Presentation about Music magazine conventions and codes.

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

2. Relevant magazines
Kerrang, Mojo and Q were some of the music magazines I looked
into. Looking at these I used, challenged and develop some of the
conventions these music magazines has. Especially Kerrang was big
help, as they are most aimed at the same audience as mine.

3. Convention search -
Masthead
In my research into the cover of rock music magazine
I saw that bold mastheads were a convention. This
was a convention I applied to my cover. I used
masthead on my cover-page, where I placed it on the
top, centered. This is pleasing for the eye, and in
addition a convention for music magazines. I was
considering if I should break this convention, as for
example Q magazine do, but figured that I should
keep most of the element of my magazine
conventional. This way I doesn’t feel too distant and
unknown for my audience, and the few convention I
do choose to break stands out.

4. Convention – subject forward
As I figured in my textual analysis, many
magazines place their cover model in front of
the masthead. This shows that the
person/group is of big importance to the issue.
This only works if you still are capable to make
out the title from underneath or if the
magazine known enough, which mine is.
Placing the subject behind the masthead would
be inappropriate, as it would block large parts
of his face.

5. Magazine code –
colour scheme
The colour scheme is another convention I followed. My magazines’ main colours are
red, black and white. Both my text analysis and audience research implicated that
these were the wanted colours for rock magazines. In addition I think these colours are
good at communicating the style and content of my magazine. I kept my scheme
simple, so the audience could focus more on the text. For elements, I’d want to draw
more attention to, as the red plug on my contents page, I added a bigger amount of a
contrasting colour. With a lot of air around it the plug is easy to focus on. Adding to the
communication of the magazine’s genre, a part of the colour scheme and flowing well
with the other colours on the page, I chose black for the background of my cover page.
Commonly used on the mastheads of rock magazines, I added a grainy effect to my
background, taking inspiration from the rock magazine convention, but using it in my
own way. To create a style for my magazine, the choice of colours for my other pages
was primarily based on my colour scheme, something I found is usual for magazines.
Wanting it to pop, I used gold for the font reading “Hans Hendrix”, giving more
attention to than the red that is already fillimg much of the cover page. Seeing gold is
often used on the font of words talking of wealth and/or success, was another reason
for using this colour on the mastermind Hendrix.
Survey Research Planning

6. Convention - barcode
Barcode is a necessity and it fitted on my cover page.
I put it in the right hand corner as that’s where
people expect to find it and with air around it’s easy
to spot. It is a convention for magazines and often
expected to be found in the bottom right corner. I put
the price, number and date of the issue above the
barcode as this is how it’s usually done, aka another
convention. It’s where my audience assume to find it
and would be confused if it was placed another
place.