3. MASTHEAD
- Large, simple, capital letters, sans serif style, placed
under image – shows importance of the artist,
contrasting colour to the background.
- Very eye catching = brand awareness (common
convention)
Similar mastheads within existing media:
4. MAIN IMAGE
- Mid shot, using direct mode of address – creates a
personal relationship with audience and draws them in
(uses & grats).
- Single person shot – common convention.
- Follows conventional lighting (bright, full face).
- Neutral facial expression – not sexualised (challenges
male gaze, Mulvey).
- Infront of masthead – reflects importance of artist.
- Shallow depth of field, blurry background makes the
subject stand out.
Similar conventions within existing media:
5. FEATURES
- Indie style layout, bold capital letters
- Insight into features – informative (uses & grats)
- Smaller font than main cover line and it contrasts
against the darker background
Similar conventions within existing media:
6. COVER LINE
Similar conventions within existing media:
- Drop text, stands out against background and from other
text on the page – emphasies importance of the artist.
- Anchors image, main story in this feature
- Large, capital letters
- Artist’s name – entices fans (common convention)
- Enigma (Barthes) ready to bloom how?
7. HOUSE STYLE
The house style I chose challenged the usual red, white and
black colour scheme that ‘typical’ music magazines use.
Instead, I opted for softer colours such as white, grey and blue
which makes my magazine more unique and stands out
because of its different conventions. The colours I’ve used are
very gender neutral.
Magazines that challenge the convention:
Magazines that use the convention:
9. MASTHEAD
- Large, bold text. Draws the eye and stands out against
background.
- Lies at the top of the page, follows conventions.
- Upper case lettering, also common convention.
Common conventions within existing media:
10. IMAGES
- The images that I took are mid shots / close ups so that their
body language and facial expressions are still easily visible.
- My photos use direct address to create a connection with
the reader (uses & grats)
- The fact each image has straight edges and aren’t
overlapping gives a professional effect.
Existing media using similar conventions:
11. Numbering
- Large numbers, stands out over coloured images and
background
- Fits with the house style colour and isn’t too
overpowering
- Informative of what’s inside (uses & grats)
- Convenient – easy to find page
- Links with the feature’s articles and images.
Similar conventions within existing media:
12. Page & issue number
- Informative
- Easy to navigate
- Professional consistency
Other magazines that use these conventions:
13. Rows & columns
- Simplistic layout – makes it more accessible for audience,
easy to find and locate what the individual’s needs are.
(cognitive needs)
- Using columns on one side of the page and photos on the
other was a common convention when I researched
existing media, but I chose to put the 3rd image on the
other side in order to break up the text, therefore I
challenged that convention.
Existing media using columns:
14. Social media & Competition
As my target audience are young adults
of both genders, I deiced to make an
area for social media on my contents page
which is essential for this type of
audience. This is a way for the audience
to keep updated between issues. This is
reinforced by the competition element of
the magazine. More people will want to keep updated in
order to win. In other magazines I have researched I have
often found ‘giveaway’ sections to the magazine which are
similar to competitions which is a good way to attract regular
readers.
15. DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
Main image
Page number
Drop cap
Columns of text
Introductory title
Anchor text
Artist’s name
Direct mode of
address
16. Layout
I used a regular convention for my double page spread of
having one page an image and the other side a whole
page of text. I did this so the image was the most
important part of the page and the reader’s attention is
drawn to it. Putting the image so large made it eye
catching.
However, I also developed normal conventions and
overlapped the artist’s elbow onto the text page, this
further reinforces the importance of the artist and makes
her seem as if she can’t be restricted, this is unique.
Magazines that use this convention:
17. Image
- I used a mid shot for my double page
spread, and when researching I found this to
be a common convention.
- Direct mode of address is used, creating a
personal relationship with the reader (uses &
grats) therefore drawing them in.
Existing double page spreads that use
direct mode of address:
18. Text
- I decided to do my text as an interview because I wanted
to draw in the fans of the artist as they may be intrigued by
what the artist has to say rather than what someone has to
say about them. This wasn’t very common in the
magazines I researched but I wanted to use it anyway. It’s
more common in fashion magazines.
- Use of drop cap which is a common convention. It’s
eyecatching and different from the rest of the text.
- I wrote the text in columns which is another common
convention, It helps to keep the text organised and makes
it look professional.
Existing double page spread that uses an interview:
19. Anchor text & artist’s name
- Anchor text takes up about 1/3 of the page –
bolder, more eye-catching.
- For the artist’s name I used a san serif font
which is the boldest on the page and differentiates
it from the other text, instantly drawing the
audiences eye towards it.
- 3 different fonts used for anchor text, splits it up
and emphasises importance of each bit.
- Anchor text follows an unconventional layout, but
is very similar to clash magazine:
