of the
magazine.
The cover line on the right says “PLUS’ and has other artists’
names. This attracts the audience as one of the artists may
be their favourite and so will be interested to buy the
magazine. it is not in the left third which again suggests that
it is normal that the consumer will get a little bit extra
through vivid.
From this magazine I took
idea of the name that is
written in bold next to
the audience so that it is
clear that it is the main
cover line and also to
make it clear as to who
the main image is.
From this magazine I took
most of the layout
design. Also the image at
the top in the corner to
make it look like there's
more in the magazine.
However, In this
magazine the head of the
main image is behind the
masthead and so the
head is getting cut off
rather than the
masthead. So I changed it
and made it so that the
masthead is been cut off
not the images’ head.

7. The contents page
• The typical forms and conventions of a contents page of
a music magazine are:
-masthead
-main image
-headings
-subheadings
-contents of the magazine
-other images
-editorial
-subscription box
-website, date and issue
-sell line
From these conventions, I used
some of them but not all
because I looked at other
mixmag contents pages and not
all of these conventions were
included. For example, there
was no editorial on most of the
mixmag contents pages nor was
there a subscription box.

8. How is my contents page like an existing
magazines contents page?
Main image
Features Features
Masthead
Masthead
Title: contents
Other images of artists
Numbers in big and bold
at the side of the
images to make certain
pages stand out.
Bold headings
Bold headings
date
date
My contents
page vivid:
Existing magazine-
mixmag:

9. CONTENTS PAGE
Masthead- The masthead on my contents page is on
the bottom right. This is placed there so that my
magazine can stand out and be recognised. Also like
many other contents pages, the masthead is there to
make sure that my magazine pages look like they
belong to each other. On mixmag contents pages the
masthead is on top of the page and their website is
on the bottom right (next to the page number)
however, because my masthead and website belong
together, i have put them both at the bottom and
have placed the date on top. The masthead needs to
stand out to people so that they can know what
magazine they are reading.
I have chosen not to include an editorial because I
looked at many mixmag contents pages, and none of
them had an editorial so I wanted to make my
contents page as similar to mixmag as I could. Also i
thought that the pictures can do the same job as the
editorial; they are there to attract the audience and
make the reader want to buy the magazine and read
the whole magazine.
Feature/subheadings- I have placed the features and subheading on the left because I have seen many
magazines which have the same layout. Also, I have made the subheadings bold and noticeable, so that
people are attracted and then want to read all of the features. I have placed the features here because I think
that this is the first thing that you would see when you open to the contents page, so it should be attractive
and make the reader want to read on.
Many magazines include a website, date and issue
number on their contents page so that the reader
can know more about the magazine, also so that
they are kept up to date with the issues. I have used
this convention and put in underneath my masthead
on the bottom right. I did this because I thought that
the masthead is the most important and significant
thing on a magazine as it is how people recognise a
magazine, so if I placed the website underneath the
masthead, then it wouldn’t be missed either.
Colours- I have kept to the same colour scheme to the front
cover which is mostly red and white. I think this is important
as it is the house-style of the magazine and a way that the
pages seem to belong to each other. Also I think that the
colours are vibrant and outstanding on the backgrounds, so it
means that my contents page will look like other existing
magazine contents.
Images- I have three images on my contents page. The images
are there to connote what the genre of the magazine is and
who the magazine is about. It also makes clear to the
audience as to the language that the double page spread
might have. We can see that the model is happy and is
standing in an informal pose, this explains that the interview
may also be informal and so the reader and audience can feel
close to the artist. A typical dance music content page has
about 3-4 images on it, so I have followed that and included
similar conventions.
Sell line- the sell line is vital on the contents page because it is
there to attract the audience and make them want to buy the
magazine and read the interview. I have used this convention
and placed the sell line on one of the image so that the
audience can know the link (that the interview is with the
image that I have placed it next to).
I used the rule of thirds because I used it on my front
cover so I thought that it would be necessary to keep
the positioning consistent. I placed the face of the
main, large image on the right side rather than the
middle. This consistency will attract my intended
audience.
I used this magazine
contents page to help
me with my layout
because I though it was
an interesting and
attractive layout from a
successful magazine-
mixmag. From this I
challenged some
feature such as
changing the
subheadings so that
they stand out more
than this magazine
contents page

10. The double page spread (DPS)
• The typical forms and conventions of a DPS of a music
magazine are:
-Drop cap
-by-line
-artist name
-pull quote
-main image
-Introduction
-page numbers
-housestyle/colour scheme
-fonts
-language

11. How is my DPS like an existing magazines
DPS?
Introduction
Main image
Masthead
Masthead
My DPS-Vivid
Existing magazine-
DPS
Page numbers
Pull quote Pull quote
Other images
Article Article

12. Drop cap- this is a convention
that many magazines have. I
have seen a drop cap in all
the magazines that I analysed
during my research and
planning and I think it
purpose is there to let the
reader know that it is the
start of the article. Also it
draws you into the rest of the
article/interview. The drop
cap makes the article seem
less formal and by using it
right at the start, it sets a
close, informal relationship
between the reader
(audience) and the artist right
at the beginning.
The colour scheme is again the same
as the other pages- mostly red and
white with black font as well. The fact
that I have kept with the same colours
on all the pages makes my magazine
stick to the real conventions of music
magazines and so will attract my
intended audience.
Housestyle- the housestyle of my DPS is
very simple with the same black and
white background (as the other pages)
and the same font and colours. This is to
make the genre more clear to the
audience. The simplicity will attract my
audience as it is a code of many other
music magazines.
Main image- the main image is on the right hand side of the DPS with 3 columns of writing on one side of her (left
side) and only one column of writing on the right hand side of my DPS. The image is a long shot of the min artist so
that she is seen as the main attention of the magazine also because she is across the page (vertically), it shows
that the article is based on her.
Mise-en scene- her dress is very simple and the colours are black and white, this links in with the rest of my
magazine, as I have kept the housestyle simple and plain. Her posture and facial expressions explain that she is a
happy and outgoing. Also her posture is informal and she is directly making eye-contact with the audience to
make it seem like she is inviting them to get closer to her and know her personally.
Page numbers on either sides of the DPS pages. I have
put the page numbers next to the masthead on either
side so that my magazine can be recognised also to fit
in with one of the major conventions of many music
magazines.
Pull quote- this is placed on the side
of the main image to show that is it
quoted from her. This pull quote is
necessary for my DPS because I have
a lot of columns of writing and so
with the short pull quote, people will
be interested to read the whole
article if they are attracted to the
pull quote. I have put the pull quote
in blue as well as the artist name to
bring links with all of them. By using
this convention of writing her name
in another font colour is there so
that the audience knows who the
article is about. Also it is a typical
convention of music magazines and
also reflects on the genre of my
music magazine which is electro
dance music.
By line- I have included the by line
on the side of the DPS because it is
a typical convention of music
magazines. The by-line is there to
tell who the photographer is, who
wrote the article and other
contents.
Artists name- this is in
another colour so that it
stands out to the
audience and so that they
know who the article is
based on. I thought this
was important to include
because it is a typical
convention of electro
dance music magazines as
well as other genre
magazines.
I have used the introduction convention to introduce what the article is about, who is based on
Language: the language that I have used is informal. I have used words such as “errm” in the middle of her
responses. This is to make it look like the audience is talking to her face to face. I have also included “[laughs]” to
show that she is friendly and informal. This is a typical convention of music magazine interviews as they are
normally willing to tell their fans/audience about their life and answer their questions. I think that magazine
interviews are generally written in a ‘chatty’ way to make the audience get into the magazine and feel closer to
the artist just by reading the interview.
Fonts- i have used the same font throughout the art5icle so that
there is a feel of consistency. Also because DPS’ of existing
magazines do not have fancy writing or different fonts, so i kept
to the convention and only changed the colour of the text.
I have made sure that all the columns and the
writing are in line and are not spilling out of the
page. Also I taken all the hyphens out because I
have seen that existing magazines do not have
hyphenated words.

13. Housestyle of all 3?
Target audience?
Language, how they address the
audience (‘speaks to the audience,
informal, friendly, engaging?
How I challenged the conventions
• Many music magazines do not have a
long shot of the artist, but I have put a
long shot of the artist on my front cover
because I think that this is a good way
that people can see the Mise-en-scene of
the artist. Also, I think that with this long
shot, people can see the body language
of the artist. The body language shows
that she is informal.
• I have also challenged the way I have
constructed my masthead. Not many
mastheads have other colours behind
them; they are normally one bold bright
colour.
• I have also included other images such as
the CD and many magazines do not
include other images apart from the
main image. I challenged this convention
because I thought it looked more
creative to put a CD behind the text that
was about a mix CD.
• I made the subheading more like rock
genre music magazines such as
“kerrang!” rather than dance magazines
such as “mixmag” because I thought that
rock layouts were more attractive. Also
because they are bold and in red.
• I have put my masthead at the bottom of
the page in the corner rather than on the
top, because I though that when people
flick to the next page, they will see the
masthead. I also challenged it because I
thought that this positioning was better
than to place on the top.